News - Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean
CWB - Mediterranean challenge for our seas 2026
Mediterranean challenge for our seas 2026
The Mediterranean connects us all, and together we can make a difference. “WAVES OF CHANGE” is an annual challenge launched by the Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean that invites all National Societies in the Mediterranean to act locally to protect our seas, rivers, and coasts, while creating a visible and lasting collective impact.
Every cleanup, educational activity, and awareness-raising gesture counts! Your initiatives will turn into virtual waves on our interactive map, showing how together we can create a movement of change across the region.
💡 Would you like to be part of this wave of action?
Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this initiative that combines action, education, and cooperation.
MAKE YOUR LOCAL ACTION HAVE A GLOBAL IMPACT ON PROTECTING THE MEDITERRANEAN.
Discover all the details, learn how to participate, and join the challenge:
CWB - Grupo temático de cambio climático
Leadership development in the Mediterranean
During March 2026, the Centre for Cooperation in the Mediterranean co-organised a series of activities in Acireale, Italy, together with the Italian Red Cross, which hosted the event. These activities focused on strengthening leadership and capacity development, and included the facilitation of an intergenerational dialogue within the network of Mediterranean National Societies.
From 22 to 25 March 2026, a Training of Trainers on leadership skills was held for young people from 14 National Societies. The activity brought together 21 young participants who worked jointly on developing key leadership competencies, training methodologies and practical tools to support the replication of learning within their respective National Societies. The training was facilitated by young trainers from the Italian Red Cross and the Spanish Red Cross, whose commitment and contribution are warmly acknowledged.
An Intergenerational Dialogue took place on 25 March 2026, providing a space for exchange between the young participants of the Training and leaders. The dialogue fostered joint reflection on the role of youth within National Societies, mutual learning, and the development of a shared vision on leadership challenges and opportunities across the network.
On 26 and 27 March 2026, the Mediterranean Leadership Meeting was held, with the participation of 29 representatives from 17 National Societies. In a context of increasing complexity in the Mediterranean region, the meeting provided a strategic space to reflect on the future of humanitarian leadership, explore current leadership challenges, analyse regional trends, and share experiences to strengthen cooperation among leaders. Special thanks go to our colleagues from the Solferino Academy for facilitating the meeting, as well as to Xavier Castellanos, IFRC Under Secretary General for National Society Development and Coordination, for his participation and support.
These activities reflect the Centre’s commitment to inclusive leadership development, capacity strengthening and the promotion of intergenerational dialogue as key pillars for the present and future work of the network.
Training on “Caring for RCRC volunteers and staff”
Promoting safe and healthy working environments that prioritize the physical and mental well-being of staff and volunteers is one of the key priorities of the National Societies that are part of the Mediterranean Conference, as stated in the Cairo Declaration 2023.
With this goal in mind, the Centre for Cooperation in the Mediterranean, together with the Slovenian Red Cross, organized the workshop “Caring for RC/RC Staff and Volunteers”, held in Ljubljana from 3 to 6 November. The training was facilitated by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Hub (MHPSS Hub) and brought together 16 participants from 8 National Societies.
The workshop provided a key space to learn, strengthen our capabilities, reflect, and share about the importance of caring for our teams and ourselves.
During these days, we also worked on concrete actions to be implemented with our teams. In the coming months, the MHPSS Hub will follow up to continue supporting the implementation of these actions within the participating National Societies.
We would like to thank the Slovenian Red Cross for hosting and supporting the organization of the workshop, the MHPSS Hub for facilitating it, and all participants for their commitment and valuable contributions, representing: RC of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus RC, Hellenic RC, Libyan RC, RC of Montenegro, Portuguese RC, Slovenian RC, and RC OF Serbia.
“When we care for our volunteers and staff, they can care better for our communities.”
