The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, concluded the 6th edition of the “Mediterranée du Futur” Conference, organised by the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region in Marseille. The theme of this 6th edition was “Every Drop Counts: Water is Life.”
It brought together around 50 private and public actors from Euro-Mediterranean and international backgrounds to discuss water-related issues. It also pushed for the creation of a new macro-regional strategy to address common issues in the Mediterranean basin and strengthen the Mediterranean’s influence and visibility within the EU. The Secretary General also participated in the concluding session of the “Mediterranean meetings” at the Palais du Pharo, in the presence of Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Secretary General emphasized that the theme of water is central for Mediterranean countries and highlighted the water regional agenda of the UfM and its numerous initiatives related to water issues. He also expressed support for the establishment of a macro-regional strategy for the Mediterranean.
He reminded that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the UfM, whose role is to promote regional cooperation through dialogue and the implementation of projects and initiatives that have a tangible impact on the citizens of the region. Furthermore, he underlined that no nation can address alone challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, growing socio-economic inequalities, food and energy crises, and water scarcity on its own and that UfM must be strengthened.