Zlatko Lagumdžija, Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001-2002) and World Leadership Alliance–Club de Madrid Member (WLA-CdM), joined the 2nd Young Mediterranean Voices Leadership Seminar in Malta on November 22, to provide invaluable advice to the young participants.
Young Mediterranean Voices gathers young leaders from the Euro-Mediterranean region with the overall aim to build their capacity for shaping policy and media narratives, elaborating policy recommendations and designing campaigns to turn their proposals into actions.
Prime Minister Lagumdžija laid out three points of feedback to the participants:
- -Political will and policies are the first steps to change reality.
- -Engage people, this is about all of us.
- -Proposals have to be economically reasonable and sustainable.
“We have to see how we can group ourselves not on interests, but values. And sustainability is one of the basic fundamental values”, added the former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Through a series of workshops and seminars, the young participants from the Euro-Mediterranean region discussed the importance of climate change, the role of media, and how youth engagement is essential in pushing local, national, regional and global challenges.
The Young Med Voices Leadership Seminar, organized by the Anna Lindh Foundation, in partnership with The Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies (MEDAC) and WLA-CdM rounded out with a panel discussion, where participants presented the proposals they had worked on during the week and obtained recommendations from experts on how to improve them.
On the panel with Prime Minister Lagumdžija were: Malta MEP Miriam Dalli, Head of European Commission Office in Malta Helena Grech and entrepreneur David Darmanin. The Panel was moderated by Professor Stephen Calleya, Director of the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies (MEDAC).
Prime Minister Lagumdžija also met with George Vella, President of Malta, taking the opportunity to discuss challenges facing the Western Balkan region, and the role that youth advocacy plays in dialogue building.
A few weeks ago, WLA-CdM Member Yves Leterme also participated in a Young Med Voices activity, engaging with their young leaders.
An extraordinary group
Speaking of the young activists, PM Lagumdžija told Club de Madrid that he met “an extraordinary group of young people who are passionate about what they are doing and committed to making a change”.
Prime Minister Lagumdžija knows that these young activists are just beginning their journeys towards making real change in the world on issues they are passionate about. “It is nice as a former Prime Minister to be sitting with future Prime Ministers and Presidents. Among those young voices, we met people who will shape our future.” Activities such as Young Med Voices are vital to the continued development of democracy globally – by giving a voice to youngers generations who will shape the future.
