MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING JUNE 30, 2012

Article 1.1The Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) is a multi-partner cooperative arrangement aiming at facilitating access to best knowledge, practices and support among public and independent institutions to further improve cooperation, enhance sustainable development and converge policies in order to support transformation and enhance integration in the Mediterranean Region.

Article 1.2The CMI brings together governments and broad society to deliberate evidence-based public policy choices. It promotes partnerships among public and independent institutions and other actors in the Mediterranean Region and beyond.

Article 1.3Consistent with their respective mandates, the Members desire to cooperate in the carrying out of activities to respond, through the CMI, to the transformations underway and increasing demand for greater accountability, empowerment and development. The CMI will: (i) produce and disseminate knowledge products that promote integrational frameworks; (ii) support cross-sectoral and regional efforts and develop partnerships; (iii) and create space for dialogue and avenues for action outside established frameworks. Through capacity-building or its network among networks dimension, the Center further seeks to facilitate upstream dialogue that leads to projects, and leverage its activities through broad outreach and communication.

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Egypt, France, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, European Investment Bank and World Bank.

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CENTER for MEDITERRANEAN

INTEGRATION

CMIVilla Valmer 271, Corniche Kennedy 13007 MarseilleFrance

+33 4 91 99 24 51 / 56

www.cmimarseille.org

CONTACT INFORMATION

There is no better time than the present to take note of the urgency of our mission. As citizens of the Arab world reflect upon their unmet expectations following the

“Arab Spring”, the future of the region hangs in uncertainty. Conditions are, however, ripe for progress. Governments are as sensitive as ever to the will of the people and are searching for feasible solutions to the daunting problems they face. Regional integration lies at the very heart of the CMI’s mission, and in that approach, we believe, lie many of the necessary solutions. With an eye to the successes and challenges of the past and an informed perspective on priorities for the future, we move forward now, as always, with a dedication to results.

Mourad EZZINECMI MANAGER

PARTNERSHIPS FOR INTEGRATION

Three integrational themes inspire the Center’s work

Center for Mediterranean Integration

The CMI’s member governments (Egypt, France, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia) and two international financial institutions active in the region (the European Investment Bank and the World Bank) cooperate through an organizational apparatus managed by the World Bank. The Center hosts programs led by a variety of institutions—among them the Agence Française de Développement, the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (France), the European Investment Bank, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, Germany’s Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Plan Bleu, and the Forum Euroméditerranéen des Instituts de Sciences Économiques (FEMISE). Strong partnerships have been developed with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), UNDP, Cities Alliance, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the City of Marseille, among others. Many countries of the region participate regularly in the CMI’s activities. Acting as a network among networks supporting transformational reforms and greater regional integration, the CMI provides a forum for dialogue and learning, adding value to the activities conducted by its members and partners.

On the basis of an assessment of the CMI’s ach ievements conducted in 2011, the membership laid out a new three-year mandate for 2012–15. The new approach recognizes the need to go beyond technical assistance and project f inance to prepare a rapidly changing region and its people to benefit from the advantages of integration. The Center’s budget, which has roughly doubled since its founding, includes support from a trust fund established by its members. Drawing on staff from across the region, the CMI catalyzes work performed by members and partners, working in Arabic, English, and French. It uses web-based platforms to achieve CMI objectives, as can be seen at www.cmimarseille.org.

The CMI’s added value is embodied in a range of know ledge products and best practices, which become the raw material for high-level policy dialogues organized by the Center. The process of generating knowledge and testing its soundness and applicability with policy makers has led to the formation of vibrant communities of practice involving stakeholders all around the Mediterranean rim. By providing a platform and support for multi-partner programs, the CMI encourages strategic convergence and the mobilization of resources toward common goals. CMI discussions on technical or policy issues support the development of future projects, many of which build the capacity of participating organizations.

The Mediterranean region—unevenly rich in energy resources, universally poor in water resources, and ubiquitously vulnerable to environmental risk—cannot afford, even in constrained socioeconomic times, not to build a strong green dimension into its growth and development strategies. Solutions will require sharing knowledge and building capacity in natural resource management and climate-risk-based urban planning. Current areas of CMI activity include sustainable urban development, cities and climate change, rehabilitation of medinas, green growth, water resources management, integrated risk management, and sustainable urban transport.

Job creation is the overarching economic objective of the Mediterranean region. Factors contributing to this objective include the raising of productivity, the implementing reforms to promote knowledge and innovation, and the exploiting the linkages offered by trade, investment, and infrastructure. All of these are elements of the strategic deliberations ongoing within the CMI. As the region’s countries consider the various paths to advanced economy status open to them, evidence-based policy discussions will be essential. Areas of CMI activity include the knowledge economy, labor mobility, innovation capacities, higher education, and public-private partnerships.

Underlying the radical changes in the region are the aspirations of citizens for greater political participation and economic opportunity. The role of CMI is to support member countries in meeting the challenges posed by those aspirations. The work initiated during the first phase of CMI will be intensified and adapted to the new context ushered in by the Arab Spring. Areas of CMI activity include urban development, youth, social protection, gender, governance and environmental health.

ADDED VALUE /// We carry out our objective of knowledge sharing through:

Knowledge Products | High-Level Dialogue | Multi-Partner Support | Upstream Project Support | Capacity Building

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

GREEN GROWTH

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

INTEGRATED RISK MANAGEMENT

CITIES & CLIMATE CHANGE

SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT

SUSTAINABLE URBAN TRANSPORT

PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

SOCIAL PROTECTION

OPEN GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE

YOUTH

GENDER

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

INTEGRATED ECONOMIES

KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

INNOVATION CAPACITIES

HIGHER EDUCATION

INTERNATIONAL LABOR MOBILITY

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

CMI is a multi-partner

platform that builds networks and

communities of practice

PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE INTEGRATED ECONOMIES SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

Created in 2009, two years ahead of the Arab Spring, with the idea of stimulating knowledge-driven development processes throughout the Mediterranean region, the Center for Mediterranean Integration promotes national economic, social, and environmental transformation within the context of regional integration.

The CMI strives to deepen the fund of evidence available to the region’s policy makers by convening partnerships to generate knowledge on key issues. It also aims at enhancing public policy debate by encouraging joint learning in regional networks and by reaching new agents of change, notably young people and local governments. As a collaborative platform for sharing knowledge, the CMI promotes regional convergence and consensus on reform in a context of partnership in the face of the current global crisis.