Who We Are - History
The Fondazione Mediterraneo - network for dialogue among societies and culture - is an international non-profit Organisation of Social Utility (Onlus) planned in 1991 by Michele Capasso and established in 1994 in Naples with the aim of promoting dialogue and peace in Mediterranean areas and all around the world. It includes specialists and internationally recognised scholars on the Mediterranean, politicians with international and diplomatic experience, and who have been involved in actions to promote dialogue and peace.
The Fondazione is composed by a Scientific Council and an International Committee.
President: Michele Capasso
Vice-President: Caterina Arcidiacono
Scientific Director: Nullo Minissi
Delegate to institutional relations: Claudio Azzolini
President of the Scientific Council: Predrag Matvejevic'
The Fondazione Mediterraneo is legally recognised by (Statute):
- the Region of Campania, via decree n. 11315 of the 25/03/1997;
- the Italian Ministry for Heritage and Cultural Activities, via their decree of 20/04/1999 (published in G. U. n. 113 of 17/05/1999).
- Declarations n. 2228 of 18/05/1999 and n. 2079 of 17/11/2004 of the Region of Campania decreed it an «Institution of High Culture». States, regions, provinces, cities, local communities, institutions, universities and organisations of 38 Euro-Mediterranean countries – representing beyond 400 million citizens – have officially recognised the Fondazione.
The Fondazione Mediterraneo began its action with an intense activity in favour of the people from ex-Yugoslavia – who suffered the biggest conflict in the heart of Europe after the Second World War - then it became a reference point to stimulate partnerships in an ever-more multicultural and globalised world, particularly among the Mediterranean, Europe and the Islamic world. It constitutes, with its partners and with its other offices (located in various countries) a Network for the dialogue among society and cultures. Further, it recognises that civil society within its member countries – including within local communities, universities, private organisations, professional orders, unions, NGOs, network associations, the media, etc. – is the key factor to progress regarding human rights, political security, culture, economy, science, sustainable development, and dissemination of information.
The Fondazione is dedicated to the realisation of a Greater Mediterranean, a concept both historical and strategic. It works in cooperation with the countries of the Middle East, the Gulf and the Black Sea in order to promote international understanding through the promotion of awareness of the social, cultural, and self-identification realities that exist in the Greater Mediterranean, encouraging closer interaction and highlighting shared interests in respect of fundamental human rights and equality between the genders. In particular, it develops human resources and intellectual cooperation in multidisciplinary fields.
During the last twenty years the Fondazione acted as an organization that is free from bureaucracy and in which every resource is invested directly in the field: the great number of partnership accords signed, and of partnerships with civil society and with institutions active in different projects - together with the actions realized (more than 3000 events in 41 Countries) - are indications of the high impact reached and of the concrete results achieved.
The Fondazione has established:
- Felipe di Borbone
Naples, 13th December 1997 - Mario Monti
Naples, 13th December 1997 - Jacques Santer
Brussels, 24th July 1998 - Romano Prodi
Rome, 25th September 1998 - Moufid Shehab
Cairo, 25th September 1998 - Cardinal Paul Poupard
Vatican City, 27th September 1998 - Mario Soares
Lisbon, 28th September 1998 - Juan Carlos I
Palermo, 1st October 1998 - Catherine Trautmann
Paris, 3th October 1998 - Nehad Abdellatif
Naples, 10th October 1998 - André Azoulay
Naples, 10th october 1998 - Claudio Azzolini
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Wijdan Ali
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Antonio Badini
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Luigi Berlinguer
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Enrico Cioffi
Naples, 10th october 1998 - Josyanne Couratier
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Biagio De Giovanni
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Lamberto Dini
Naples, 10th october 1998 - Giuseppe Drago
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Victor Gaber
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Kiro Gligorov
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Vladimir Kouzminov
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Mohamed Knidiri
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Antonio Maccanico
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Yehuda Millo
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Mario Monti
Naples, 10th October 1998 - René Novella
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Marcelino Oreja
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Chryssanthi Panayotopoulou
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Shimon Peres
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Cardinal Paul Poupard
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Jordi Pujol
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Fabio Roversi Monaco
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Moufid Shehab
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Mario Soares
Naples, 10th October 1998 - Lamberto Dini
Rome, 31st March 1999 - H.R.H. Abdallah Bin Hussein
Amman, 9th April 1999 - Shimon Peres
Tel Aviv, 9th April 1999 - Nehad Abdellatif
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Ismail Alaoui
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Abdarahmane Al-Yousoufi
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Antonio Bassolino
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Antonio Badini
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Massimo Cacciari
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Nino Daniele
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Azouz Ennifar
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Kiro Gligorov
Naples, 10th April 1999 - H.R.H. Abdallah Bin Hussein
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Jack Lang
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Antonio Parlato
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Shimon Peres
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Juan Prat Y Coll
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Toni Popovski
Naples, 10th April 1999 - Guido De Marco
Valletta, 16th July 1999 - H.R.H. Mohammed VI
Rabat, 13th January 2000 - Ljubco Georgievski
Skopje, 3th February 2000 - Shimon Peres
Marseille, 6th July 2000 - Lamberto Dini
Marseille, 6th July 2000 - H.R.H. Mohammed VI
Rabat, 22nd June 2002 - Romano Prodi
Brussels, 22nd June 2002 - Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Rome, 11th July 2002 - Walter Schwimmer
Naples, 14th march 2003 - Walter Schwimmer
Strasbourg, 22nd April 2003 - Peter Schieder
Strasbourg, 15th September 2003 - Pat Cox
Strasbourg, 26th February 2004 - Romano Prodi
Brussels, 14th June 2004 - Mokhtar Reguieg
Naples, 23rd July 2004 - Gianni Letta
Naples, 5th November 2004 - Walter Schwimmer
Naples, 15th June 2005 - Giovanni Pellegrino
Lecce, 10th January 2005 - Mario Oliverio
Cosenza, 13th May 2005 - Habib Mansur
Naples, 10th June 2005 - Alvaro Gil-Robles
Naples, 11th June 2005 - Caterina Arcidiacono
Naples, 20th June 2005 - Michele Capasso
Naples, 21st June 2005 - Recep Tayyp Erdogan
Naples, 2nd September 2005 - Mohammed Bedjaoui
Naples, 28th February 2006




























