Two of the region's leading supporters of civil society in North Africa and Middle East, the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Foundation for the Future, have joint efforts in support of civil society involvement in intercultural dialogue and the achievement of good governance.

The President of Foundation for the Future, Nabila Hamza, and the Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Andreu Claret, signed today, in Alexandria (Egypt), a Memorandum of Understanding which constitutes a framework for common actions in favour of ‘an empowered, active and vibrant civil society in the region’.

Speaking after the signing of the new memorandum, Nabila Hamza said that “fostering a culture of good governance, tolerance and peace at the local and regional level will be an approach at the heart of our common work in support of civil society cooperation and participation”.

Andreu Claret added that “intercultural dialogue is a key tool for the development of good governance and it is clear that on the ground there is a movement and willingness across our Euro-Mediterranean societies in favour of rebuilding bridges between people of our region”

The signing of this new agreement takes place during a month which has seen the land-mark speech of President Obama in Cairo (Egypt), as well as the re-launching of the Union for the Mediterranean under the co-presidency of Egypt and France.

One of the initial joint actions to take place in the framework of the new agreement will be the international seminar ‘Intercultural Dialogue, Diversity and Empowerment of Civil Society in the Mediterranean’, a gathering of NGOs working with the two foundations aimed at sharing experiences, exchanging good practices and developing common initiatives.

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The Anna Lindh Foundation, created in 2005 is an institution shared by the 43 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean, with a region-wide network of over 2400 civil society organizations and a mandate to bring people together as a way to promote dialogue between cultures. For more information, log on to: www.euromedalex.org

The Foundation for the Future, launched by the G8 in 2007, is a multilateral, independent institution committed to promoting and strengthening civil society initiatives in their efforts to foster human rights and good governance in the broader Middle East and North Africa region. For more information, log on to: www.foundationforfuture.org