Diana Ionita, Head of Digital at GEYC, participated in the Anna Lindh Foundation Forum 2025 held in Tirana, Albania, 18-20 June 2025. The forum brought together approximately 800 participants from 43 countries, including civil society organizations, academic institutions, young leaders, media representatives, government officials, and policymakers to address challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
This year's forum marked two significant anniversaries: 20 years of the Anna Lindh Foundation's work in fostering dialogue across the Euro-Mediterranean region and 30 years since the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership/ Barcelona Process.
The 2025 forum operated under the theme The Dialogue Effect: From Knowledge to Action: Redefining Dialogue in the Euro Mediterranean Region. Tirana was selected as the host city in recognition of its designation as Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue 2025, a title awarded annually by the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Union for the Mediterranean.
Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali, President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, participated in the forum, reinforcing the organization's role in connecting governments, civil society, and cultural leaders across the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Stefano Sannino, Director General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf at the European Commission, led discussions on the New Pact for the Mediterranean and people-to-people approaches in policy design and implementation.
A significant plenary panel titled "Bridging Cultures and Religions in the Euro-Mediterranean Region: Reflecting on Two Decades of Dialogue for Humanity", led by H.E. Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for UNAOC and United Nations Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, and moderated by Ms. Nihal Saad, UNAOC Director, bringing together high-level speakers, including: H.E. Mr. George Andreas Papandreou, Former Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic; H.E. Mr. Mladen Ivanic, Former Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina; H.E. Mr. Egemen Bağış, Former Minister for European Union Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye; and Prof. Michele Capasso, President of Fondazione Mediterraneo, Architect and Engineer. The panel examined the progress and challenges in intercultural dialogue over the past two decades.
GEYC Contribution
Diana was invited as a speaker in two panel discussions:
• Fact-Check & Connect: Fighting Misinformation Through Intercultural Dialogue: During this session, she addressed the importance of developing digital competences among youth, youth workers, and educators, particularly in relation to the European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025. She also presented the role of young people in using digital storytelling to raise awareness and create counter-narratives, referencing the No Hate Embassy project as a practical example.
• Hands-On Practitioners for a Participatory and Resilient Euro-Med Region: In this panel, she shared findings from GEYC's Enhance Your Capacity Academy Digital program, conducted under the ALF Hands-on programme. Her presentation focused on adapting non-formal education methodologies to digital environments and developing learning programs that emphasize practical approaches, peer-to-peer learning, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Besides 100 learning sessions with 10 focus areas, the forum also included 15 artistic performances representing various Mediterranean cultures, featuring music, theatre, dance, and comedy. Performances ranged from Lebanese wedding celebrations and Bulgarian folklore to Flamenco and Egyptian Mizmar, alongside contemporary presentations including stand-up comedy and DJ performances, as well as plennary contributions from TV Presenter and Journalist Jaafar Abdul Karim and Comedian best-selling author ,and disability advocate Maysoon Zayid - "Dialogue. When to Listen, When to Leave".
Several side events complemented the main program such as: "Memories of the Mediterranean – From Antiquity to Modern Times" exhibition at the National Library of Albania, displaying historical books, manuscripts, maps, and engravings from 1300–1800, open to the public for one month and "The Odyssey of the Mediterranean" cultural event at Agimi Art Center, organized by NGO Argjiro in partnership with the Creative Industries Agency of the Municipality of Tirana and the French Embassy in Albania.
The forum addressed pressing regional challenges including misinformation, democratic dialogue, civic trust, and evidence-based governance. Sessions focused on practical solutions, including fact-checking tools, digital media literacy, and data integrity measures implemented at local, national, and regional levels.
Building GEYC's capacity
The forum provided a platform for sharing GEYC's work in digital education and intercultural dialogue. Diana Ionita's participation contributed to discussions on combating misinformation and developing resilient educational approaches for the digital age, particularly relevant given the European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025, as well as our continuous efforts in cultivating sustainable development and intercultural dialogue across the Mediterranean, where GEYC creates platforms for youth-led solutions addressing shared challenges from climate change to economic opportunity.
The Anna Lindh Foundation Forum 2025 served as a platform for policy dialogue, knowledge sharing, and network building among stakeholders working on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. The event's focus on transforming dialogue into concrete action reflected ongoing efforts to address regional challenges through collaborative approaches. The forum's timing, coinciding with significant anniversaries in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, provided an opportunity to assess progress and identify future directions for regional dialogue and collaboration initiatives.
Learn more about the ALForum 2025 here.
Diana's participation at the forum was an opportunity to build the capacity of our team and is closely aligned with our priorities at GEYC, as part of the system development & outreach activities of the project Erasmus+ Youth Accreditation / 2024-1-RO01-KA151-YOU-000208961.