Conclusions of the Anna Lindh Forum 2013 and the first summit of Presidents of the parliaments of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)

The second Anna Lindh Mediterranean Forum concluded on Sunday 7 April 2013, after three days of intense debates and exchanges of good intercultural dialogue practices among more that 1500 citizens, youth leaders, civil society representatives, non-state actors, parliamentarians and elected officials from 44 countries of the Mediterranean.

Started on Thursday four April, the Forum has been a space for interaction, exchange and debate of the top issues facing the Euro-Med region today, with concrete plans for a better partnership across the region under the banner ‘Citizens for the Mediterranean’.

During these days the first summit of President of parliaments of the Union for the Mediterranean has been held, parallel to the Forum. The meeting has recongised the Anna Lindh Foundation as the leading Euro-Med institution for intercultural dialogue and participatory citizenship.

The following are the key points highlighted in the official closing session of the Forum:

• the Foundation and its partners will launch an Annual Week of the Mediterranean, where voices and joint actions of citizens, parliaments, local authorities and civil society will be shared;
• a sustainable action for Syria is on the way: the forum has indeed underlined that it is impossible to be citizens for the Mediterranean without being citizens for Syria and action is required to prepare civil society for after the conflict;
• mobility is a key point in the re-launch of the Mediterranean partnership: the Anna Lindh Foundation networks across the region agreed on the urgent need for ad-hoc visas for cultural leaders working across the region;
• the application of the debates and exchanges that took place during the forum will be immediate with the Anna Lindh Foundation, its networks and programmes;
• the importance of the Anna Lindh Foundation work concerning citizenship education wil be highlighted with the very first Euro-Med handbook on teaching intercultural citizenship in schools;
• the programme Citizens for Dialogue funded by the European Commission, has been officially announced as an integral part of the Anna Lindh Foundation’s activities over the next two years;
• in the cultural field, the Fourm has announced the launch of the Euro-Med translation programme, with the focus on reducing the gap of mutual perceptions: the New Anna Lindh Report on Intercultural Trends and Social Change; and the support for media reporting across cultures.

The Human Rights Centre of the University of Padua has been present at the Forum with a delegation composed by prof. Léonce Bekemans, Academic Coordinator of the European Centre of Excellence Jean Monnet “Intercultural dialogue, human rights and multi-level govenance” and Pietro de Perini. The two have actively participated in the workshop concerning education and intercultural learning.