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THE ADVISOR BOARD OF THE ANNA LINDH FOUNDATION MEETS AT FARNESINA

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Roma  ||  08 September 2016
Iniziative (EN) - Federazione Anna Lindh Italia - Onlus (EN)

The Advisor Council of the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue consisting of the 42 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UpM), met today at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inaugurated by the undersecretary Bendetto della Vedova at Presence of the Executive director of the Fondazione Anna Lindh Ambassador Hatem Atallah and the president of the Fondazione Anna Lindh Elisabeth Guigou.
"The peace and stability of the Mediterranean is a priority for Italy, which strongly believes in the collaboration between the two shores of the Mediterranean," said the undersecretary Della Vedova during its opening intervention, "Italy has long supported the Foundation's work to build a narrative against extremism and radicalization. The work of the Anna Lindh Foundation is fundamental to change the narrative on our region, bringing new incentive to the partnership between the two shores of the Mediterranean and putting civil society at the heart of this partnership ". The council, chaired by Elisabeth Guigou, president of the Foreign Committee of the French National Assembly, is composed of eminent personalities from Europe and the partner countries of the South Mediterranean shore, and is responsible for the management Strategic Foundation: Italy is represented by Prof. Michele Capasso, president of the “Fondazione Mediterraneo”  that has contributed substantially to the birth and development of the same Fondazione Anna Lindh since 2002.
At the heart of today's debate was the role of the Anna Lindh Foundation, as an institution and reference point for intercultural dialogue in the region, facing the regional challenge of extremism and the refugee crisis.
President Elisabeth Guigou pointed out that in the Mediterranean there is a convergence of values and that extremists who promote the alternative vision of a clash of values are a minority. The Foundation aims to encourage the silent majority to make its voice heard. The proposals of the president Capasso-among the proposals put forward- have been collected aimed at promoting "what unites us", the "positive" and focusing the main actions of the ALF on young people, women and cities "places of and for dialogue".
Future actions include the implementation of a regional youth programme, an Erasmus Mediterranean Youth Programme for ONG youth and the involvement of the main Mediterranean cities in cultural and social interaction.