The member states of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) convened on 1-3 April in Cascais, Portugal, to give a new impulse to the economic integration efforts in the Euro-Mediterranean region. With the aim to discuss pressing challenges such as youth unemployment and women underrepresentation on the labour market, the fourth UfM Ministerial Meeting on Employment and Labour encompassed two side-events, a Ministerial Policy Conference on “Job, skills and opportunities for all” and a Ministerial Meeting.

– UfM side event “The employment of Mediterranean university graduates: Bridging the employability gap between advanced skills and markets”: Despite the rise in numbers of university graduates across the Euro-Mediterranean region, youth unemployment remains a regional challenge. This dedicated interactive meeting has been a venue for sharing best practices, highlighting standing challenges and offered practical recommendations on employability of highly trained youth.

– The second side-event focused on the presentation of a “Charter to promote social dialogue in the Southern Mediterranean: Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco”.

– UfM Ministerial Policy Conference “Jobs, skills and opportunities for all”: The Conference provided the opportunity to discuss the most pressing labour market’s needs, in particular the persistent inequality in the access to jobs mostly for women and young people.

In the sidelines of the conference, UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel met with Cesare Onestini, European Training Foundation director. The two sides stressed the solid and long-standing cooperation within the different UfM platforms and highlighted the potential synergies in the field of Vocational Education and Training under the umbrella of the Torino Process.

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Press release: Addressing the employment and labour challenges in the UfM region: 4th UfM Ministerial Meeting on Employment and Labour

Press release: Tackling unemployment among university graduates and researchers

Press release: Cementing regional synergies to tackle the employment challenges

Press release: Promoting regional efforts on job creation and skills development

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)