On the 21st February 2024, the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean and Head of Administration and Protocol visited the EMEA offices in Sant Pau Recinte Modernista, Barcelona, to discuss key issues concerning regional cooperation and dialogue in Europe, the Mediterranean, and Africa.
The EMEA team presented our work as it relates to key issues and ongoing work conducted by PAM: Senior Project Manager, Maria Ruiz and Communication and Research Officer, Kirsty Fairhurst presented CREACT4MED & INVESTMED and their work on boosting job creation for youth and women in the Southern Mediterranean and policy recommendations to build a facilitating environment for entrepreneurs, Project Manager, Christine de Visser gave an overview of EMGN and its role as a platform for bringing financial inclusion to the fore in the Mediterranean region and improving access to finance for MSMEs, Senior Researcher Dr. Yeganeh Forouheshfar discussed the TRIS model and dashboard as a framework for a holistic vision for the future cooperation between Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa, and the Brain Capital initiative promoted by EMEA as a way to protect populations from mis- and disinformation currently heavily influencing democratic processes around the world.
The Secretary General then gave an overview of the activities at PAM highlighting their key objective to build trust, dialogue, and prosperity for citizens in the region. Their work is formed under three branches: Political Security and Cooperation; Economic, Social & Environmental Cooperation; Dialogue among Civilisation and Human Rights. Among these 3 broad themes, Prof. Rym Ayadi, President and Founder of EMEA, highlighted myriad opportunities for collaboration between EMEA and PAM such as delving into the link between food security and conflict, how regional cooperation and trade is affected by international sanctions, and how brain capital may serve as a key tool and shield against artificial intelligence.
EMEA is excited to continue its work with PAM towards building a brighter and safer Euro-Mediterranean region.
The Secretary General was elected in 2008 to establish and direct its Secretariat and lead the strategic planning for the Assembly. He undertook, at the request of the EU and the UN, peace-support and confidence-building PAM/UN missions to, among others, Syria, Libya, the Balkans, Israel, Palestine, Iran and Russian Federation and Yemen. He advises the UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee and UN CTC on adaption of national legislations to counter effectively ISIL and Foreign Terrorist Fighters.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) is an international organisation established in 2005 by the national parliaments of the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region and is entrusted with the parliamentary dimension of the 5+5 Western Mediterranean Forum and the MEDCOP.
