On 13 October 2020, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) Intervened in the Mostra Viva del Mediterrani (MVM), “the great gathering of Mediterranean cultures” that is being held under PAM auspices in Valencia, Spain, from the 1st to the 20th of October.
The Mostra Viva del Mediterrani (MVM) is an annual meeting and a citizen initiative sponsored by the Valencia City Council and the Government of the Valencian Community. It covers the various cultural expressions of the peoples of the Mediterranean: music, literature, poetry, fine arts and performing arts. The event of the MVM is co-organized with the Mediterranean Citizens Assembly Foundation (MCAF) a network of NGOs that promotes dialogue between citizens, the democratic values of freedom, peace and respect for cultural diversity, as well as environmental responsibility in the Mediterranean. The Foundation has members in 20 Mediterranean countries and enjoys the Observer status at PAM.
This year, on its eighth edition, MVM presents itself with the idea of: Mediterranean emergency, resistance citizenship.
On the occasion of the annual meeting of Mostra Viva del Mediterrani, and the presentation of the book “Les inégalités méditerranéennes. Le defí du XXIe siècle” by Mr Ricard Perez Casado, the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, Amb. Sergio Piazzi, addressed a video message on behalf of the Assembly.
In his Intervention, Amb. Piazzi emphasized on the importance of continuing to celebrate the common Mediterranean culture and heritage especially in these moments where hate speech, xenophobia, racism and intolerance are spreading all over the world.
The Secretary General of PAM highlighted that the Assembly considers very important promoting encounters between cultures, religions, communities, as a direct way to achieve peace in the Mediterranean region and in the whole world. The Assembly has been actively implementing and promoting initiatives that put culture at the center, promoting intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
In his statement, Amb. Piazzi touched upon many subjects in relation to the modern threats and problems facing the Euro-Mediterranean region such as regional conflicts in Syria, Libya and the Middle East, the threats of terrorism and climate change; technological developments and use of artificial intelligence; mass population displacement; youth unemployment; demographic growth, xenophobia and hate speech; structural economic injustices. He also insisted on PAM’s continuity to contribute to the conceptualization and design of support measures, to ensure that all measures taken result in enhanced protection and support of the most vulnerable, to create a space for peace and prosperity for its peoples
PAM, as an interparliamentary organization gathering 34 Member and Associate States from both the Northern and Southern shore of the Mediterranean, is acting as a forum to draw up a new international framework of action to address and combat these injustices.
PAM serves as a platform of dialogue not only for parliamentarians, but for different groups of stakeholders including academics, religious leaders and civil society representatives, with the purpose of coming together for constructive dialogue.