The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) is an

international organization An international organization, also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is an organization that is established by a treaty or other type of instrument governed by international law and possesses its own le ...

established in 2005 by the national parliaments of the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region. It is the legal successor of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean (CSCM), launched in the early 1990s. The PAM was originally headquartered in Malta, in recognition of Malta's strategic role and commitment in organizing the PAM. The current headquarters is located in the

Republic of San Marino A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a state in which political power rests with the public (people), typically through their representatives—in contrast to a monarchy. Although a ...

. PAM also has offices in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Italy. PAM also has Permanent Observers to the UN in Geneva, New York and Vienna, a Liaison Officer with UNSCO and

UNIFIL The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, and several further resolutions in 2006 to con ...

in Jerusalem, and a Permanent Representation to LAS in Cairo.

Objectives

The main objective of PAM is to forge political, economic and social cooperation among the Member States in order to find common solutions to the challenges facing the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf region, and to create a space for peace and prosperity for its peoples. PAM is the centre of excellence for regional parliamentary diplomacy, and a unique forum whose membership is open exclusively to Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf countries, which are represented on equal footing. This is reflected in the composition of the Bureau and the alternating Presidency. The current President of PAM is Enaam Mayara. Each national delegation has up to five members with equal voting rights and decision-making powers. PAM conducts the bulk of its work within three Standing Committees. It convenes annually in a Plenary Session. It may also set up

Working Groups A working group is a group of experts working together to achieve specified goals. Such groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. The term can sometimes refer to an interdisciplinary collab ...

, ad-hoc Committees or Special Task Forces to tackle a particular topic (i.e.

Counter-Terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...

, Confidence Building, Peace Support,

Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of Conflict (process), conflict and Revenge, retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively co ...

, Middle East Peace Process,

Mass Migration Mass migration refers to the migration of large groups of people from one geographical area to another. Mass migration is distinguished from individual or small-scale migration; and also from seasonal migration, which may occur on a regular basi ...

Free Trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

and

Investments Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...

Economic Integration Economic integration is the unification of economic policies between different states, through the partial or full abolition of tariff and Non-tariff barriers to trade, non-tariff restrictions on trade. The trade-stimulation effects intended by ...

Climate Change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

Energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

Human Rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

, Dialogue of Civilizations,

Gender issues Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other than ...

, etc…). The main operational and coordination instruments of PAM in these fields are Field Missions, Electoral Observation Teams, the Economic Panel on Trade and Investments, the Academic Platform and the Women Parliamentary Forum. Although the reports and resolutions adopted by PAM are not legally binding per se, they are a powerful “soft diplomacy” tool when dealing with parliaments, governments and civil society in the region.

Secretariat

The international Secretariat, an autonomous and independent body of the Assembly, assists and advises the PAM President, the PAM Bureau and all members in the execution of their mandate and is responsible for the follow-up on the decisions taken by the Assembly providing coordination, assistance and support to the work of the Committees and all other bodies established under PAM. The Secretariat interacts with national delegations, as well as with regional and international bodies sharing an interest in the PAM region. It has the mandate to stimulate the activities of the Assembly. It also coordinates the awarding of the PAM Prize dedicated to individuals or institutions whose work is considered of great value for the PAM region. The Secretary General, assisted by international and local staff, coordinates the activities of the Assembly The PAM Secretariat is also entrusted with the parliamentary dimension of the 5+5 Western Mediterranean Forum and the MEDCOP.

Relations with non-Mediterranean countries and international institutions

The membership criteria and geographical location of its members position PAM as a central actor in the Mediterranean region. The

General Assembly of the United Nations The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 79th session, its powers, ...

granted

observer status Observer status is a privilege granted by some organizations to non-members to give them an ability to participate in the organization's activities. Observer status is often granted by intergovernmental organizations (IGO) to non-member parties and ...

to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, by the Resolution A/RES/64/124, at its 64th Session on 16 December 2009. An essential link with

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.social peace, it is necessary that parliamentarians fully participate in today’s regional debates thereby contributing to the elaboration of policies that bear both an immediate impact and a long-term impact for future generations. Today’s challenges, including

mass migration Mass migration refers to the migration of large groups of people from one geographical area to another. Mass migration is distinguished from individual or small-scale migration; and also from seasonal migration, which may occur on a regular basi ...

