The Center

-		Great potential: Southern Mediterranean countries offer a large young population, abundant renewable energy, promising economic and political transitions, and strategic positioning as a crossroads between Europe, Africa, and Asia, among other assets. Unlocking this potential through vectors of integration across countries would have significant positive ripple effects in the region and worldwide.
-		Turmoil, instability and environmental challenges: Conflicts in the Middle East (Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Libya, etc.) have resulted in forced displacements and instability in the area. On the socio-economic front, slow economic growth and accentuated social inequalities translate into a lack of job opportunities, especially for females and the youth. In addition, climate change is affecting the region disproportionally, further aggravating existing challenges, such as water scarcity, while also creating opportunities to transition to lower-carbon energy sources. Socioeconomic transformation, improved resilience, and climate change mitigation would have positive spillovers in the region and beyond.
-		A new emphasis on human capital mobility is needed: From all dimensions of Mediterranean integration, including trade and capital flows, human capital mobility is the least advanced. Migration has been stigmatized, adding a further challenge for the youth. Yet in reality, if well-managed, regularized migration and labor mobility represents a great opportunity that would help foster youth inclusion. The region is in dire need of proactive labor market policies, circular migration, increased employability of prospective migrants through vocational training programs and active labor market policies, and diaspora engagement. Such an investment in human capital, including reforms in education and mobility policies, would contribute to fostering women and youth inclusion in the region, as well as pushing towards a more integrated Euro-Mediterranean labor market.

When the CMI was created, Mediterranean integration was mainly about trade. Ten years after, in a context of multidirectional arrangements and global value chains, integration means strengthening intra-regional links (goods and services, natural and social capital, labor, investments) while increasing the competitiveness of the region in the global economy.

Blanca Moreno-Dodson, Manager

A decade of partnerships for knowledge and influence

2009: Foundation of CMI in Marseille (2009-2012)
2012: Members sign second Memorandum of Understanding (2012-2015)
2015: Members sign third Memorandum of Understanding (2015-2018)
2018: Members sign fourth Memorandum of Understanding (2018-2021)

The CMI is all About Partnerships

A MULTI-PARTNER PLATFORM

The Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) is a multi-partner knowledge exchange platform where development agencies, Governments, local authorities and civil society from around the Mediterranean convene in order to exchange ideas, discuss public policies, and identify regional solutions to address key regional challenges in the Mediterranean.

MEMBERS

PARTNERS

“The CMI has partnerships at its core. It is a unique institution gathering governments, international development institutions, local authorities and civil society. Such an alliance is key for policy reforms and the development transformation of the Mediterranean region”

Blanca Moreno-Dodson,
CMI Manager

THE CMI CREATES A NEUTRAL SPACE FOR DIALOGUE AND INFLUENCE

-		Governance: Members jointly decide on strategic orientations and actions.
-		Financing: In addition to the financing provided by the World Bank, a Multi-Donor Trust Fund gathers contributions from members and partners. In addition, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) and the Department for International Development (DFID) provide contributions to externally funded outputs, while members and partners give additional in-kind contributions in connection with specific activities.
-		Staffing: The CMI team currently includes staff from the World Bank (WB), and secondments from the French Development (AFD) and the Council of Europe Development Bank, and collaborates with staff from members and partners.
-		Actionable Knowledge: Thematic hubs and communities of practice generate common frameworks and peer-to-peer learning, which reinforce capacities and influence decision-making.

THE CMI WORKS ONLY AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL

By acting as a knowledge sharing center that links ideas to policymaking and reforms on the ground, the CMI benefits from the technical support of the World Bank and the European Investment Bank and complements the work of the European Commission, the Union for the Mediterranean, as well as Mediterranean research institutes, think tanks and other regional partners.

THE CMI ADDS UNIQUE VALUE

-		CMI promotes Mediterranean integration for development and reduced disparities between member countries.
-		CMI is the only Mediterranean institution bringing together governments, international financial organizations, local authorities, and civil society.
-		CMI fosters synergies between development lenders, governments, partners and citizens.
-		CMI leverages technical expertise, financial resources, and networks.
-		CMI promotes regional scaling-up of successful experiences at the local, country and regional levels.
-		CMI offers a neutral platform for actionable dialogue on the basis of its multi-partner model.

CMI in 2018-2021: Technical Depth to Support Mediterranean Integration

A NEW VISION FOR A NEW MANDATE
For its fourth phase, the CMI adopted a new strategy. From 2018-2021, the CMI will focus on playing a highly influential role through the expertise and technical rigor it brings to Mediterranean dialogues. At the same time, CMI will build synergies among Mediterranean stakeholders (governments, funding institutions, private entrepreneurs, civil society, etc.), in order to have a transformational impact on the region.

STRATEGIC THEMES

Mediterranean integration will continue to be the organization’s overarching goal. Given the realities of Mediterranean countries and the dynamics of the region, the CMI will selectively focus on two pillars, with Youth and Gender as cross-cutting themes:

-		Socio-economic transformation: Co-development and integration, including migration and human capital mobility
-		Resilience: Mitigation and adaptation to external shocks, mainly climate change and forced displacement.

FIVE BUSINESS LINES

The CMI’s actions will revolve around five business lines: