The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) has actively assisted and participated in the organization of the event “We are all in the same boat” dedicated to young people with disabilities and serious social disadvantages in the Southern Mediterranean region, held in Malta on 9-11 September 2011. The PAM Secretariat also facilitated the participation of some regional NGOs through the involvement of National Parliaments of its Arab member states. The personal intervention of Hon. Nabih Berry, President of the National Assembly of Lebanon, and of Hon. Tayser Qu’uba, Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian National Council, was also instrumental in facilitating the participation of youths from their countries.
The activity was organized by HandyCup (Italy) and Inspire Foundation (Malta) with the support of the NGO “No Peace Without Justice” (NPWJ) and was ably coordinated by H.E. Luigi Marras, Ambassador of Italy to Malta. The two day event was held under the auspices of H.E. Giorgio Napolitano and H.E. George Abela, Presidents of the Republics of Italy and Malta respectively.
The event included the Handycup 2011 Partnership Building and Networking Conference and a Sailing competition with the participation, on the boats, of over 100 youths invited for the occasion from a number of Southern Mediterranean NGOs, among which from Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and also Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.
The Conference focused on topics such as inclusivity, participation and cooperation with specific reference to the Mediterranean region. The seminar was addressed by a number of distinguished personalities including the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta, Hon. Tonio Borg, several Ambassadors resident in Malta, and the PAM Secretary General.
The Secretary General of PAM, Dr. Sergio Piazzi, in his intervention, underlined the message that people with disabilities and social disadvantages want to participate, in a concrete way, to the daily life and to give their contribution. “They are key resources towards an inclusive society based on pluralism and equality within diversity”, Dr. Piazzi said.
Dr. Piazzi also conveyed a message by PAM President Hon. Abdelwahad Radi, from Morocco, in which the President reiterated the point that there is no integration without equality, there is no cooperation without integration, there is no democracy without cooperation, and there is no peace without democracy.
Dr. Piazzi concluded that it is PAM’s duty, through its member parliamentarians, to give its contribution to further promote these values, on which a peaceful, stable and prosperous region is based. “We are ready to coordinate with all the organizations which offer assistance to the disabled persons, because they represent a link with the civil society, and often do not feel involved in the decision making process”, Dr. Piazzi concluded.