MED Mediterranean Dialogues 2020 is proud to announce a second edition of the “Youth Forum
Contest – Ideas and Projects at Work”, implemented in cooperation with the
Representation of the European Commission in Italy, the Boston Consulting
Group, the European Training Foundation, and the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development.
The purpose of the contest is to give a selected number of young
Mediterranean people the chance to present innovative ideas and projects to a
high-level audience in order to promote their work and enhance their
visibility.
The 2020 MED Youth Forum Contest is therefore
looking for proposals that offer innovative solutions to help manage the crisis
and to support post-pandemic recovery. In line with the purpose of the contest,
all the projects presented should cover topics related to one of the following
two areas:
- Culture and Civil society:
- Culture and Education
(Inclusive and Equitable Education; the Promotion of Remote Learning;
Innovation in Museums and Art Exhibitions; Future Art Ecosystems; the
Promotion of Tourism and the Recovery of the Tourism Industry)
- Civil society (Social
Protection; Gender Equality; the Prevention of Domestic Violence)
- Health (Immunisation;
Prevention and Control; Healthcare Recovery; Mental Health Recovery;
Technologies, Biotechnologies and Medical Equipment)
- Business and New Economic
Models:
- Employment and Business:
(Remote Working and Digital Business Transformation; Reorganization of
the Workforce; Reshaping the Customer Experience; Youth and Gender
Employment; Work-Life Balance; Financial Inclusion; Poverty Reduction)
- Food and Water Security (Food
Logistics and Distribution; the Recovery of Small-Medium Food Production;
Agri-Tech Innovation; Social and Economic Access to Food and/or Water)
- Urban Innovation: Rethinking
Public and Private Spaces; Travel, Logistics & Transport
Infrastructure; Returning to the Workplace; Rethinking Urban
Regeneration; Safe and Sustainable Urban Mobility)
Participants will have a
unique opportunity to present projects that could facilitate dialogue and
foster development and cooperation in the broader Mediterranean region. With
this in mind, this year’s Youth Forum Contest will promote young leaders whose
ideas and projects focus on finding innovative and creative responses to the
current pandemic crisis in the MENA region and on supporting post-pandemic
recovery.
During the contest:
- All participants will be given
a maximum of 5-minutes to present their projects and ideas to a selected
audience and to an international panel of experts. The working language is
English.
- Once all presentations have
finished, the professional jury and the audience attending the event will
vote to select a winner for each group.
- The two winners will be awarded
a prize of € 2,500 to develop their projects further. In addition to
greater visibility and the said monetary reward, participants will also
have full access to the MED2020 conference to explore business
opportunities and to connect with experts, investors, venture capitalists,
and fellow entrepreneurs. They will also be given an opportunity to
present the development of their projects to a dedicated panel at MED2021
Mediterranean Dialogues next year.
Eligibility Criteria
High-potential
candidates aged under 35, from North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya,
Egypt.) and the Middle East (Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestinian
Territories, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar,
UAE, Iran.) may apply to enter the contest. Applicants must have an excellent
command of English (the event’s working language) and a keen interest in
Mediterranean cooperation. To ensure a fairer and more inclusive procedure,
candidates from Mediterranean Europe (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, France, Monaco,
Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Northern Macedonia, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria,
Romania, Kosovo.) may apply if their projects are run in partnership with
institutions and or individuals based in the Middle Eastern or North African
countries listed.
Applications must be
made using the online form. All applicants should include the following
information:
- A short letter of motivation
(explaining why they wish to participate in the MED2020 Youth Forum
Contest, no longer than 200 words, in pdf format)
- A complete description of their
project (using the attached PowerPoint format).
- An updated CV (in pdf format)
About
MED
– MEDITERRANEAN DIALOGUES is the annual high-level initiative promoted by the
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ISPI
(Italian Institute for International Political Studies) in Rome with the
aim to rethink traditional approaches to the area complementing analyses of
current challenges with new ideas and suggestions and to draft a new “positive
agenda”, addressing shared challenges at both the regional and the
international level.
Launched
in 2015, MED has quickly become the global hub for high–level dialogues on the
broader Mediterranean engaging prominent leaders of Mediterranean
governments, business, civil society, media and academia.
Past
editions have brought together more than 1,000 international leaders, including
Heads of State and Ministers (among them, the King of Jordan, the Iraqi and
Lebanese’s President, Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Russia, Iran, Saudi
Arabia, Iraq, UAE, the US Secretary of State, the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees and the Envoy for Syria, as well as the EU’s High Representative for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the first Vice-President of the Commission
and many others)
The four pillars
Rome MED builds upon four pillars: Shared
Prosperity, Shared Security, Migration, and Civil Society and Culture. Debates
on these topics are intended to complement analyses of current challenges with
new ideas and suggestions to scale-up economic cooperation, overcome regional
rivalries and conflicts, and ensure that adequate incentives for sustainable
development are set in motion.
The 6th edition of MED Mediterranean Dialogues will be
held from November 25 to December 4. Over the past five years, MED
Mediterranean Dialogues has established itself as a hub for in-person meetings
among high-level representatives of governments, international organisations
and civil society. This year, the MED Conference will adopt a “hybrid format”
(with virtual and in-person events) to ensure conformity to the highest
standards of personal health and safety.
Post Date - 16-Oct-2020