elected representatives in the Mediterranean respecting a North-South balance that undertakes to: - Promote local and regional autonomy and the institutional reinforcement of local authorities South and East of the Mediterranean, as well as their national networks or associations. To this end, the Commission favors structuring local authorities through its support to national associations of elected officials and local authorities of the South or by fostering their creation. - Assure direct exchanges between the many different actors on common issues at Mediterranean scale, for example, the organization of the Permanent Forum of Local and Regional Authorities of the Mediterranean, an opportunity for dialogue and a special occasion to amplify the voice of Mediterranean local authorities and to allow exchanges between Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean politicians and actors. - Develop decentralized cooperation and initiatives advocating common values that respect Mediterranean specificities. - Engage in dialogue with donors of State and multilateral funds (French Development Agency, Bretton Woods Institutions, United Nations agencies, investment bank funds), and to promote closer relations with the institutions of the European Union (EU Parliament, EU Commission, Committee of the Regions) based on the expertise and the results obtained by the networks or by encouraging new types of collaboration. - Defend the role and participation of local authorities in the Barcelona Process-Union for the Mediterranean, the new Neighborhood Policy and overall within the Mediterranean partnership. - Seek to identify and promote concrete initiatives in favor of peace in the Middle East, conflict prevention (“Peace Keeping”), intercultural dialogue, regional integration processes and development throughout the entire region, leading to long-term exchanges and partnerships between territories (North-South, South-South). - Engage in dialogue and take into consideration the work and proposals of civil society, in particular, economic actors, academics, and community associations. - Construct a more stable and prosperous Mediterranean space. Organisation Technical Committee: The technical committee consists of the heads of the principal European networks working in the Mediterranean, trans-Mediterranean networks, national associations of local authorities South and East of the Mediterranean, and representatives of national, European, or international institutions working in the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Council: It is made up of elected local officials in positions of responsibility in European networks active in the Mediterranean, in trans-Mediterranean networks or national associations of local authorities South and East of the Mediterranean. It includes representatives of local authorities from countries where there are no structured networks and may be open to actors of