12 April 2022, Palazzo Giustiniani, Senate, Rome, Italy – PAM President, Hon. Gennaro Migliore (Italy), addressed a conference on “The development of civil societies as a tool to promote Peace, Development and Ecological Transition”. Pres. Migliore delivered the concluding remarks, after which he signed a Memorandum of Understanding between PAM and the Euro-Mediterranean and Black Sea Observatory and its leading partner, FISPMED – International Federation for Sustainable Development and the Fight Against Poverty in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
The conference was organized by Sen. Garavini, Vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Italian Senate, and saw the participation of Roberto Russo, FISPMED President, Prof. Pepe from the University Luigi Vanvitelli, President of FareAmbiente, Anna Rea, Vice-President of Progetto Sud, and the Vice-President of the Regione Mezzogiorno Mediterraneo EUMED center of studies, Paolo Pantani.
In his intervention, Pres. Migliore stressed the importance of the Black Sea region for PAM, especially after the Russian aggression against Ukraine. “Not only we have two countries from the Black Sea region that are two key PAM members – Romania and Turkey – but we also enjoy model cooperation with two international parliaments in that area, PABSEC and TURKPA, as proof of PAM’s continuous engagement in the region”.
Additionally, President Migliore recalled the recent mission to Bucharest and Tulcea, Romania, where a PAM team held high-level meetings and visited the logistical HUB of Tulcea that is undertaking a key function in ensuring humanitarian aid reach the Ukrainian people in the shortest possible terms.
Finally, Pres. Migliore recalled Giorgio La Pira’s words – former mayor of Florence – when he said that the Mediterranean is “an affluent of different rivers”, as he explained the many challenges that our regions will face in the near future: climate change, energy and food security, gender equality, and many others. “To effectively tackle these issues”, he concluded, “we must fully engage with our civil societies”. To this end, parliamentary diplomacy can be the primary institutional tool, given the political accountability of its representatives.//