A year passed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) is closely cooperating with its strategic partners to support Member States in the design and implementation of transformative recovery plans to build back better.
Upon the request of the United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP), on 9 February 2021, PAM contributed to the online Stakeholder Consultation Workshop to assess the state of progress of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD).
The event gathered ten high-level representatives from intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, the scientific community, and local authorities from across the Euro-Mediterranean region.
On this occasion, the Assembly represented the parliamentary dimension of the United Nations Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development.
In his intervention, PAM Secretary General Ambassador Piazzi reported the outcomes of the PAM internal consultations with its member parliaments on the national implementation of the MSSD.
According to PAM parliamentarians, the drastic shifts in political priorities and public spending due to the COVID-19 crisis have caused a major setback in the transition towards a circular and low-carbon economy in the Mediterranean.
As emphasized by the PAM Secretary General, to accelerate the full implementation of the MSSD in the next years, parliaments across the region are now called to incorporate sustainability targets and green investments into national recovery plans. In support of this delicate task, PAM serves as a platform to reinforce public/private partnerships and facilitate effective science-policy-society interfaces for a future of prosperity in the Mediterranean.
Simultaneously, on 9 and 10 February 2021, the Assembly actively contributed to the online meeting of the OECD Global Parliamentary Network. The event provided an opportunity for more than four hundred parliamentarians from around the world to discuss the role of lawmakers in setting the foundations for transformative recovery paths.
Hon. Ammar Moussi, member of the Algerian delegation to PAM, and Hon. Adele Tonnini, member of the PAM delegation from the Republic of San Marino, attended the event on behalf of the Assembly.
In his intervention, Hon. Moussi highlighted the opportunities to address social protection gaps and inequalities in the labour market through inclusive recovery strategies in Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf countries. In particular, he emphasized the efforts of PAM in promoting financial assistance, job retention schemes, and reskilling programs for those hit hardest by the crisis, including women, youth, migrants, and workers employed in the informal sector.
In the same context, Hon. Tonnini presented the challenges of vaccination campaigns in small countries, such as the Republic of San Marino, calling for international cooperation and global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
In support of vaccine multilateralism, PAM act as an institutional forum for information sharing and health solidarity actions among Member States, fostering a wider health resilience across the Mediterranean.
The solid collaboration between PAM, UNEP/MAP, and the OECD provides the Assembly with a unique strategic foundation to build on the political momentum to advance sustainability, equality, and inclusivity as founding values for a robust and resilient renaissance in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions.