On Thursday 23 March, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini launched the Young Med Voices Plus initiative.
This initiative aims "to open all channels" to youth agencies across the Mediterranean through large-scale communication and advocacy actions. At the launch, Mogherini met 36 young people from Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia) and Europe. Organised in partnership with the Anna Lindh Mediterranean Foundation and the European Youth Forum, "the meeting is the first of its kind in bringing together authentic voices from across the Mediterranean to discuss in person with EU high-officials the global issues of the day and create innovative solutions to common challenges affecting societies", the European External Action Service (EEAS) stated in a press release. A Young Med Voices working group was nominated to ensure the effective follow-up of this dialogue, with the next meeting being planned in Brussels for 3-4 May 2017 during youth week.
To support the enlargement of this initiative, a new cooperation framework was announced by the Anna Lindh Foundation and the European Youth Forum. This includes a large-scale mapping exercise to inter-connect existing youth participation structures and platforms across Europe and the MENA region. The objective is to establish a regional platform by 2020, which will combine structured youth dialogue processes with virtual exchanges and innovative networking initiatives aimed at reaching diverse and marginalised youth voices across the Mediterranean.
However, Young Med Voices Plus is not the only action recently launched by the EU for young people in the Mediterranean. The EU intends to strengthen the voices of young people in EU communications in the Southern neighbourhood. Its "Task Force South" on outreach and communication to the Arab World (see EUROPE 11715) will thus have a strategic focus on reaching out to young people and amplifying the visibility of youth agencies across the Mediterranean. A strategic communications regional seminar will be held in Tunis from 15-17 May 2017 with the goal of streamlining policy and communications actions. The seminar will also be an opportunity for EU delegations to develop their youth networks and look at creative ways to place young people at the heart of EU communications in the region, the EEAS stated.
The European Commission and Anna Lindh Foundation have also finalised a new contract, valued at €3.2 million, to expand debate and dialogue skills capacity-building in North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. This European support has also secured the financial backing of a consortium of private and public partners. In addition, the EEAS will co-organise the European Consultation Forum with the United Nations Secretariat and the Anna Lindh Foundation. This consultation, scheduled for September, represents "the culminating event", according to the EEAS, of a first a worldwide consultation process on the central role of youth in peace building. The outcomes of the consultation will be presented to the UN Security Council in January 2018. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)