The United Nations Secretary General, H.E. Ban Ki-moon has encouraged the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean to “continue to coordinate closely with the United Nations Secretariat” to strengthen cooperation and synergies between the two sides. He also recognized the very important role the Assembly can play in the region and expressed his appreciation for the PAM offer to put its parliamentary network at the disposal of the United Nations.
In a letter addressed to PAM President and Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dr. Fayez Al-Tarawneh, following a bilateral meeting held in Amman in January 2012, Ban Ki-moon also underlined that one of his key priorities for the second term in Office is the support to countries in transition, and to this end cooperation with regional organizations, such as PAM, is fundamental.
Since the setting up of the Secretariat of the Assembly, PAM has regularly cooperated on various issues and occasions with different UN Agencies, and this close relationship has been consolidated with the granting to PAM of the Observer Status to the UN General Assembly way back in 2009.
PAM has already collaborated with the UN System, inter alia, on issues concerning the environment, the Middle East, the Arab Spring, trade and economy. In the last few months discussions were under way for the organization in November 2012, in conjunction with the United Nations Department of Political Affairs and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), of the Conference on the Constitutional Process in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Conference will be hosted by the Italian Parliament.
The credit for this further confirmation of the excellent relations between the United Nations and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean goes directly to each and every single National Parliament of the PAM member states and the parliamentary delegations. The decision to set up PAM, as an autonomous inter-state organization, specifically dedicated to the regional dimension within the wider global context, is bearing its fruits.
“The Secretariat will continue to dedicate all its energy, efforts and vision, under the guidance of the Assembly and of the Bureau, to support and achieve the aspirations of the peoples of the region, for peace, stability and security”, PAM Secretary General, Amb. Sergio Piazzi said.