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Aula Árabe 3.17. Quo Vadis, Lebanon?

Published at 46 30,,, 22 2022

Next Tuesday, April 5, this conference will be held at Casa Árabe’s headquarters in Madrid and on our YouTube channel (in Spanish and English). It will be given by Karim Bitar, a researcher at the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques and is taking part within the framework of the Aula Árabe Universitaria program. Going from bad to worse, Lebanon has been plunged into one crisis after another since 2020: from the financial sector, due to major depreciation by the Lebanese pound and hyperinflation, to the weakened humanitarian aid sector. Added to the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic was the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut, which killed 250 people and wiped out important port infrastructures. With the current war in Ukraine, the wheat imports on which the Lebanese depend to survive will most likely lead to a rise in hunger rates. Over half of the country has fallen below the poverty line, and 20% live in extreme poverty. The parliamentary elections to be held on May 15, 2022 are viewed as anopportunity to respond to the year 2019 protests, which demanded an end to ruleby the political elites who have run the country since the end of the civil war andsunk it into the current state of crisis. Despite the people’s protests, however, thereligious party-based regime has resisted yielding power and continues its fight toremain in place. Observers warn of high levels of corruption and manipulation in an atmosphere of chaos and illegitimacy, exacerbated by international pressures not to postpone the election. Within this context, the likelihood of a post-election debacle resulting in major difficulties is very high. This session of Aula Árabe Universitaria is being held with the cooperation of the Master’s degree program in Political Science and Public Affairs at Saint Louis University’s Madrid campus. The event will be presented by Barah Mikaïl, director of the Political Science and International Relations program at Saint Louis University, and moderated by Karim Hauser, Casa Árabe’s International Relations Coordinator. Karim Bitar is a researcher at the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (IRIS) in Paris and editor of the French monthly magazine L’ENA hors les murs. He is an associate member of the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) and an associate researcher at the Institut Medea in Brussels. He is a professor of International Relations and History of Political Thought at several universities. He also frequently testifies before the Foreign Affairs Committees of the French and European Parliaments. He has authored various chapters and articles in Le Monde diplomatique, Libération, Le Monde, Informed Comment, Atlantico, La Vanguardia, An Nahar, L’Orient-Le Jour, etc., as well as editing and co-writing the collective book Regards sur la France, in which 30 personages from around the world analyze France’s strengths and weaknesses. Foto: Gregor Enste ( Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung en Flickr)

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(ENGLISH) 5th Annual Forum of the MedThink 5+5 network - 13th October at 15:00

On October 13 and 14, Casa Árabe will bring together a group of experts, professionals and political leaders at its headquarters in Madrid to debate the future transformations facing the Western Mediterranean. In the context of the 2021 Spanish co-presidency of the 5+5 Dialogue and drawing on the Tunis Declaration adopted at the 16th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the 5+5 Dialogue on 22 October 2020, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) are jointly organising the 5th annual forum of the MedThink 5+5 network in partnership with Casa Árabe in Madrid, the 13th and 14th of October 2021. PROGRAMME Wednesday 13 October 12:30h. Welcoming words Senén Florensa, Executive President, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) Cristina Juarranz, Deputy Director, Casa Árabe 12:40h. Keynote speeches Ángeles Moreno Bau, State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Government of Spain Nasser Kamel, Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Taïeb Baccouche, Secretary General, Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) 15:00h. Roundtable “The 5+5 Dialogue in the post-COVID-19 context: Ways forward to sustain and bolster the cooperation in the Western Mediterranean” Chair Alberto Ucelay, Director General for the Maghreb, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Government of Spain Special interventions Omar Amghar, Director of the EU-Morocco Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Government of Morocco Daniel Schlosser, Advisor to the Inter-ministerial Delegate for the Mediterranean, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Government of France Ana Helena Marques, Director of Middle East and Maghreb Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Portugal Nor-Eddine Benfreha, Director of Cooperation with the EU and European Institutions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Algeria First reactions Mohammed Loulichki, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) John O’Rourke, Ambassador, Former Head of Delegation of the European Union to Algeria, European External Action Service Roger Albinyana, Managing Director, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) 17:00h. Session “Enhancing Regional Value Chains in the Western Mediterranean: Conditions for a Win-Win Reconfiguration of the Production Model” Chair Blanca Moreno-Dodson, Manager, Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) Speakers Jihen Boutiba, Secretary General, Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED) Ghazi Ben Ahmed, Founder and President, Mediterranean Development Initiative (MDI) Emmanuel Noutary, General Delegate, ANIMA Investment Network Davide Tentori, Research Fellow, Centre on Business Scenarios, Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) First reactions Olivia Orozco de la Torre, Coordinator of Education and Economics, Casa Árabe Luis Óscar Moreno, Adviser, Sub-Directorate General of External Debt Management and International Financing, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transition, Government of Spain. Former Director General of Economic Diplomacy (MAEUEC) Further information: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/5th-annual-forum-of-the-medthink-5-5-network