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and most importantly the resurgence of conflicts and the evolution of

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

, require a collective effort, goodwill and confidence-building measures. The political dialogue established among members of PAM, in particular with respect to the Middle East issues, Syria and Libya crises, and the Russian aggression against Ukraine, are of crucial importance. To further its objectives, PAM encourages the inter-governmental support of the main actors in the region as well as regional institutions.

Membership

Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean

As of 2022, there are 31 member parliaments, 3 associate member states, 2 candidate member, 60 partner states and organizations, and 13 observer organizations.

Member states

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Associate member states

* * * *

Candidate member

* (suspended) *

Partner states and organizations

* * * * * * * * * * * * * African Parliamentary Union * Arab IPU * Arab Parliament * Asian Parliamentary Assembly * Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference * Conseil Consultatif de l’UMA *

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

* IPA CIS *

Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (, ), or I.A.O., is a transnational, inter-parliamentary institution that in 1994 was originally established as the European Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (EIAO). Based in Athens, Greece, t ...

Inter-Parliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; , UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other initiatives include advancing g ...

* NATO-PA * OSCE-PA * PABSEC *

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up of ...

* Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie Pan-African Parliament * PA-UfM * PUIC * Parliamentary Network of the World Bank and IMF * SEECP PA * * CTBTO *

EBRD The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, shortened to EBRD ( French: ''Banque européenne pour la reconstruction et le développement'' or ''BERD''), is an international financial institution founded in 1991 in Paris. As a multilat ...

European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...

* EUROMED *

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

* *

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

* FEMISE * * * IRENA * * * North-South Centre of the Council of Europe * Organization of the Islamic Cooperation *

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

* Union du Maghreb arabe * UfM *

UN System The United Nations System consists of the United Nations' six principal bodies (the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the United Nations ...

UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

* FISPMED *

UNCTAD UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the United Nations General Assembl ...

UNODC The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC; French: ''Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime'') is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the ...

* UNOCT *

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

* *

WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

* Anna Lindh Foundation * ASCAME, BUSINESS MED * Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) * FIDU * Mediterranean Citizens’ Assembly Foundation * MEDREG * MED-TSO * Women Political Leaders

Observers

* Arab Inter-parliamentary Union * Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization *

Euro-Mediterranean University of Slovenia EMUNI University was established on 9 June 2008 in Portorož, Slovenia, with the objective of becoming an international, post-graduate, higher-education and research institution, fully integrated in the Euro-Mediterranean Area. It was co-founded by ...

* Fondazione Mediterraneo * * Maghreb Consultative Council of the

Arab Maghreb Union The Arab Maghreb Union ( '; AMU/UMA) is a political union and economic union trade agreement aiming for economic and future political unity among Arab countries that are located primarily in the Maghreb in North Africa. Its members are the natio ...

* Mediterranean Citizens Assembly Foundation * Mediterranean Energy Regulators (MEDREG) * Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean * Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation * Organization of Islamic Cooperation * *

World Meteorological Organisation The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Interna ...

Cooperation with other organizations

In addition to the above, PAM also cooperates (to various degrees) with other international organizations, including the: * Arab Parliament *

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, shortened to EBRD ( French: ''Banque européenne pour la reconstruction et le développement'' or ''BERD''), is an international financial institution founded in 1991 in Paris. As a multilat ...

* Parliamentary Assembly of the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Foreign relations of the European Union Parliamentary assemblies Organizations established in 2005 Continental unions International organisations based in Italy