Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona

AMB vice-president, Alfred Bosch, and the secretary of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Fathallah Sijilmassi, met in Barcelona to handle the need to work for the sustainable development of Mediterranean cities in the medium and long term, and thus contribute to mitigating the numerous humanitarian crises experienced in recent months.

Bosch repeated the AMB's commitment to supporting local governments in the Mediterranean and explained the different projects that are being carried out in the region, in which AMB experts are participating.

Sijilmassi and Bosch shared the idea that Barcelona must be a meeting point for speaking of peace and solidarity in the Mediterranean and the role of cities as key actors in resolving disputes.

In this regard, they pointed out the importance of the transfer of knowledge that local European authorities can make to their southern counterparts, in order to strengthen the local administrations and their ability to manage urban services.

In the first political meeting of these institutions, they agreed on the need for the Mediterranean and cities to have a central role at the different regional, world and international meetings and summits, such as Habitat III and COP 22.

AMB and the UfM secretary collaborate in different fields linked to urban development in the Mediterranean, primarily through the MedCities network, of which the AMB hosts the General Secretariat and holds the vice-presidency.

The Union for the Mediterranean is an international institution made up of 43 states (the 28 EU member states and its Mediterranean partners), which works to promote joint projects that will contribute to the region's development. Barcelona has acted as the Secretariat General since 2010, a fact that reinforces its leadership role as a Mediterranean capital.