Published at 08 13,,, 21 2021
(FRANÇAIS) 5th Annual Forum of the MedThink 5+5 network - 14 Octobre

Se plaçant dans le contexte de la co-présidence espagnole 2021 du Dialogue 5+5 et se basant sur la Déclaration de Tunis adoptée le 22 octobre 2020 lors de la 16e réunion des ministres des Affaires étrangères du Dialogue 5+5, l’Institut européen de la Méditerranée (IEMed) et l’Union pour la Méditerranée (UpM) organisent le 5e forum annuel du réseau MedThink 5+5 en partenariat avec Casa Árabe à Madrid, en Espagne. PROGRAMME Jeudi 14 octobre 9h 30 Session « Assurer la sécurité de l’eau pour un futur durable : les défis de la gestion intégrée de l’eau en Méditerranée occidentale » Présidence Octavi Quintana, directeur du Secrétariat, Fondation PRIMA Intervenants Alain Meyssonnier, président, Institut méditerranéen de l’Eau (IME) Ramiro Martínez Costa, coordinateur général, Réseau méditerranéen des organismes de bassin (MENBO). Coordinateur de la Stratégie de l’eau en Méditerranée occidentale Mosbah Helali, président directeur général, Société Nationale d’Exploitation et de Distribution des Eaux (SONEDE). Président du Comité directeur, Association des Services d’eau des pays arabes (ACWUA) Maroua Oueslati, responsable de projet et de l’information, Système Euro-Méditerranéen d’Information sur les savoir-faire dans le Domaine de l’Eau (SEMIDE/EMWIS) Commentaires Francisco Pedrero Salcedo, chercheur senior, CEBAS-CSIC. Ancien coordinateur, Réseau des jeunes méditerranéens pour l’eau (MedYWat) 11h 30 Session « Vers des villes intelligentes en Méditerranée occidentale : exploiter le potentiel de la transformation numérique pour un développement urbain durable » Présidence Carmen Magariños, directrice de la coopération avec l’Afrique et l’Asie, Agence espagnole de coopération internationale pour le développement (AECID) Intervenants Cecilio Cerdán, directeur général en charge de la coopération et de la citoyenneté globale, Municipalité de Madrid Borhene Dhaouadi, président, Tunisian Smart Cities Aawatif Hayar, présidente, Université Hassan II de Casablanca Victoria Jiménez, responsable de secteur Développement urbain, Secrétariat de l’Union pour la Méditerranée (UpM) Commentaires Oriol Barba, directeur, MedCités 13h 00 Remarques de conclusion et clôture Isidro González, secrétaire général adjoint, Union pour la Méditerranée (UpM) Roger Albinyana, directeur général, Institut européen de la Méditerranée (IEMed) Cristina Juarranz, directrice adjointe, Casa Árabe Pour plus d'information (en anglais): https://en.casaarabe.es/event/5th-annual-forum-of-the-medthink-5-5-network

Published at 13 08,,, 21 2021
(FRANÇAIS) 5th Annual Forum of the MedThink 5+5 network - 13 Octobre

