The Anna Lindh Foundation, through its recent initiative Believe in Dialogue, Act for Citizenship – Exchanging Practices on Participation and Democracy, is organizing the Tunis Exchange Forum in Tunis on June 23-26, a Euro-Mediterranean encounter for exchange and debate on citizenship, democracy and intercultural dialogue in democratic transitions. Around 150 participants are expected from both European and Arab countries, of which at least one third will be Tunisians. As a key partner of the AFL, with common goals and shared interests, the UNAOC will be present to discuss initiatives undertaken in the region, in particular in the field of youth and media, integral to their priorities of action as expressed in the UNAOC Regional Strategy for the Mediterranean and in the Euro-Mediterranean program of the Anna Lindh Foundation.
The UNAOC will discuss the central role of media are playing in the region, and will present the UNAOC efforts to advance civil engagement and participation in the Mediterranean. Among other initiatives, a special focus will be given to the International fellowship, a program that aims to enhance mutual knowledge and understanding between peoples and societies from Muslim-majority countries ; the summer school in Malta planned late August that will gather youth from xxx countries ; the various media trainings planned in the Mediterranean region, in particular in Amman and Cyprus.
The overall objective of the Tunis Exchange Forum is to bring cultural and media operators, non-governmental organizations and young activists from the Mediterranean region together to exchange experiences and debate about the major challenges which the Euro-Med societies are facing in terms of citizenship and intercultural dialogue, especially those engaged in social change and democratic transition.
The historical events that the Mediterranean region has experienced in the last months, in particular in Tunisia and in Egypt, represent an important challenge for organizations such as the Anna Lindh Foundation and the UNAOC as institution for intercultural dialogue in the region. Through their work with civil society, they are concerned about the implications of this historical transition.
For more information on the Tunis Exchange Forum: http://www.tunisforum.org/