Click here to learn more about the MHPSS Hub and access its materials: MHPSS Hub
Atlantis XXI Mediterranean Youth Camp
After a week of exchange, learning, and inspiration, Atlantis XXI was held in Málaga from October 2 to 7, 2025, with the participation of 26 young people from 13 Mediterranean National Societies, accompanied by a committed team of facilitators and staff who made this unique experience possible.
During the camp, participants addressed various topics through workshops and participatory sessions, promoting active and practical learning.
Among the highlighted topics were: leadership skills, self-care and peer support, climate change, social innovation, and youth policy of the IFRC.
All sessions aimed to strengthen the personal and professional competencies of young people, while fostering intercultural dialogue, collaboration, and international networking.
We would like to express our gratitude to all participating National Societies and the Red Cross Youth team for their support in organizing the camp and leading the workshops. We also value the collaboration of the Lebanese Red Cross, the Italian Red Cross, the MHPSS International Movement HUB, and Social Innovation Network, who contributed significantly to the development of the sessions.
International Humanitarian Law: Complex Humanitarian Crises in the Mediterranean
On July 2nd, the Centre for Cooperation in the Mediterranean organized in Barcelona the event “International Humanitarian Law: Complex Humanitarian Crises in the Mediterranean.”
Given the current context in the Mediterranean basin, marked by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, this event was organized to raise awareness and reflect collectively on the severity of ongoing humanitarian crises, the extreme conditions faced by their victims, and the increasing pressure on health and humanitarian workers. The evolution of armed conflicts raises fundamental questions that compel the humanitarian system to rethink how to adapt to these new realities and ensure the effective application and respect of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
The event featured the participation of Dana Abu-Koash, International Humanitarian Law coordinator at the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and Elie Dagher, Head of Humanitarian Diplomacy at the Lebanese Red Cross, who shared their field experiences and reflected on current challenges related to access and protection of civilians and health and humanitarian workers in armed conflict contexts. Joaquín López, from the International Humanitarian Law Studies Centre of the Spanish Red Cross, also participated, addressing the global challenges we face today in relation to the application of the laws of war.
Mediterranean Migration and Displacement Workshop
As stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, migration is a right. Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies support people on the move during their journey, in the origin, transit and destination countries.
As a key area of work in the Mediterranean basin, on April 9th and 10th, we organized the Mediterranean Migration and Displacement Workshop, bringing together 13 Mediterranean National Societies to analyse migration flows and narratives, discuss the European Migration and Asylum Pact and its impact on our action, and share experiences to learn from each other.
Thanks to the Croatian Red Cross for hosting the workshop, and to the IFRC Livelihood Centre, the RC EU Office, and IFRC's Europe Regional Office for their collaboration. A special thanks to the participants from the Albanian Red Cross, Algerian Red Crescent, Red Cross of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatian Red Cross, Cyprus Red Cross Society, Hellenic Red Cross, Italian Red Cross, Lebanese Red Cross, Red Cross of Montenegro, Red Cross of Serbia, Slovenian Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross, and Turkish Red Crescent Society for sharing their insights and expertise that helped us better understand migration flows from different perspectives.
Mediterranean Climate Action Meeting
The first meeting of the Mediterranean Working Group on Climate Change and the Environment was held on November 26th and 27th, 2024, in Barcelona. Representatives from 10 National Societies (French Red Cross, Italian Red Cross, Portuguese Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross, Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatian Red Cross, Red Cross of Serbia, Libyan Red Crescent, and Moroccan Red Crescent) came together to follow up on the commitments made in the Cairo Declaration, enhance understanding of the impact of climate change on the Mediterranean region, and explore the available resources for our environmental action efforts.
This gathering also provided an opportunity to address shared challenges in the region, exchange approaches and experiences, and discuss the various ongoing actions to define and implement concrete initiatives for the 2024-2027 period.
We would like to express our gratitude for the participation of the FICR Climate Centre, the IEMED (European Institute of the Mediterranean), and the Livelihoods Centre of the Spanish Red Cross, who have provided valuable resources and strategies, helping us define priorities and ensuring the effective functioning of the group.