Thirty representatives of Euro-Mediterranean development agencies met for the first time in Barcelona on Monday 15 April, at a meeting organised by the intergovernmental organisation ‘Union for the Mediterranean ‘ (UfM).
The aim of the meeting was to deepen cooperation and explore opportunities for new partnerships. It was inspired by the EU’s ‘Team Europe’ initiative (‘TEIs’), which identifies key development priorities in a given region and guides EU development programmes through the ‘NDICI-Global Europe’ financial instrument (see EUROPE 13094/11).
“Although it is not a donor institution, [the UfM] is an invaluable partner in supporting regional projects by offering various forms of vital assistance. By bringing together development actors from the UfM member states to pool their efforts, the UfM is exercising its unique convening power to help improve and achieve concrete results for the people of the region,” said UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel in a statement.
On Monday, the conference included a presentation of the socio-professional integration project ‘Méditerranée nouvelle chance’, as well as a visit to the ‘El Llindar’ school, which supports young people excluded from the traditional education system. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)