PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN ASSEMBLEE PARLEMENTAIRE DE LA MEDITERRANEE اﻟﺠﻤﻌﻴﺔ اﻟﺒﺮﻟﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ ﻟﻠﺒﺤﺮ اﻷﺑﻴﺾ اﻟﻤﺘﻮﺳﻂ a v n a C © 2020 Annual Report THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) is an international organization, which brings together 34 member parliaments from the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions to discuss the most pressing common challenges, such as regional conflicts, security and counterterrorism, humanitarian crises, economic integration, climate change, mass migrations, education, human rights and inter-faith dialogue. Through this unique political forum, PAM Parliaments are able to engage in productive discussions, share legislative experience, and work together towards constructive solutions. a v n 2 a C © CONTENTS FOREWORD 4 14TH PLENARY SESSION 6 REPORT OF ACTIVITIES 9 1ST STANDING COMMITTEE - POLITICAL AND SECURITY-RELATED COOPERATION 11 2ND STANDING COMMITTEE - ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION 16 3RD STANDING COMMITTEE - DIALOGUE AMONG CIVILIZATIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS 21 KEY EVENTS 2020 28 PAM 2020 DOCUMENTS – QUICK ACCESS LINKS 30 PAM AWARDS 2020 33 MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL REMARKS 36 FINANCIAL REPORT 39 CALENDAR 2020 49 PRELIMINARY CALENDAR 2021 60 3 a v n a C © FOREWORD Hon. Karim Darwish President of PAM Dear Colleagues and friends, It has been a privilege and an honor to act as the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean in 2020. As this year draws to a close, I would like to reiterate my deep gratitude to all PAM delegates and their National Parliaments, the PAM Secretariat and our partner organizations for their great work and unwavering support during a time when our region Honorable Karim Darwish, President of PAM and the world face a complex array of challenges. We are living in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated different forms of inequalities in our society. More than a health crisis, it is also an economic, social and human crisis, that requires a solidarity response and mutual cooperation. Despite the obvious challenges, PAM remains not only active in accordance with its mandate, but has redoubled its efforts to address these issues. Over recent months, we have engaged in constructive political dialogue both in high-level fora and behind the scenes, always with the aim for peace, security and prosperity for all our people. PAM has organized a series of very concrete events on counter-terrorism, economic recovery, and human rights in the pandemic context. We have branched out to cover new and urgent matters, such as public health governance, and support for the tourism sector. We published an in-depth study on vaccine policy as early as August and, in close cooperation with the WHO, we continue to provide state-of-the-art information to our member parliaments on the COVID-19 response. We have strengthened existing partnerships and are building new ones. Regional and global key actors have continued to show a growing interest in joining our efforts and to work with the Assembly. This is a strong signal of our credibility. As a result, PAM benefits from an expanding network of the world’s top experts and policy-makers that enriches our own capacity to engage with the key issues we face. I am pleased to present to you the Annual Report on the activities of the Assembly for 2020. It contains a detailed overview of our achievements, the priority issues we have addressed, the work carried out by our Committees, and the plan for action in the coming months. I have confidence in each member and partner of our Assembly to continue to work together to meet the current and future challenges of the Euro-Mediterranean region. Thank you Karim Darwish President of PAM 5 a v n a C © 14th PLENARY SESSION Athens, Greece February 2020 14th PLENARY SESSION - ANNUAL REPORT 2020 The 14th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) took place in Athens on 20 and 21 February 2020, generously hosted by the Hellenic Parliament. Besides the host parliament and officials from the Greek Government, over 240 representatives from 52 delegations comprised of PAM national delegations, regional parliaments (the Arab IPU, the Arab Parliament, the League of Arab States, the Pan-African Parliament, IPU), and several international organizations attended the Session. Representatives from the diplomatic corps, academia, financial institutions and civil society - such as the Mediterranean Citizens’ Assembly Foundation (MCAF) – also actively contributed to the debates. PAM delegations were welcomed by H.E. Hon. Konstantinos Tasoulas, President of the Hellenic Parliament, who opened the Session together with PAM President Sen. Alia Bouran (Jordan), Hon. Christos Kellas, Head of the Greek delegation, and H.E. Elsa Papadimitriou, former PAM Vice-President and former Vice-President of the Hellenic Parliament. 