J-MED: spotlight on initiative as 2022 winners unveiled

The Government of the Principality of Monaco (Department of International Cooperation), the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Interdepartmental Mediterranean Office and Office for Relations with Civil Society and Partnerships), the Institut européen de coopération et de développement (European Institute for Cooperation and Development – IECD) and the Monegasque association ILLIS met in the Principality on Monday 11 July 2022 as part of the J-MED – Support Youth in the Mediterranean initiative.

Since 2020, the two countries have set up an annual call for proposals open to civil society organisations in the Mediterranean to support specific projects to help young people in the region. The initiative is in line with the aims of the Summit of the Two Shores and the Commitments for a New Ambition in the Mediterranean.

It is an innovative mechanism that rewards the best projects to support young people in the Mediterranean proposed by civil society organisations in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Lebanon in partnership with organisations from the southern, eastern or northern shores of the Mediterranean (Monaco, France, Spain, Italy, Malta, Portugal). Grants of up to €15,000 are allocated.

The event was opened by Ms Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and H.E. Mr Laurent Stefanini, the French Ambassador to Monaco. Ms Berro-Amadeï noted the “Monaco Government’s pride in having worked with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to set up this innovative mechanism for supporting young people in the Mediterranean. Thanks to J-MED, civil society organisations in the Mediterranean can carry out their projects in the areas that matter most to young people: training, education and entry to the workforce. In the Mediterranean, as elsewhere, it is by involving young people that we will be able to achieve sustainable development that benefits everyone.”

For his part, H.E. Mr Laurent Stefanini emphasised “the excellent nature of the cooperation between France and the Principality of Monaco, which has, over the last three years, enabled support to be provided to 72 high-quality projects in five countries in Africa and the Middle East, in key foundational areas for young people’s futures.”

During the event, the IECD, which ran the 2020 and 2022 editions, highlighted the relevance of this financing mechanism and announced its support for the 2022 edition, ensuring that an additional 15 projects could receive funding.

J-MED, l’initiative mise à l’honneur et les lauréats 2022 dévoilés © Stéphane Danna - Direction de la Communication

Four winners of J-MED 2021, which was implemented with support from the Monegasque association ILLIS, talked about their everyday work to help young people. ILLIS awarded each of them a prize in recognition of the quality and impact of their respective projects: Santé Globale’s project to help women in Mauritania into work, DRAMEDIA’s project supporting culture and education through theatre in Morocco, The Crag Bouldering - Climb’in’s project to use climbing as a means of supporting inclusion for young Tunisians, and the Lebanese Developers’ project to help Dom women access decent opportunities in Lebanon.

The Civil Societies in the Mediterranean Academic Chair at Aix-Marseille University also presented the results of a study on how the J-MED initiative has impacted the winning organisations, emphasising the need to support these organisations at the technical and organisational levels.

Finally, as the ceremony drew to a close, the 33 winners of the 2022 event were announced. These included the Moroccan NGO TIBU Maroc and its Monegasque partner Peace and Sport for a project to provide social and professional support to 36 girls in Casablanca through football (“Girls CAN – Peacemakers”).

In three years, J-MED has supported nearly 180 organisations in the Mediterranean region, including 111 on the southern and eastern shores of the sea. Several thousand young people have benefited from specific activities in a variety of areas including education, vocational training, culture, heritage, sport, gender equality, environmental protection and social and inclusive entrepreneurship.

For more information, see https://jmed-aap.org/