On 15 May 2024, The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean opened its 18th Plenary Session, generously hosted by the Portuguese Parliament in Braga.
In his welcome address H.E Hon. José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, President of the Portuguese Parliament, welcomed the participants in the meeting, emphasizing the need to foster an open dialogue and demonstrating solidarity to collectively address the challenges faced in the PAM regions in a context impacted by conflicts and climate change.
H.E. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic of Portugal, underlined the importance of sustainable development and human rights in an actual context where conflicts, poverty, and environmental injustices are on the rise. He concludes by wishing this meeting to be a sign of “hope for the future”.
H.E. Hon. Enaam Mayara, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, and President of the House of Councilors of the Kingdom of Morocco, opened the Plenary Session by expressing recalling for the tragic loss of tens of thousands of civilians in the Gaza conflict. He also announced the launch of the PAM Campaign against trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants and reiterated invitations to future PAM events, namely the Women Parliamentary and the Marrakech Forums. Emphasizing PAM’s commitment to combat transnational crimes and environmental challenges, he urged global cooperation for peace and prosperity, inviting all to actively engage in shaping the Mediterranean’s future.
In his welcoming speech, Mr. Ricardo Ria, Mayor of Braga, expressed his gratitude for the trusted given to Braga as the host city for the 18th PAM Plenary Session. He highlighted the importance of fostering inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue by working together in a multi-governance perspective.
Furthermore, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E António Guterres, delivered remarks from New York, underscoring the role of parliamentarians in addressing the actual challenges and threats and restoring trust in national and transnational governance through concrete actions to enhance people’s lives. In this regard, he praised the upcoming Summit of the Future aimed to reach effective solutions.
Ultimately, UN General Assembly President, H.E. Dennis Francis, emphasized the crucial role of legislators, commended PAM’s efforts in promoting the UN Charter in the socio-economically integrated region of the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf, and further expressed his trust in PAM for its commitment and responsibility in the upcoming the UN Summit of the Future.
Several high Representatives of governments and parliaments intervened in the opening debate: among them, H.E. Mr. Nebojša Radmanović, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina; H.E. Mr. Andrija Mandić, President of the Parliament of Montenegro; H.E Hon. Mohamed Abou El Enein, Deputy Speaker of Egypt’s House of Representatives and former President of PAM and Hon. Abdullah Nasser Alsubaey, Vice-President of PAM, intervened as personal representative of H.E. Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, President of the Shura Council of Qatar.
The opening session of the PAM Plenary Session was also the theater of the first segment of the PAM Award Ceremony. These awards are bestowed, every year, upon institutions and/or individuals whose outstanding contributions across various domains have significantly advanced the ideals of PAM within the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions. This year, the laureates were selected in the field of humanitarian assistance in man-made or natural disaster context.
On the inaugural day of the Plenary Session, proceeded with the presentation of the achievements of the 3rd Standing Committee on Dialogue among Civilizations and Human Rights, alongside those of the 2nd Standing Committee on Economic, Social, and Environmental Cooperation. Additionally, discussions focused on the activities to be organized by both committees for 2023. //