MedCities brings together 25 Mediterranean cities in Tangiers to share experiences on youth employment, in the framework of the TT Emploi project. Also, MedCities held the annual General Assembly that sat together some of the members, online and on-site.

The event coincided with the Mediterranean Day, and its key point was the inauguration of the employment fair in Tangiers, within the framework of the TT-Emploi project.

The Annual Seminar: Employment and Culture

The network of Mediterranean cities held the seminar ‘Local Initiatives for Economic Development and Territorial Promotion in the Mediterranean: The Case of Employment and Culture’ to explain the initiatives of various member cities regarding their strategies for promoting local economic development. The meeting was held within the framework of the annual General Assembly held in Tangiers.

On the Day of the Mediterranean, which is celebrated every 28 November, the network of Mediterranean cities, MedCities, has held its Annual Seminar, dedicated this year to the TT-Emploi project on which it has been working for the last two years and which is funded by the Government of Catalonia, through the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD) with an endowment of 200,000 euros. The project aims to promote inter-institutional cooperation to guarantee the economic and social rights of women and young people in Morocco. Specifically, the project has focused on the cities of Tetouan and Tangiers and has worked on job creation, training, guidance and entrepreneurship at local level.

Some thirty political representatives, most of them Mayors of MedCities member cities from the three continents bordering the Mediterranean Sea, took part in the seminar to exchange, debate and promote local strategies and experiences aimed at fostering sustainable economic development in the Mediterranean region.
‘In a context marked by great cultural diversity, complex socio-economic challenges such as youth unemployment and migration, environmental threats and a rich historical heritage, it is essential to approach economic development from a local and territorial perspective to create sustainable employment to improve the quality of life of citizens,’ said Josep Canals, Secretary General of MedCities.

To disseminate the results of the project and generate a debate with peers from the Mediterranean, the international seminar on local governance and local employment policies was held in Tangiers. This knowledge transfer was attended by experts in local territorial development and local political leaders from Mediterranean municipalities that are members of the MedCities network: Barcelona City Council, Marseille, Montpellier, Làrnaca, Izmir, Tangier, Madaba, Antalya and Tirana explained their strategies in terms of economic development and the creation of sustainable employment in emerging sectors, also emphasising the importance of integrating the cultural sector as a creator of job opportunities and attracting talent. During the seminar, the importance of cooperation between Mediterranean cities to promote regional integration and the integration of all human groups through employment was highlighted.

In the framework of the seminar linked to the TT Emploi project, the participants were able to visit the first day of the employment fair in Tangier (also held in Tetouan) at the Ahmed Boukmakh Municipal Cultural Centre, which was inaugurated by the Minister of Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills. During the inauguration, the Minister had a meeting with the representatives of the Government of Catalonia (the Director General of Cooperation, Mrs. Andrea Costafreda and the Delegate of the Government of North Africa, Mrs. Habiba El Mouali) -financiers of the project- and the Secretary General of MedCities.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the space where all members can express themselves and talk about all the aspects they consider important to share with the other members. In addition, some of the representatives explained some of their latest projects and future needs, which created synergies with other cities and helped MedCities to see where to focus on future projects.

The Assembly began with a strict and emotional minute’s silence to show respect for the victims of the aggressions in Palestine and Lebanon. In addition, everyone was able to listen to the heartfelt recorded message sent by the Mayor of Gaza, Mr. Yahya Al-Sarraj.

In a more strict sense, the Assembly served to present and approve the 2023 financial report as well as the presentation, discussion and approval of the 2024 activity report. For that part, the 17 ongoing and future projects were presented, underlying the cities involved. Members had the opportunity to discuss in the current 2025 action plan and present and discuss the 2025 budget.

The Assembly endorsed several manifestos such as the Charter of the EU Mission Restore our Oceans, Declaration on Human Mobility, Manifesto from the COP16, Marseille Declaration, and Declaration on the situation in Palestine and Lebanon, and unanimously agreed on the approval of 8 new members, bringing the total number of members to 80.

The new members approved are: Al Mirad, Al Karak, Bab Amman, Bani Obeid, Mugla Municipality, Agia Paraskevi, Ramallah and Al Hoceima.

About these eight new members, all had the opportunity to present the cities they were representing focusing on the needs and the opportunities that MedCities can offer them.

The General Assembly is always a special moment for the secretariat because it is a unique opportunity to exchange with members who can meet and exchange in person, and also with those that connect online. We would like to thank all those who have traveled to Tangier for this meeting of the MedCities family. Above all, a special thanks to the city of Tangier and its Mayor, Mr. Mounir Laymouri, for the welcome and the attention received as a host city.