News
Mediterranean Programme - [10/04/2007]
CIDOB at the annual EuroMeSCo conference
Carmen Claudín and Eduard Soler (the Assistant Director of the CIDOB Foundation and the Coordinator of its Mediterranean Programme, respectively) took part in the annual EuroMeSCo conference, held in Lisbon this year. The conference, which brought together academics and experts in the Mediterranean field, focused on the defence of human rights as being one of the main shared challenges on both sides of the Mediterranean.
The speakers claimed that there is much work still to do with respect to Human Rights on both the southern and northern edges of the Mediterranean. They also agreed that citizens originating from Mediterranean countries often become the main victims of human rights violations in EU countries.
Carmen Claudín, Assistant Director of the CIDOB Foundation, headed a working group that analysed the role played by civil society in this problematic situation. Experts including Isabelle Werenfels, from the SWP in Berlin and Odrote Schmid, from the IFRI in Paris, examined the situation currently being experienced in the Maghreb region.
In addition, Hasni Abidi, from the CERMAM in Geneva and Daniela Pioppi, from the IAI in Rome, analysed the situation in the Near East. Focusing on the same region, Salam Kawakibi, associated researcher to the CIDOB Foundation, highlighted a number of issues, including the problems caused by the naming of a civil society.
Meanwhile, Eduard Soler, Coordinator of the CIDOB Foundation's Mediterranean Programme, took part in a working group that debated the issues of security and citizenship. Among the subjects covered were the impact of violent situations and, particularly, of terrorism in the regulating of internal security in countries such as Morocco, Egypt and Turkey. The participants also analysed possible ways in which the European Union could promote the doctrine of human security in the region.
In addition to Soler, the event featured interventions from experts including Fulvio Attinà, from the University of Catania and Volkan Aytar, from the TESEV Foundation in Istanbul.