Statement: A Vision for the Mediterranean of Tomorrow
We, women and men, representatives of civil society organisations of Southern Eastern Mediterranean countries, meeting in Amman, Jordan, on 1-4 March 2020 to set a common vision for the Mediterranean, recognise that:
- Our region is the oldest venue for human interaction in the world. It has been the cradle of many civilizations, the variety and richness of which have placed the Mediterranean at the forefront of the advancement of human civilization. In the past, this was achieved thanks to a great deal of exchange and interchange. It is high time we display enough courage to renew our human attachment to the Mediterranean and to our common heritage in the progress of civilization.
- The Mediterranean space is our source of “collective identity” as the result of various historical contacts, cultural contamination, shared lifestyles and alternating regional dominations. It is the source of our common vision for the future of the peoples of the region.
Though we acknowledge that the current definition of citizenship as bestowed by the national states on their citizens in the Mediterranean Basin, has made them enjoy their political, social, economic and cultural rights, yet these rights have been exercised in the framework of a conventional, non-active citizenship. We want to go beyond these achievements. We seek an active, non-conventional citizenship shared within the Mediterranean transnational space, based on noble human values inherited from the Western and Eastern traditions, and aiming at realising a society where social justice, human mobility, climate justice, solidarity economy and participative democracy rules apply. A notion of citizenship with the objective of recreating a common space to be imagined, lived, practiced and organized side-by-side.
Our common identity is less tribal, less exclusive, less a prisoner of selective myths, and open to others and to the realities of our neighbours across the Mediterranean basin. It is a “factual identity”, an identity of doing, working and living together, in order to redesign the concept of citizenship enshrined in our national systems of duties and rights.
- It is high time for us to start seeking solutions together to the exacerbating common challenges of our region. We respect the past and present struggles of the peoples of the Mediterranean to achieve better living conditions, and we acknowledge that all of us have something to contribute towards this end; everyone could learn from each other and our diversity is at the heart of our strength and unity.
- Our belief in, and commitment to the universality of human rights and to the universal principles relating to civic, political, economic and social rights and liberties, as well as our respect for individual and collective freedoms, for the values of equality and fulfillment, and for the principles of democracy and citizenship prompt us to step up our efforts to meet these principles – which are but the crowning accomplishment of the human endeavors and the result of the peoples’ fight for self-determination and independence and for the establishment of stability, security, peace and justice.
- Following the comprehensive discussions held between the participants and the ensuing exchange of ideas and given the pressing need for tighter cooperation between the actors in the region and the relevant stakeholders (including the European Union, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the League of Arab States),
We declare the following:
We need to establish a common and sustainable Mediterranean “space”, whereby all stakeholders in the Mediterranean are represented in a balanced, effective, and constructive manner
Accordingly, we call upon all stakeholders who work for the sake of the Mediterranean to endeavor in establishing and sustaining such an “institutional space” so that it serves as a common platform for in-depth dialogue and the search of positive solutions relating to the following:
- Promote and embrace diversity while giving due consideration to the special nature of every societal experience. This presupposes reducing the conflicts relating to cultural and religious identity and recognising differences through reciprocal acknowledgment and understanding, looking for and expanding our common grounds. This is possible if we will appraise and enhance the value of “Mediterranean identity”, and promote this notion through solidarity and mutual collaboration, as well as through mutual support across all fields.
- Deepen the most encouraging democratic practices, such as respect for civic and political freedoms, support for the emergence of a vibrant civil society that is both diverse and interrelated, and through making available and expanding the public space for the benefit of the citizens and for enabling them to carry out their civic activities – without any direct interference from or influence by the State;
- Entrench equality between the inhabitants of the Mediterranean region, particularly gender equality and equal opportunities between men and women, acknowledge that women are fully-fledged partners of men in development, innovation, decision-making, without any form of disregard or discrimination, seek to empower women in all fields and eliminate all forms of violence against women in accordance with the relevant UN conventions and the international laws on human rights, as well as the international humanitarian law;
- Ensure unimpeded and smooth mobility between the countries of the Mediterranean region, uphold the rights of migrants, refugees and the internally displaced, and take the necessary steps towards that end, ensuring that these measures are properly monitored, implemented and applied in the framework of a development-based and participatory vision on migration and asylum-seeking;
- Work towards achieving stability in the Mediterranean, adopt policies and practical measures to support and promote avenues of and a culture of dialogue between societies, and seek out effective mechanisms to immediately put an end to any armed conflict that may break out in the region;
- Promote human development, giving effect to the principles of good governance and supporting efforts to achieve decentralization; enshrine sustainable, environment-friendly policies to mitigate risks and disasters’ impact, particularly the negative impacts of climate change; prevent the degradation of biodiversity and preserve its richness, rely on renewable energies, protect natural resources with a view to climate justice, and ensure gender mainstreaming in environmental work – so as to establish a better future for the upcoming generations, and build resilient societies.
- Adopt policies and strategies that are consistent with the SDGs and work to achieve periodic review and assessment of their impact on Mediterranean societies in a consensual manner, so as to build an integrated system in line with the SDGs;
- Set up joint regional programs to reduce unemployment and poverty, manage crises and emergency responses, addressing all forms of social and economic exclusion; and work to establish joint agencies for employment, development and economic empowerment, by establishing a Euro-Mediterranean Development Bank, as well as promoting public participation in policy-making, especially for youth and women, based on the understanding that solutions can only be collective, not individual;
- Rethink the doctrine, message, and mission of security agencies, to ensure that these agencies’ operational framework is designed in accordance with a participatory methodology that ensures broad participation from various social segments. The end goal is to exchange information, with the aim of resisting and combating all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism, and hate crimes, as well as all types of organised crime, while showing respect for the rule of law in compliance with relevant human rights laws and charters;
- Nourish common economic interests, and promote partnerships and economic integration, by reviewing laws and procedures that limit freedom of work and movement, and by encouraging investment and commercial and banking exchanges in the region, as well as insurance operations, with a view to achieving a cohesive social protection and social well-being framework;
- Enable cooperation and invest in the fields of education, technology and scientific research for the purpose of producing knowledge, by streamlining the procedures for mobility, knowledge exchange, translations, and joint research and exploration, and by creating joint dedicated university institutions;
- Enable cooperation in the health field, to combat diseases and epidemics, encourage scientific research, especially in the health field, and standardize health care and health insurance schemes for those living in the region; stimulate general exploration and scientific discoveries, by increasing the allocated resources for scientific research from the total Gross Mediterranean Product.
Accordingly, we, the women and men representatives of civil society in the Mediterranean space, call upon and invite all actors and stakeholders to put in place mechanisms of dialogue, development and planning to make this initiative happens. We also call upon all civil society entities across the Mediterranean basin to join this initiative, contribute to and advocate for it, as well as to open spaces of consultation relating to it;
And we shall strive for making the vision of “Mediterranean integration” a reality, by working together around the notion of a treaty for “A Free & United Mediterranean“, based on international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Such a treaty should fulfill the aspirations of the peoples of the region, building upon what is common between them, and national laws and legislations should then be aligned with it.
We shall set up a committee in which citizens from the participating countries are represented to follow up on the aforementioned recommendations.
