MEM Summer Summit Forum 2019, the programme

At the second Middle East Mediterranean (MEM) Forum, taking place at the Lugano Palazzo dei congress on August 24 and 25, leading figures and experts from the Middle East and the Mediterranean will discuss the main issues of the region and the ideas developed during the preceding eight-day seminar held at USI with a hundred young change-makers from 25 countries, in the presence of Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis. This year, the Forum aims to engage even more with the public. Participation is free of charge, subject to registration at www.mem-summersummit.ch. The programme consists of eight thematic sessions spread over two days, with simultaneous translation into Italian, French and English. During the event, the public will be able to visit the exhibition “Broken Cities. A virtual journey from Syria to Iraq”, featuring the four cities reduced to rubble by the conflicts: Damascus, Aleppo, Palmyra and Mosul. The exhibition will be divided into three parts: photographic, documentary (with a short film by RSI journalist Roberto Antonini and Philippe Blanc), and experiential (with an immersive chamber of virtual reality).

The Forum will kick off on Saturday, August 24, at 9.00 a.m., with the institutional greetings of the Rector of USI Boas Erez, of the Mayor of the City of Lugano Marco Borradori, of the State Councillor and Director of DECS Manuele Bertoli, and of the President of the National Council Marina Carobbio Guscetti. The two days will be followed by eight thematic sessions to be held in room A of the Palazzo dei Congressi. Each session will be attended by a young change-maker, who will have the opportunity to bring to the attention of the speakers and the audience the ideas that emerged during the seminar. Roles and biographies of the speakers are available at www.mem-summersummit.ch.

The MEM Forum programme is available at 
www.mem-summersummit.ch