Youth and the Mediterranean: Exploring New Approaches to Dialogue and Cooperation, Deadline: 15 September 2016

Youth and the Mediterranean: Exploring New Approaches to Dialogue and Cooperation, 

Deadline: 15 September 2016

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), a part of New-Med Research Network is inviting applicants to submit papers

for a program entitled “Youth and the Mediterranean: Exploring New Approaches to Dialogue and Cooperation” that intends to give voice to youth themselves, providing a platform for 8 young professionals to present their ideas and contribute to the ongoing debates about conflict, security and radicalization with a view to proposing new ideas and approaches to re-launch dialogue and cooperation in the Mediterranean region.

By hearing directly from a select number of young scholars of Middle Eastern or North African descent, the New Med network aims to broaden debates and include diverse perspectives, thus forging new links between generations, sectors and geographies while providing an alternative to the often European-dominated debate about current security challenges in the Mediterranean region.

Established in 2014, New-Med is a research network of Mediterranean experts and policy analysts with a special interest in the complex social, political, cultural and security-related dynamics that are unfolding in the Mediterranean region. The network is developed by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), in cooperation with the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna, the Compagnia di San Paolo of Turin, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States.

Themes

• The Refugee crisis and Migration
• Radicalisation and the ISIS threat
• New and Old Conflicts (e.g. Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Western Sahara, Sudan, Saudi Arabia-Iran)
• Foreign Intervention and Geostrategic Rivalries
• The Crisis of the State System in the MENA region
• Environmental Challenges and Climate Change

Benefits

• Selected authors will receive a remuneration of 300 euros for the policy paper upon its final submission and after approval by the New-Med Steering Committee.
• Selected authors will also be invited to present their papers at a one-day international conference scheduled for January 2017 in Rome.
• The New-Med network will cover travel costs, accommodation (two nights) and a ‘speed-dating’ welcoming reception followed by an informal networking dinner before the conference.
• This will allow participants to get to know each other and to engage in network building.

Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates should be under the age of 32, hold an internationally valid passport from, or permanent residency in, one of the countries of the MENA region and should be preferably based at a university,NGO, or local media outlet.
• Successful candidates will be selected by the New-Med Steering Committee on the basis of their innovative research proposals, CV and cover letter. Final decisions will be made by the Steering Committee, which will pursue an adequate gender, age and nationality balance among the selected candidates. Successful candidates will be contacted directly by the end of October, 2016.

How to Apply

Candidates who fit the profile are invited to submit applications to write a policy paper, between 2,500-3,000 words in length (complete with footnotes and bibliography), in English and dealing with one of the themes at the address given on the website.

Eligible Countries

Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Oman,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen

For more information, please visit Youth and the Mediterranean.