On the occasion of the Group of Friends Meeting at the Ministerial Level, held at the UN Headquarters in New York on 27 September 2013, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations adopted a Ministerial Declaration in which, at PAM’s suggestion, it recognized the role of national parliaments and their active contribution at the international and regional levels through the process of soft diplomacy.
The Alliance adopted in the Final Declaration the inputs proposed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), in the light of PAM’s commitment to intercultural dialogue, youth development and women’s rights, within the 3rd Standing Committee dedicated to Dialogue among Civilizations and Human Rights.
The Ministerial Declaration also makes specific reference to the PAM Fez Programme launched in 2008. The Programme, aimed at fostering mutual cooperation and understanding among PAM member states, is under review, while at the same time a special committee is currently working on the setting up of a PAM Summer School in France, in collaboration with major Euro-Mediterranean Educational and Training Institutions, including the The Observatoire Oceanologique de Villefranche-sur-Mer of the University Paris-VI “Pierre et Marie Curie” UPMC – Sorbonne Universities.
PAM is a member of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations, a community of countries and international organizations which actively promotes the Alliance’s objectives and work at the global, regional and local levels, as well as worldwide. The Group is a driving force of the UNAOC and plays a vital role in the UNAOC’s implementation process.