A demand for opening new perspectives for dialogue and debate is emerging in the civil society of many Euro-Mediterranean countries.

The recent war in Gaza, whose consequences have extended far beyond the directly affected communities, and the threats suffered by the civil population in South Israel have widened the existing gap in mutual perceptions between societies of our Region, and have nourished tensions among communities inside many countries, which could materialize in acts of intolerance toward the “other”, such as acts of racism, or acts against Muslims, Jews or Christians. The rising of violence and the stagnation of the peace process endanger the dialogue among peoples and cultures of the Region.

At the same time, the global economic crisis has contributed to jeopardizing inter-cultural relations. The risk is that a biased narrative targets religious or ethnical minorities and make them responsible for instability, mutating again political or social and economic issues into cultural and religious ones.

This context constitutes a critical challenge for an institution such as the Anna Lindh Foundation, whose goal is the promotion of intercultural dialogue among and within the societies of the Euro-Med Region. The Foundation must be prepared in countering those developments, where confidence in a shared common future may lose ground, on the one hand, and must sustain all constructive trends which can meet the new social demand for coexistence and positive change.

Inspired by the joint Alliance of Civilizations – Anna Lindh Foundation call for action, and taking into account that 2009 is the International Year of Reconciliation, the Initiative "Restore Trust, Rebuild Bridges" will encompass several programmes and actions undertaken by the ALF Headquarters, member organizations of ALF National Networks and other organizations, and will last the whole year.

In this framework, the Foundation wants to fully play its role as a facilitator, in order to revitalize confidence in dialogue and in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and to contribute in promoting a culture of coexistence and peace in the region.