Se plaçant dans le contexte de la co-présidence espagnole 2021 du Dialogue 5+5 et se basant sur la Déclaration de Tunis adoptée le 22 octobre 2020 lors de la 16e réunion des ministres des Affaires étrangères du Dialogue 5+5, l’Institut européen de la Méditerranée (IEMed) et l’Union pour la Méditerranée (UpM) organisent le 5e forum annuel du réseau MedThink 5+5 en partenariat avec Casa Árabe à Madrid, en Espagne. PROGRAMME Mercredi 13 octobre 12h 30 Mots de bienvenue Senén Florensa, président exécutif, Institut européen de la Méditerranée (IEMed) Cristina Juarranz, directrice adjointe, Casa Árabe 12h 40 Discours d’ouverture Ángeles Moreno Bau, secrétaire d’Etat pour les Affaires étrangères et globales, ministère des Affaires étrangères, de l’Union européenne et de la Coopération, Gouvernement d’Espagne Nasser Kamel, secrétaire général, Union pour la Méditerranée (UpM) Taïeb Baccouche, secrétaire général, Union du Maghreb arabe (UMA) 15h 00 Table ronde “Le Dialogue 5+5 dans le contexte post-Covid-19: perspectives de soutien et de renforcement de la coopération en Méditerranée occidentale” Présidence Alberto Ucelay, directeur général pour le Maghreb, la Méditerranée et le Proche-Orient, ministère des Affaires étrangères, de l’Union européenne et de la Coopération, Gouvernement d’Espagne Interventions spéciales Omar Amghar, directeur des Relations UE-Maroc, ministère des Affaires étrangères, de la Coopération africaine, et des Marocains résidant à l’étranger, Gouvernement marocain Daniel Schlosser, conseiller auprès du délégué interministériel à la Méditerranée, ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères, Gouvernement français Ana Helena Marques, directrice des Services Moyen-Orient-Maghreb, ministère des affaires étrangères, Gouvernement du Portugal Nor-Eddine Benfreha, directeur de la Coopération avec l’UE et les institutions européennes, ministère des Affaires étrangères, Gouvernement algérien Commentaires Mohammed Loulichki, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) John O’Rourke, ambassadeur, ancien chef de la délégation de l’Union européenne en Algérie Roger Albinyana, directeur général, Institut européen de la Méditerranée (IEMed) 17h 00 Session « Développer les chaînes de valeur régionales en Méditerranée occidentale : conditions pour une reconfiguration mutuellement profitable du modèle de production » Présidence Blanca Moreno-Dodson, manager, Centre pour l’intégration en Méditerranée (CMI) Intervenants Jihen Boutiba, secrétaire générale, Union méditerranéenne des Confédérations d’entreprises (BUSINESSMED) Ghazi Ben Ahmed, fondateur et président, Mediterranean Development Initiative (MDI) Emmanuel Noutary, délégué général, ANIMA Investment Network Davide Tentori, chercheur, Centre on Business Scenarios, Istituto per gli Studi di Political Internazionale (ISPI) Commentaires Olivia Orozco de la Torre, coordinatrice Éducation et Économie, Casa Árabe Luis Óscar Moreno, assesseur, Sous-Direction générale de la gestion de la dette extérieure et du financement international, ministère des Affaires économiques et de la Transformation numérique, Gouvernement d’Espagne. Ancien directeur général de la Diplomatie économique (MAEUEC) Pour plus d'information (en anglais): https://en.casaarabe.es/event/5th-annual-forum-of-the-medthink-5-5-network

Published at 05 08,,, 21 2021
(ENGLISH) 5th Annual Forum of the MedThink 5+5 network - 14th October

