The Union for the Mediterranean joins civil society gathered at the Anna Lindh Foundation’s Med Forum in la Valletta to discuss pressing issues faced by the region
La Valletta, October 23-26. The Anna Lindh Foundation held its Mediterranean Forum on October 23-26 in la Valletta, Malta. This important regional civil society event gathered a unique regional network of key stakeholders, policy-makers, international media and donors, all committed to tackle together the region’s most critical problems.
The Forum was also attended by 600 civil society leaders whom had been selected through an international call for participation across the 42 Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean and key institutional partners of the Anna Lindh Foundation such as the OSCE, the International Organization of the Francophonie, the League of Arab States, the United Nations and European institutions.
Pressing regional challenges have been discussed during this 3 days conference such as extremism, education, entrepreneurship, migration, youth and art. Among them, the theme of women has been specifically addressed within the session “Women: Breaking Stereotypes, Driving Change”.
As a panelist in this session, DSG Delphine Borione highlighted how the UfM is acting in the fight against gender based stereotypes through the implementation of concrete projects and within a working group of the UfM regional dialogue on women empowerment, co-chaired by the Anna Lindh Foundation. “Education is the keystone of the development of shared values of gender equality, mutual respect and citizenship, essential to develop a feeling of community. Giving a voice to young is key to building inclusive and peaceful societies.” she declared. “Investing in women boosts the economy and strengthens societies’ capacities to address challenges. There is a need to combatting stereotypes is in all countries”.
The UfM and the Anna Lindh Foundation will keep working side by side, complementing each other actions towards common challenges that both organizations address.
Based in Alexandria, Egypt, the Foundation embodies the region’s privileged interlocutor for intercultural dialogue and has been committed for more than 10 years to promote cooperation across the Mediterranean region. During its Forum, all the stakeholders strongly called for a new phase of action which can be done thanks to the largest network of civil society promoting Mediterranean dialogue and through research and action on the ground.
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