Participants in the two-day event, organized by Lions Club International and Lions Club District 416 Morocco, under the theme “Mediterranean challenges and emergencies for the 21st Century,” discussed several topics of common interest, such as migration, the climate emergency and its social impact, and the role of women in Mediterranean society, and explored ways to expand the services Lions clubs provide to their communities.
In a statement to MAP, Lions Club District 416 Morocco governor Tarik Moudni said the conference was an opportunity to address several pressing issues in the Mediterranean, noting that this edition brought together more than 20 countries and over 350 Lions.
He said that the theme of this edition was declined on three axes, namely: “Climate emergency and social impact, commitment of Lions”, “Supporting the role of women in the Mediterranean society” and “Migrants in the Mediterranean”, adding that in relation to the first axis, participants made several recommendations, the most important of which is the creation of a permanent workshop to examine the best ways to reduce the impact of climate change.
On the second aspect, the speakers stressed the need to strengthen the support provided by the Lions Clubs of the northern Mediterranean to those of the southern shore, in order to launch a series of projects to support the empowerment of women, and to promote education and training of girls, in order to allow them to enjoy their rights on an equal footing with men, he noted.
Moudni said that migration, which is a “thorny” issue in the Mediterranean, was at the center of discussions, stressing that participants have recommended the creation of an exceptional workshop to continue to address this issue, in order to reach recommendations that will help mitigate the gravity of this phenomenon.
This ceremony was marked by the transfer of the flag of this conference to the officials of the District lions 108 Italy, which will organize the next edition in Bologna, and the presentation of the ongoing preparations for this event.
It was also proceeded to the designation of the French cities Antibes to host the 27th edition of this Conference in 2025 and Bordeaux to host Lions Europa Forum 2024, after the 2023 edition to be held in Frankfurt (Germany).
The closing ceremony was marked by a tribute to the Director General of the Moroccan News Agency (MAP), Khalil Hachimi Idrissi, former governor of District 416.
During this emotionally charged ceremony, Hachimi Idrissi’s “rich and exceptional” media career, as well as his valuable contributions to the development of the national media field and the promotion of Lionism at the regional and international levels were celebrated.
Lions Club International president Brian Sheehan also honored Hachimi Idrissi, who is also the Global Leadership Team (GLT) coordinator for District 416 Morocco, with the International president’s medal in recognition of his unwavering commitment to the promotion of Lionism and service to Lion communities.
This ceremony was also marked by the awarding of prizes to the winners of the 1st edition of the “Innove Service 2023” competition, which aims to promote the spirit of creativity and competitiveness within the lionistic movement.
The event was also marked by the holding of the session of the Mediterranean Solidarity Observatory (MSO) and the meeting of its Board of Directors, during which the CEO of Lions District 118 Turkey, Selva Ulgen, was elected coordinator of the observatory for 2023-2025.
On this occasion, four twinning agreements were signed between District 416 Morocco, on the one hand, and District 103 France, District 102 Switzerland, District 113 Spain, and District 108 Italy on the other hand.
This conference aims to promote mutual friendship and understanding among the Lions of the Mediterranean Sea, to compare lionistic experiences and to discuss topics and activities related to the association’s themes, to carry out joint activities and to discuss and address issues of common interest.
