Prevention, preparedness and response to disasters: science-driven policies to tackle climate change in the Mediterranean are enhanced through the partnership UfM and CMCC that establishes mutual cooperation.

A Memorandum of Understanding for institutional cooperation between the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) was signed in Rome on June 5, 2023 by the UfM Senior Deputy Secretary General, Grammenos Mastrojeni  and the CMCC President, Antonio Navarra.

The Union for the Mediterranean is an intergovernmental organization and a platform for dialogue and cooperation that brings together the Member States of the European Union and 16 Mediterranean countries from North Africa and Middle East and Southeast Europe to empower regional integration.

With this agreement, parties affirmed the desire to establish mutual cooperation through the pursuit of regional and international initiatives with the aim of enhancing impact and increasing synergies to achieve common objectives in the field of civil protection, including disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction.

The Memorandum of Understanding takes into account that CMCC is a stakeholder in Euro-Mediterranean civil protection and DG ECHO’s contracting partner for the Peer Review Programme 2020-2024 within the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Moreover, CMCC works in the development of operational decision support tools and methodologies to assess multi-hazard, and in supporting policymakers in actuating informed decisions and interventions for disaster management and climate adaptation more rapidly and effectively.

The cooperation between UfM and CMCC will include participation in the regional dialogue platform, visit by and/or exchange of officials and experts, co-operative projects consultations, joint organization of seminars and workshops, exchange of practices and other mutually agreed forms of cooperation.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the context of the High-level event “Climate change, Civil protection and Human security – Towards an efficient Euro  Mediterranean cooperation” held in Rome at the International Conferences Hall at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on June 5-7. At the event, the ‎“Prevention, Preparedness and Response to natural and ‎man-made Disasters”‎ (PPRD) Mediterranean programme was launched. The programme aims to increase the resilience to natural and man-made disasters in the Southern Neighbourhood countries and the Mediterranean region by reinforcing cooperation and partnerships between the EU and Mediterranean countries under the umbrella of the Union for the Mediterranean.