adequate consideration of political Mediterranean issues from the perspective of local authorities: peace in the Middle East, conflict prevention (“Peace Keeping”), intercultural dialogue (North-North, North-South, and South-South) regional integration processes (Union of the Arab Maghreb), etc. History The creation of a Mediterranean Commission within UCLG is not a new idea. It was suggested in 2001 during the joint meeting in Tunis of the World Federation of United Cities and the International Union of Local Authorities (FMCU/IULA), before the unification congress of Paris in May 2004. During the congress in Paris, the President of the French Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region, the mayors of Marseille, Rome, and Tunis and the founding and honorary presidents of UCLG relaunched the idea of a Commission suggesting it could have its headquarters in Marseille. The principle of a Mediterranean Commission was adopted by the Executive Council in São Paulo and the creation of the Commission was ratified during the World Council of Beijing in June 2005. On May 18, 2005 a meeting was held in Marseille. Major local authorities of the Mediterranean and their national or international networks were invited to participate or to contribute in writing to the meeting during which a first definition of a “Mediterranean Commission” of UCLG was prepared, including its members, objectives, and a tentative agenda. Milestones of the Mediterranean Commission of UCLG: May 2006: A technical secretariat is set up in Marseille, financed by the City of Marseille and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, with the support of Cités Unies France and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. November 2006: Constitution of the political organs representing the three shores of the Mediterranean with a three-year mandate. Omar EL JAZOULI, Mayor of Marrakech, becomes the first President of the Mediterranean Commission October 2007: The mandate of the Mediterranean Commission is renewed during the Second World Congress of UCLG in Jeju. February 2008: Mercedes Bresso, President of the Piedmont Region, becomes the second President of the Mediterranean Commission. 22 & 23 June 2008: Forum of Local and Regional Authorities of the Mediterranean. June 2009: Abdel Moumen ARISS, Mayor of Beirut, becomes the third President of the Mediterranean Commission. 17 to 20 November 2010: The third UCLG Congress, held in Mexico, sees the renewal of the mandate of the Mediterranean Commission for three years. Objectives The political scope of the Mediterranean Commission establishes UCLG as the largest framework for direct political exchanges between local