The Middle East Mediterranean MEM Summer Summit, organised by Università della Svizzera italiana with the support of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation in Lugano (Switzerland), aims at developing new approaches, different methods, as well as new projects to transcend physical and cultural boundaries between communities on all shores of the Mediterranean and Middle East region. It is composed of a Seminar and a high-level Forum.
The aim of the Seminar, exclusively devoted to the young change-makers, is to facilitate discussions and exchange of ideas among young participants considered to be innovators, by providing a favourable environment and neutral guidance for thinking outside the box, finding common grounds, and exploring solutions beyond national boundaries. The Seminar offers a series of plenary lectures, participatory workshops, brainstorming sessions, film screenings, and cultural activities, articulated around three main thematic streams: New Dynamics of the MEM region; Governance, good practices, and policy making; Cultural narratives. The Forum aims to bring together leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, scholars and intellectuals to discuss pressing issues of the MEM region. Topics range from new geopolitical configurations to migration dynamics, through security in the Mediterranean health and food systems, endangered cultural heritage, to Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and municipalities in the region (www.mem-summersummit.ch).