7 14th PLENARRY SESSION - ANNUAL REPORT 2020 During the political and security segment, the debates focused on the developments in the MENA region. Emphasis was given to the Two State solution for Israel and Palestine, as well as on the support towards the Syrian and Libyan peace processes; the segment equally addressed the evolving threat of terrorism, with a focus on the issue of ISIL survivors, efforts to strengthen border security, the role of new technologies in relation to terrorism, and the issue of radicalization. PAM delegates adopted two resolutions on “Countering the evolving threat of terrorism in the Euro-Mediterranean region” and “Political and security developments in the MENA region”. The second segment was devoted to socio-economic issues, the key role of small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) and Start-ups in the Euro-Mediterranean economies, and the need for improved access to alternative capital markets by enterprises through new and flexible legislations. The Assembly unanimously adopted a report and resolution on "Financial development and MSMEs: Engines for the Euro-Mediterranean economic stability and growth". The segment also addressed concerns over the environment, focusing on effective policies to combat climate change and mitigate its effects, and adopted the resolution on the “Follow up to the COP25 and the need to act for enhanced Climate Action”. The debates of the third segment focused on the need for a comprehensive and coordinated governance of mass migration, including its root causes, and recalled the key role of Parliaments in championing human rights, especially in the context of the emerging use of artificial intelligence. Two resolutions were unanimously adopted by the delegates: “From crisis to governance of migration and refugee flows" and "PAM MPs for Human Rights". In Athens, at the early onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Trias, Special Representative of the Director General of the World Health Organization, provided PAM delegates with an up-to-date and tailored briefing about the level of hazard and the contribution required by parliamentarians in ensuring a proper support to national health authorities. This year, the Assembly welcomed the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates as Associate member. It adopted the budget for 2020, and unanimously extended the mandate of Amb. Sergio Piazzi, as PAM Secretary General, for a new term of 4 years, until the 19th plenary session of 2025. The session ended with a handover ceremony of the PAM Presidency from Sen. Alia Bouran (Jordan) to Hon. Karim Darwish (Egypt). 8 a v n a C © REPORT OF ACTIVITES Standing Committees Just like many other international organizations and businesses, the work of PAM has been widely affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many activities scheduled to take place in the first or second semesters of 2020 had to be either postponed, cancelled, or transformed into virtual events. The 2020 calendar has therefore seen substantial changes. Despite the difficulties faced, as a community and as an Assembly, PAM managed to meet its annual objectives. PAM parliamentary diplomacy never ceased its activities, and the following sections highlight all the work achieved during the year 2020. 10 1st Standing Committee Political and Security-related Cooperation ANNUAL REPORT - 2020 1st STANDING COMMITTEE - ANNUAL REPORT 2020 PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY AND POLITICAL DIALOGUE Throughout 2020, dialogue and cooperation represented the core of PAM activities. The COVID-19 pandemic added yet another layer of complexity to the challenging political and security climate faced by our region and highlighted the need for a coordinated international response to recurrent and new challenges, including through parliamentary diplomacy. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, PAM President, Hon. Karim Darwish (Egypt), expressed the unwavering support of PAM to the call of the UN Secretary General for a global ceasefire, so that the world and our region could dedicate all efforts towards mitigating the pandemic. The PAM Secretariat continued to closely follow the evolving impact of the pandemic on regional security and published several timely reports on the matter. Notably, in June, Hon. Gennaro Migliore (Italy), PAM Rapporteur on Counter-terrorism, aware that violent extremism thrives in times of economic and social uncertainty, published a detailed report on "Terrorism threat at the time of COVID-19". The need for a coordinated international response, encompassing economic development and security, was further discussed in May, during the parliamentary