Euro-Med Movement

ANNA LINDH EURO-MEDITERRANEAN FOUNDATION
Malta, February 24, 2005 20:00PM

Dear all,

We would like to invite you all to participate in Dialogue 21. The Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures launched a six month youth campaign on mutual respect between cultures and religions in 35 countries. You are all invited to inspire the discussions, to invite and to share with others (networks and friends) information about this new Euro-Mediterranean initiative.

Please find in the following lines all the details.

Dialogue 21: Youth Dialogue on Mutual Respect

Young women and men of 35 Euro-Mediterranean countries start dialogue about cultural and religious differences

(15 February – 31 August 2006)

Most Europeans were taken by surprise in witnessing, since January 2006, world-wide anger and protest among Muslim communities against publication of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in several newspapers. On the other hand, many Muslims and other citizens of Arab countries witnessed growing interest of Europeans in learning more about sensitive issues of Islam. The present crisis in North-South relations indicates a huge gap in mutual knowledge, especially between Europeans and their Muslim neighbours around the Mediterranean Sea. This situation calls for new forms of dialogue which clearly address differences and diversity between cultures and religions and promote more mutual knowledge and respect.

The Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, based in Alexandria, Egypt, launched a six months youth campaign on mutual respect between cultures and religions in 35 countries. The Foundation invites young people between 18 and 25 years to submit their proposals on overcoming the present crisis. All participants are free to ask questions to young people from anther country of their choice. The Anna Lindh Foundation will provide each participant with answers and comments from a young man or woman from the other side of the Euro-Mediterranean region. All questions and answers will be published, and all proposals will be submitted to the 35 Governments of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

The 100 young people contributing the best questions, answers and proposals will receive awards as “youth messengers for dialogue between cultures and religions”. They will be invited to a youth workshop for further developing their ideas in teamwork.

Dr. Traugott Schoefthaler, Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation: “While the older generations ask themselves why countless dialogue initiatives have largely failed, it is high time to listen to young people. We invite young women and men to express their values, fears and visions. We want to establish a true youth dialogue especially on cultural and religious differences, on human dignity and mutual respect.”

Arabic, English and French are the three languages of the “Dialogue 21” campaign. Participation is open until 31 August 2006. Further information: www.euromedalex.org, under “Dialogue 21”.

The Foundation is the first common institution of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership established in the South and jointly financed by all 35 partner countries (25 Member States of the European Union and their ten Mediterranean Partners). It started operations in August 2005. Core mandate of the Foundation is “learning about cultural diversity” and promoting mutual respect.

How to participate?

Invited to participate are young citizens between 18 and 25 years of age from the following countries:

A: European Union:

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom,

B: Mediterranean Partner Countries:

Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey.

Download the participation form from our website www.euromedalex.org.

Submit the filled in form before 1 September 2006 to our mailbox dialogue21@euromedalex.org.

You will receive immediately a receipt. All forms received before the end of a month will be processed in the following four weeks.

Best Regards,

Abdallah Sobeih
Junior Expert for youth programmes
Culture, Science, Youth and Women Unit
Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures

LINK - www.euromedalex.org