Seminar forming part of the Mediation in the Mediterranean initiative
Casa Árabe is hosting yet another meeting as part of this
Spanish-Moroccan initiative, with representatives from 31 countries and
the five participating regional organizations.
April 01, 2015
MADRID
On March 17, a seminar was held at the Casa Árabe headquarters in Madrid on the role of regional and sub-regional organizations in mediation throughout the Mediterranean, as part of the “Mediation in the Mediterranean” (Med-Med) initiative activities.
The Med-Med initiative was promoted by Spain and Morocco (both member countries of the United Nations Group of Friends of Mediation) and was officially presented in 2012. It came about to provide support to the Secretary General of the United Nations in strengthening the role of mediation as a tool for resolving conflicts and complying with various resolutions of the UN General Assembly on mediation.
Participating in the initiative are 31 states and five international organizations (EU, OSCE, the Union of the Arab Maghreb, the Arab League and the Union for the Mediterranean), having become consolidated as a point of reference in the world of regional mediation.
Up to now, the Med-Med initiative has held three seminars: in Madrid on February 11-12, 2013; in Rabat on July 8-9, 2013, and in Brdo, Slovenia, on March 12, 2014, as well as two ministerial meetings, the most recent in New York in October 2014.
With the holding of this seminar, the Spanish-Moroccan initiative has taken one step further in promoting preventive diplomacy in the Mediterranean, which constitutes a high-priority objective for Spain’s foreign policy.
The seminar was held throughout one day and included attendance by representatives from the 31 countries and five regional organizations which take part in the initiative. Moreover, representatives from the United Nations took part (more specifically, the UNDP, the Supporting Unit for Mediation of the Department of Political Affairs and the Alliance of Civilizations) and two centers which have been closely related with the Med-Med initiative since it was first created: CITpax (the International Center for Peace in Toledo) and the CERSS (Centre d’Études et de Recherches en Sciences Sociales, in Rabat).
When the seminar came to an end, a series of conclusions were drafted and distributed to the participating regional organizations and to the United Nations.