On October 13 and 14, Casa Árabe will bring together a group of experts, professionals and political leaders at its headquarters in Madrid to debate the future transformations facing the Western Mediterranean. In the context of the 2021 Spanish co-presidency of the 5+5 Dialogue and drawing on the Tunis Declaration adopted at the 16th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the 5+5 Dialogue on 22 October 2020, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) are jointly organising the 5th annual forum of the MedThink 5+5 network in partnership with Casa Árabe in Madrid, the 13th and 14th of October 2021. PROGRAMME Thursday 14 October 9:30h. Session “Ensuring Water Security for a Sustainable Future: Challenges for Integrated Water Management in the Western Mediterranean” Chair Octavi Quintana, Director of the Secretariat, PRIMA Foundation Speakers Alain Meyssonnier, President, Institut méditerranéen de l’Eau (IME) Ramiro Martínez Costa, General Coordinator, Mediterranean Network of Basin Organisations (MENBO). Coordinator of the 5+5 Water Strategy for the Western Mediterranean Mosbah Helali, Chairman, SONEDE (National Water Distribution Utility of Tunisia). Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA) Maroua Oueslati, Information and Project Manager, Euro-Mediterranean Information System on know-how in the Water Sector (EMWIS) First reactions Francisco Pedrero Salcedo, Senior Researcher, CEBAS-CSIC. Former Coordinator, Mediterranean Youth for Water Network (MedYWat) 11:30h. Session “Towards Smart Western Mediterranean Cities: Harnessing the Potential of the Digital Transformation for a Sustainable Urban Development” Chair Carmen Magariños, Director of Cooperation with Africa and Asia, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) Speakers Cecilio Cerdán, Director General for Cooperation and Global Citizenship, Madrid City Council Borhene Dhaouadi, President, Tunisian Smart Cities Aawatif Hayar, President, Hassan II University of Casablanca Victoria Jiménez, Head of Sector for Urban Development, Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) First reactions Oriol Barba, Director, MedCities 13:00h Concluding Remarks and Closing Isidro González, Deputy Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Roger Albinyana, Managing Director, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) Cristina Juarranz, Deputy Director, Casa Árabe Further information: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/5th-annual-forum-of-the-medthink-5-5-network

Published at 42 08,,, 21 2021
(ENGLISH) 5th Annual Forum of the MedThink 5+5 network - 13th October

On October 13 and 14, Casa Árabe will bring together a group of experts, professionals and political leaders at its headquarters in Madrid to debate the future transformations facing the Western Mediterranean. In the context of the 2021 Spanish co-presidency of the 5+5 Dialogue and drawing on the Tunis Declaration adopted at the 16th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the 5+5 Dialogue on 22 October 2020, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) are jointly organising the 5th annual forum of the MedThink 5+5 network in partnership with Casa Árabe in Madrid, the 13th and 14th of October 2021. PROGRAMME Wednesday 13 October 12:30h. Welcoming words Senén Florensa, Executive President, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) Cristina Juarranz, Deputy Director, Casa Árabe 12:40h. Keynote speeches Ángeles Moreno Bau, State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Government of Spain Nasser Kamel, Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Taïeb Baccouche, Secretary General, Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) 15:00h. Roundtable “The 5+5 Dialogue in the post-COVID-19 context: Ways forward to sustain and bolster the cooperation in the Western Mediterranean” Chair Alberto Ucelay, Director General for the Maghreb, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Government of Spain Special interventions Omar Amghar, Director of the EU-Morocco Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Government of Morocco Daniel Schlosser, Advisor to the Inter-ministerial Delegate for the Mediterranean, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Government of France Ana Helena Marques, Director of Middle East and Maghreb Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Portugal Nor-Eddine Benfreha, Director of Cooperation with the EU and European Institutions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Algeria First reactions Mohammed Loulichki, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) John O’Rourke, Ambassador, Former Head of Delegation of the European Union to Algeria, European External Action Service Roger Albinyana, Managing Director, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) 17:00h. Session “Enhancing Regional Value Chains in the Western Mediterranean: Conditions for a Win-Win Reconfiguration of the Production Model” Chair Blanca Moreno-Dodson, Manager, Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) Speakers Jihen Boutiba, Secretary General, Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED) Ghazi Ben Ahmed, Founder and President, Mediterranean Development Initiative (MDI) Emmanuel Noutary, General Delegate, ANIMA Investment Network Davide Tentori, Research Fellow, Centre on Business Scenarios, Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) First reactions Olivia Orozco de la Torre, Coordinator of Education and Economics, Casa Árabe Luis Óscar Moreno, Adviser, Sub-Directorate General of External Debt Management and International Financing, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transition, Government of Spain. Former Director General of Economic Diplomacy (MAEUEC) Further information: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/5th-annual-forum-of-the-medthink-5-5-network

Published at 58 08,,, 21 2021