Antonio Troya, Director of IUCN-Med, addressed today the Senior Officials´ Meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean in order to present the main activities of the IUCN Mediterranean Programme. It is the first time that IUCN is invited to participate in a meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean.

The Union for the Mediterranean (UFM) is a multilateral partnership founded in 2008 by 43 Heads of State and Government of the European and Mediterranean Union. It was created in the wake of the Barcelona Process as a stimulus to achieve tangible results. The role of the UFM is to increase regional integration and cooperation in order to "transform the Mediterranean into an area of peace, democracy, cooperation and prosperity".

The Union for the Mediterranean focuses on six priorities areas. One of them, entitled De-pollution of the Mediterranean, encompasses a wide range of environmental projects including good environmental governance, water management and protection of the Mediterranean diversity. To achieve these goals, the UFM wishes to cooperate with environmental NGOs active in the Mediterranean region, such as IUCN-Med.

During his speech, Antonio Troya presented the main activities of the IUCN Center for Mediterranean Cooperation over the last twelve years. He also emphasized the necessity of enhanced cooperation in the field of environmental affairs in the Mediterranean Region, a concern for both IUCN-Med and the Union for the Mediterranean.