In its regional work for civil society operating in the Southern Neighbourhood and the Euro-Med space at large,  the Med Dialogue for Rights and Equality Programme (MDRE) identified the need to create an online user-friendly repository digital library, aimed at:

1. Showcasing the work done under the Civil Society Facility for the Mediterranean (CSFM), including the main outputs produced by the 6 CSO consortia involved in the Facility, the main Structured Dialogue actions carried out, the main support activities carried out by the MDRE (which include, although are not limited to, the Young Mediterranean Civil Society Leaders Programme).

2. Shed some light on resources and sources about EU support to the civil society in the Southern Neighbourhood, granting access to programmes and projects related to civil society work in the region.

3. Provide access to a wide range of studies, reports, news, and relevant information relevant to the EU and Civil Society in the Southern neighborhood which is not directly stemming from the CSFM (also including documents related to good practices, toolkits, research/case studies, mapping studies, surveys, reports, manuals, policy papers, scientific and academic papers or infographics).

4. Provide information about regional issues within the policy areas of interest for the CSFM (International Law/Human Rights, Human Mobility, Just Energy Transition, Freedoms and Economic Development).

5. Provide wider access to opportunities (training, funding, partnerships, calls for interest, calls for papers, etc.). 

The e-library is a useful reference for: 

Building, informing, mobilising, and maintaining a strong community of stakeholders and target groups around civil society’s work for rights and equality while ensuring the European Union’s visibility, promoting EU support to civil society in the Southern Neighbourhood, bridging the existing information gap by displaying existing resources and good practices, and providing wider access to opportunities.  

These items are classified under: 

(a) Databased websites,  

(b) EU-funded open, closing and undergoing projects and EU programmes supporting Civil Society in the South,  

(c) Individual resources.  

This e-library builds on the efforts carried out by the previous phase of the MDRE and therefore all pre-existing resources have been fully respected. Updates are carried out at the end of every month.