Editors and journalists from over 30 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean have gathered in Morocco this week for a Regional meeting on the theme of 'Media Freedom' and the contribution of media to combating discrimination with and across societies.

Speaking at the media event about next month's 'Anna Lindh Forum for Intercultural Dialogue', André Azoulay, President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, said: "Through bringing together for the very first time over 600 NGOs and institutions from across the Foundation's 43 National Civil Society Networks, we are setting out to support a new momentum for regional cooperation. In this regard, the media will play a central role in terms of communicating the complexity and ethical realities of our shared Region and working in partnership to combat the areas of regression in mutual coexistence.”

The Anna Lindh Forum will take place from the 4th to 7th of March 2010 in Barcelona, under the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, and will present a platform for civil society and Regional networks to share good practice and build new areas of cooperation. As part of the Forum, the Anna Lindh Foundation will organize a series of media dialogues on the theme of 'Reporting Across Cultures' in partnership with the European Commission and Euro-Med Media Task Force of journalists.

Present at the Marrakech conference, Ethar El-Katatney, 23 year old Egyptian journalist and winner of the 2009 Anna Lindh Mediterranean Journalist Award, said: "The upcoming Forum in Barcelona will be an exciting and important opportunity to explore further the positive contribution of media to promoting intercultural dialogue in the Region and developing joint reporting between journalists from diverse cultural backgrounds."

The outcomes of the media debates, along with the outcomes of the Anna Lindh Forum, are intended to be presented in the form of recommendations for action at the Heads of State or Government Summit for the Mediterranean planned to take place in Barcelona in June 2010.