The sixth congress of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) ended in Palermo, Italy over the weekend with a call on Member States to work towards transforming the Mediterranean region for the better. PAM further resolved to close ranks and co-operate more with other regional and international organizations.
The Assembly held at the Regional Assembly of Sicily in Palazzo dei Normanni, Palermo, Italy was attended by Member States of PAM, representatives of the diplomatic corp. and institutional invitees. EALA was represented at the Congress by the Speaker Rt. Hon. Abdirahin H. Abdi and EALA Senior Public Relations Officer, Bobi Odiko.
The Congress resolved to address key issues and areas facing the Mediterranean region. Key to PAM in the coming year is a resolve to fight terrorism and organized crime and devolved strategies of maintaining peace. At the same time, the Assembly shall strive to address issues related to the environment while encouraging and providing conducive space to spur trade facilitation and investments.
Also top on the radar of the Assembly are issues of women, youth and education – all considered key to the development of the region and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Congress unanimously elected H.E. Senator Fayez Tarawneh, former Prime Minister of Jordan as the new President of PAM. He replaces H.E. Abdelwahed Radi, the outgoing President, who was recently elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at its Conference, held in Bern, Switzerland.
EALA Speaker, Rt. Hon Abdirahin Abdi later met with H.E. Radi and presented him with a special message.
In his remarks, Rt. Hon Abdi lauded PAM for the contribution it made towards the search for reforms and democratic values in the Mediterranean region and attributed it largely to the noble leadership of the outgoing President.
“Indeed, Hon Radi received the (Mediterranean) region’s votes as a bloc just as he did from the East African region and I congratulate him on his new appointment”, Hon Abdi said.
“Indeed, Hon Radi received the (Mediterranean) region’s votes as a bloc just as he did from the East African region and I congratulate him on his new appointment”, Hon Abdi said.
The Speaker termed four major challenges the Mediterranean region had witnessed in recent times as turbulent and affecting its stability. He said the recent earthquake in Turkey where hundreds lost their lives and the challenges of the Arab spring in view of the recent uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen were destabilising factors.
The debt-burden occasioned by problems affecting the euro and the global economic down –turn which has generated problems for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) especially in Africa, are other challenges, the Speaker added.
“You have a very critical role to play in overseeing the search for peace in the region as well as the democratization process being ushered in. You cannot afford to ignore your role in the whole episode lest the spill over effects may destablise your own progress”, the Speaker remarked.
The Rt. Hon Speaker once more reiterated the need for support to neutralize the hunger situation in Somalia and the greater horn of Africa. That aside, Hon Abdi decried the piracy problem within the Indian Ocean and challenges facing the environment which he stated, needed to be resolved.
“The EAC is counting on your support as well. Despite the myriad of challenges, we must look on the positives such as the strengthening of the industrial base. I call on you to come and take advantage of and explore the existing investment opportunities in the region”, he added.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon also sent a message to be delivered to the Assembly. In his message, the UN Secretary General urged the international community to do more to ensure democratic values were respected across the globe. The Secretary General denounced violent repression and conflicts terming them abhorrent to development. “We must continue to support democracy, human rights and sustainable development not only in the Mediterranean region but in the globe over,” Ban Ki Moon’s statement added.
The Assembly was preceded by the VI meeting of the Standing Committees which commenced on Thursday, October 27, 2011.
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For more Information, contact: Bobi Odiko, Senior Public Relations Officer; East African Legislative Assembly; Tel: +255-27-2508240 Cell: +255 787 870945, +254-733-718036; Email: bodiko@eachq.org Web: https://www.eala.org Arusha, Tanzania
