The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is a multilateral partnership between the European Union and the countries of the southern Mediterranean, encompassing 43 countries: 28 EU member states, 15 countries of the southern Mediterranean, the European Commission, and the Arab League. It was established by the signing of the Paris Declaration in 2008 with the purpose of promoting dialogue and cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region, and institutionally builds on the Barcelona Process.

The initiative was announced as a community of projects aimed at turning the Mediterranean into the world’s largest laboratory of coordinated development.

Today, the Union for the Mediterranean seeks to fulfill its role as a bridge between the countries of the European Union and other European, Asian, and African countries along the Mediterranean shores, promoting dialogue and the exchange of project ideas, experiences, and best practices among states, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society, in order to address the main issues facing the Euro-Mediterranean region and to provide lasting development solutions for its sustainable growth.

The Declaration Towards a New UfM Urban Agenda, adopted by member countries on 22 May 2017 in Cairo at the Second Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development of the Union for the Mediterranean, aimed, among other things, to recall the shared roots and values of Mediterranean states, cultures, and peoples—because the Mediterranean is more than a region threatened by accelerated urbanization.

The spirit of the Mediterranean was described by Portuguese geographer Orlando Ribeiro:
"Founded on respect for the values of ancient civilizations, the Mediterranean does not surrender its reason for being unconditionally to time, money, or efficiency—the three idols of the modern world. The breeze of freedom and fantasy still occasionally descends from its clear skies."

Since sustainable development cannot be achieved through isolated action, the Declaration sends a strong message about the necessity of unity and cooperation among Mediterranean countries in tackling the many challenges of a time marked by rapidly changing trends in urbanization and the ways these trends affect cities and settlements.

By participating in the preparation of this ministerial declaration, the Croatian Institute for Spatial Development made an important contribution to its final form, especially regarding the emphasis on the role of urban planning as a key instrument of sustainable urban development; the need to monitor the state of urban development through a joint monitoring system; the need for urban regeneration of neglected city cores, abandoned industrial and port areas; the prevention of uncontrolled settlement growth and the urban rehabilitation of illegally built areas; the need to establish better connections between the more urbanized coastal belt and the depopulated and lagging hinterland; the protection and sustainable management of the landscape; the consideration of sustainable forms of tourism; and the improvement of transport connectivity.

By adopting the Declaration Towards a New UfM Urban Agenda, the first step was taken in rethinking the improvement of methods for planning and managing cities and settlements, directed toward social inclusion and the reduction of urban poverty, environmental sustainability, and resilient urban development—and ultimately, toward the realization of a shared vision of sustainable cities and a better life for future generations of the Euro-Mediterranean region.