The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) was among the major international and regional organizations at the 3rd meeting of the Syrian Humanitarian Forum in Geneva (5 June, 2012), co-chaired by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). PAM was represented by Gerhard J.W. Putman-Cramer, PAM Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva.
The Forum’s objective was to expand access to hungry, sick or wounded civilians in the wake of the Syrian crisis. The event provided a platform to share information, mobilize funding and support. PAM, together with the other participants, welcomed the agreement of the Syrian Government to a Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan. John Ging, operations director for OCHA, said this represented an important step but that its validity will be measured only through action on the ground.
PAM, on the invitation of the UN Secretary General, H.E. Ban Ki-moon, is fully supporting, in close cooperation with the UN System, all initiatives in the region, especially in those areas where epochal political change, aimed at a more participative and democratic governance, are taking place.
In the near future PAM will be organizing a special mission to Syria to monitor the situation and discuss at the parliamentary level and with all stakeholders, the best solution to overcome the current impasse.
“PAM has a moral responsibility towards the citizens of the region, especially those involved in the mood of change that is running in some of its member states. Changes need time and goodwill from all parties involved, and parliamentary diplomacy can play a key role in proposing opportunities and guidelines for a democratic transition tailored to the specific needs of each individual country”, PAM Secretary General, Amb. Sergio Piazzi commented.