The Ministerial Conference
The 5+5 Dialogue is a sub-regional forum for dialogue between ten Western Mediterranean countries and it promotes cooperation in science, technology and higher education.
The Maghreb countries involved are Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia, and the European nations are France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.
The members agree on the importance of research and higher education for the development of knowledge, the promotion of technologies and national innovation systems for the purpose of attaining socioeconomic growth and bearing the different challenges that the region faces, such as, unemployment, economic underdevelopment, environmental degradation, shortage of natural resources and serious scarcity of water and energy.
The Ministers in charge of Research, Innovation and Higher Education of the 5+5 Dialogue member countries are committed to foster promotion of research, innovation and higher education for social stability and economic growth. Many countries are engaged in processes of reforming their political, economic and social systems to stimulate investment, to encourage initiative and to foster strong economic partnerships that are essential throughout the Western Mediterranean region. The 5+5 Dialogue member countries need to revitalize their economies to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth for the purpose of developing disadvantaged regions and enhancing job creation in line with international labour market standards. Therefore, research, innovation and higher education play a key role in job creation. Moreover, for this reason, there is a need for a solid framework of cooperation and conducive synergies among the ten countries.
Within this framework, the 5+5 Dialogue 5+5 countries are encouraged to continue cooperation with the Secretariat of the UfM and build on possible synergies with relevant UfM initiatives and projects such as the Mediterranean Initiative for Jobs (Med4Jobs), the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes and the EMUNI University.
The 5+5 Dialogue Ministerial Conference on Research, Innovation and Higher Education celebrated in March 2015 in Madrid (Spain) has agreed on the creation of a “High Level Group”, later renamed as “Group of Senior Officials” (GSO). The GSO is in charge of the implementation at the national level of the work plan activities and met once a year to define and discuss further step to support the initiatives.
Please, find below the updated list of the Senior Officials and the Observers.
Fatma Sahir Halouane, Director of Research Programming, Evaluation and Prospecting, Directorate-General for Scientific Research and Technological Development - DGRSDT, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, MESRS
Loucif Mohamed, Directorate of International Research Programs, Directorate-General for Scientific Research and Technological Development - DGRSDT, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, MESRS
Antoine Weexsteen, International Project Manager Africa, Proche/Moyen-Orient, Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation MESRI
Manuel Bouard, Deputy Delegate for European and International Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation MESRI
Donato Giorgi, Delegate for European and International Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation MESRI
Mounir Ghribi, Director, International Cooperation and Strategic Partnerships Unit, National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS)
Angelo Camerlenghi, Director, President of Scientific Committe, National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS)
Maria Cristina Pedicchio, National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS
Mohamed Yahya Dah, Director of Scientific Research and Innovation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR)
Ali Elboukhary Ould Salem, Advisor Responsible for Scientific Research and Innovation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR)
Taleb Khyar Cheikh Maleinine, Director General of the Mauritanian Agency of Scientific Research and Innovation (ANRSI)
Mohamed Lemine Haless, Director of the Mauritanian Authority for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (AMAQES)
Cheikh Saad Bouh Camara, President of the University of Nouakchott Al-Aasriya, UNA
Malek Kochlef, Director General for International Cooperation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS)
Mourad Bellassoued, General Director of Scientific Research, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS)
Ameni Kacem, Head of service of the cooperation of international and regional cooperation, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS)
Saoussen Krishen, Professor of Quantitative Methods at University of Tunis, University of Tunis
Sidi Mostapha Ahmedou, Human Development Expert, Union of Arab Maghreb (UMA)
Hatem Ghemari, Expert in Political and Legal Affairs, Union of Arab Maghreb (UMA)
Alessandro Calabro', Desk Med and Middle East, International Cooperation, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD)
Giuseppe Provenzano, Project Manager, Higher Education and Research Division, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
João Lobo, Project Analyst, Higher Education and Research Divison, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
Petra Kezman, Senior Advisor, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
The Secretariat is based in Trieste (Italy) at the premises of the Italian National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics, and it is supported by the Italian Minister Education, Universities and Research (MIUR)