Hon. Mohammed Halaiqa (Jordan), Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) Vice-President, addressed the opening ceremony of the Princess Sumaya University for Technology MUN conference PSUTMUN’14, held in Amman, Jordan, between 27 February and 1 March, 2014.
The Conference was dedicated to three priority topics namely, The Evolution of Green Economy: Can We Manage Resources in a Better way? ; The Effects of the Cannabis Seed Use for Medical and Illegal Purposes; Non-Proliferation and Disarmament of Nuclear Weapons.
In his speech, Hon. Halaiqa referred to today’s challenges, including migration, climate change, the resurgence of internal conflicts, international organised crime and terrorism, unemployment, which require a collective effort, a charge of good will, as well as confidence and peace building measures.
“In such an evolving context, it is clear that securing regional stability, in which everybody can enjoy political rights, freedom of faith, social justice, dignity, access to labour markets, availability of basic resources at affordable prices, represents key conditions for peace and a sustainable socio-economic development”, Hon. Halaiqa added.
PAM regards green economy and management of resources, political stability and security through non-proliferation and disarmament of nuclear weapons, along with other topics such as: access to energy, food, water, science and technology, education, job creation, and gender equality, as crucial elements that establish a concrete ground for peace, and in this context, the PAM Vice-President highlighted and shared with the participants some of PAM’s main activities, specifically in the field of education and energy.
PAM’s Standing Committee on inter-cultural dialogue and Human Rights, compliments the work of the other committees in our Assembly, under this committee, fall the issues of education and youth, among others. PAM already tackled these elements in different reports and resolutions and a special seminar was dedicated to this issue in Morocco in 2008, when the “Fez Programme” programme was launched.
It builds on a series of actions in the field of education aimed at fostering cooperation and understanding amongst member states of PAM and the Mediterranean region as a whole. It refers to the promotion of higher education, the organization of meetings between the PAM MPs and students, and the setting up of a “Summer School”.
Hon. Halaiqa, reminded that currently a special PAM team is working on a project proposal by the Observatoire Oceanologique de Villefranche-sur-Mer of the University Paris-VI “Pierre et Marie Curie” UPMC – Sorbonne Universities, to possibly host the PAM Summer school in France. As part of the Assembly’s commitment towards the empowerment and advancement of the Youth in the Mediterranean, PAM has joined efforts with a number of key regional and international institutions and organizations like the Anna Lindh Foundation, the Mediterranean Citizen’s Assembly and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.
In order to increase awareness for parliamentary diplomacy, PAM is also working on a conference in Fall 2014, hosted by the University of Catania, Italy, in which all universities of the Euro-Mediterranean states, Arab countries and the UNICA (Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe) will be invited to participate. A Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Catania was signed on the occasion of the PAM 8th Plenary Session held in Marseille, a couple of months ago, to formalize this cooperation.
The Assembly is also fully aware of the urgent need to elaborate effective methods to produce green energy, and the Mediterranean region must play a key role in this process, due to its geographical position and its climate, not to mention that this new industry will also create new jobs.
On science and technology, Hon. Halaiqa said that PAM also sees necessary that proper agreements be drawn up to assist in the training of scientists and technologists from the Southern and Eastern regions of the Mediterranean in the various processes used by the North. It is the hope of PAM that the region be fully incorporated into the Global information network, and such technology would allow the basin, as a whole, to participate.
To further promote cooperation within the region, PAM supports the establishment of a network of science, innovation and technology (SIT) focal points within the Euro-Mediterranean region and under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, as well as the proposal by the Group of the ten Western Mediterranean states known as the 5+5 Dialogue, for a structured scientific cooperation in the region.