The Diplomat
The third Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development has reaffirmed its commitment to promote sustainable, resilient, safe and integrated urban development in the Mediterranean region, an area particularly vulnerable to climate change due to its high and accelerating rate of urbanization.
At the Conference, held this past Thursday in Zagreb, the ministers also highlighted the importance of the UfM Strategic Action Plan for Urban Development 2040, as a key tool for the implementation of the UfM Urban Agenda and as part of their commitment to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular through the UN New Urban Agenda.
According to the UfM, the Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than the global average, making it particularly vulnerable to climate change. The Mediterranean basin also has one of the fastest urbanization rates in the world.
The ministers have therefore given direction to the UfM Regional Platform for Sustainable Urban Development to focus in the coming years on the implementation and follow-up of the UfM Urban Agenda, through the UfM Strategic Action Plan for Urban Development 2040 and its Housing Action Plan.
To this end, and given the complex and interconnected global crises and challenges, including climate change, the UfM will identify strategies to improve urban health, promote the sustainable transformation of port cities, address public policies and programs for affordable housing, promote vernacular architecture and traditional building techniques as avenues for climate adaptation, and increase citizen safety and the resilience of cities to natural and human disasters. A progress report will be presented before the end of the Decade of Action in 2030.
The Ministerial Conference was co-chaired by the UfM Co-Presidency of the EU, represented by the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, and Jordan, represented by its Minister of Public Works and Housing, Maher Hamdi Abuelsamen, in the presence of the UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel. The host was Croatia, represented by its deputy prime minister and minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, Branko Bačić. Spain was represented by the secretary general of Urban Agenda and Housing, Iñaqui Carnicero.
“Sustainable urban development is crucial to the future of the region. It will enable cities to fight climate change, attract new investment and create new economic opportunities, particularly in the areas of renewable energy, green infrastructure, and sustainable tourism. To this end, countries have agreed today to intensify efforts to implement the new UfM Strategic Action Plan on Sustainable Urban Development 2040, as a key implementation tool for the UfM Urban Agenda,” said Nasser Kamel.
