The seventh Middle East Mediterranean Summit kicks off on 4 November

From November 4 to 9, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) will organize the seventh edition of the Middle East Mediterranean (MEM) Summit; an opportunity for dialogue and meeting for selected young participants, but also for a broader audience. The acronym MEM refers to the vast region of the Mediterranean and Middle East (from Morocco to Iran), a complex and heterogeneous geopolitical and cultural area, subject to deep and rapid changes. The event will be structured in a Seminar reserved for selected young participants and a Forum open to the public.

The MEM Summit was first launched by USI in 2018, in collaboration with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), its main partner. The aim is to develop new approaches, alternative narratives, and innovative projects that transcend the physical and cultural boundaries between communities in the MEM region and beyond, thanks to the active contribution of young participants, called "young change-makers." The Summit also provides a safe space where the involved youth can meet, share experiences, collaborate, and build mutual understanding.

The acronym MEM stands for the extended region of the Mediterranean and the Middle East (from Morocco to Iran) and it refers to a complex and heterogenous geopolitical and cultural space that has undergone and is still undergoing profound and rapid changes.

The seventh edition, supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and

SRG SSR - RSI as media partner, takes place at a particularly critical time for the region. The central theme of the Summit will be dialogue and methods to promote it even in times of crisis. Experts, academics, and diplomats will accompany the youth, the main protagonists of the MEM Summit, on this journey.

Closed-door Seminar

During the five days of the Seminar, 40 young change-makers from over 25 countries will meet in an environment designed as a safe space to foster dialogue among people who rarely have the chance to meet.

Among the speakers at the Seminar will be Prof. Francesco Mazzucotelli, Professor of Middle Eastern History and Culture at the University of Pavia, and Prof. Cyrus Schayegh, Professor of International History at the Graduate Institute; Jean-Louis Romanet, an expert in international cooperation and development, as well as Director of the North African Policy Initiative; Seraina Eldada, a dialogue and mediation expert at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP); Ambassador Geir Otto Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria; Elias Tamer, Edouard Souhaid, and Lynn Chamoun from the Collective for Architecture Lebanon. The complete list of speakers is available at the following link.

Film Screening of Retour en Alexandrie by Tamer Ruggli
On Thursday 7 November at 6:00 PM, at the USI Auditorium, there will be a free screening open to the public - registration required at the following link - of the film Retour en Alexandrie (duration: 95 minutes). The film will be screened in the original language with English and French subtitles. A discussion with the director, Tamer Ruggli, will follow the screening.

Plot: After twenty years of absence, Sue must return to her native Egypt to see her mother Fairouz, an eccentric aristocrat from whom she has been estranged. This surprising journey, leading her from Cairo back to Alexandria, tinted with distant memories, nostalgia, and mixed feelings about her past, will allow Sue to become the empowered woman she ought to be.

MEM Forum 2024, open to the public
On Friday 8 November and Saturday 9 November, the MEM Summit will conclude with the usual Forum, open to the public upon registration, during which institutional representatives, political figures, academics, and intellectuals will discuss the most relevant issues for the region, ranging from the current geopolitical situation to the role of diplomacy and dialogue in all its forms.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will deliver a keynote speech during the opening evening of the MEM Forum on Friday, 8 November.

Ambassadors Roberto Balzaretti, Thomas Oertle, Monica Schmutz Kirgöz, and Florence Tinguely Mattli, representing Switzerland in the MEM region, will participate in the panel “Meet the Swiss Ambassadors in the MENA region,” moderated by Ambassador Wolfgang Amadeus Brülhart. Roxane Farmanfarmaian, an expert on Iran and Gulf countries, will speak in the geopolitical panel with other speakers to comment on the developments of the current situation and predict possible future scenarios, also in light of the results of the American elections, discussed by Professor Scott Nelson. Fernando Gentilini, an experienced diplomat and writer, will take part in the panel on the role of culture in promoting new forms of diplomacy, alongside writer Widad Tamimi and diplomat Michael Köhler. Culture is not only a powerful diplomatic tool but also a fundamental resource for devising innovative solutions to complex global problems. Maysonn Al-Zoubi, an expert in sustainable water resource management and water diplomacy, will share her experience at the MEM Forum as an advisor to the Hashemite Royal Court and the Office of the Prime Minister of Jordan. Additionally, with colleagues Natasha Carmi and Jauad El Kharraz, will discuss water diplomacy and transnational projects involving various actors in the Middle East and North Africa.

Finally, the young change-makers will present the results of a process of reflection and exchange, initiated with the drafting of a document titled Insights for Dialogue during a regional workshop held in Cyprus at the beginning of October.

The detailed program of the Forum is available at the following link, while registrations can be made by clicking on the following link.