Marrakech to Host 5th UFM Ministerial Conference on Employment

Rabat – Marrakech will hold the 5th Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Ministerial Conference on Employment and Labor on May 17 and 18, reported the UfM Secretariat on May 11.

In the presence of the UfM Secretariat, the Ministerial meeting will be hosted by the Moroccan Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Enterprises, Employment, and Skills and co-moderated by the European Commission in charge of Jobs and Social Rights and Jordan’s Ministry of Labor.

This meeting will address the unemployment challenges in the UfM regions, with a focus on ensuring an inclusive, green, digital, and long-term recovery for the most vulnerable groups, particularly youth and women.

According to the UfM Secretariat, the meeting will discuss the UfM Youth Strategy while focusing on the regional strategy for women’s employability. It will also shed light on the United Nations’ Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) actions undertaken in Morocco to support women’s economic empowerment.

According to Li Yong, the General Director of UNIDO, in 2017, UNIDO’s technical cooperation with Morocco has focused on improving national quality infrastructure, including “skill development and vocational training in the heavy construction sector, food value chain development, and environmental protection.”

The debate will be enriched further by testimonials from Moroccan women who have benefited from UNIDO and UfM initiatives, as well as good practice examples of projects implemented in Morocco under the Grant Scheme for Employment.

The UfM 2020 Grant Scheme for Employment Promotion actively supports non-profit organizations in the Mediterranean that work to provide people with opportunities in the aftermath of the COVID-19-induced economic crisis.

It focuses on projects that help people find work, keep working, and improve their working and living conditions. It also seeks to support projects that promote entrepreneurship and improve business for Micro- Small-Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), which play a vital role in creating employment in the Mediterranean region.

The 4th UfM Ministerial Meeting on Employment and Labor was held on April 2-3, 2019 in Kashcais, Portugal, under the theme “Jobs, Skills, and Opportunities for All.”

The UfM is an intergovernmental organization that operates in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It is composed of all the EU countries and 15 MENA countries. Its main goal is to improve regional cooperation on the issues of employment, and creating employment opportunities for young people and women in the Mediterranean region.