Cities, battlefield and hope of the Mediterranean

BarcelonaThe Mediterranean is a corner of the world experiencing many simultaneous crises: the genocide in GazaClimate change, migration and inequality, and the drift towards authoritarianism. Cities are the battleground where all these crises converge. And they are also spaces where, faced with the incapacity of states, solutions are sought. We spoke with four mayors from cities in the region who are participating in the annual assembly of the MedCities network in Barcelona. Up to 91 city representatives have sealed their commitment to cooperate in a declaration in which they pledge to act at the municipal level on issues such as peace, climate, economic development, and human rights.

Peace and security

Maher Canawati, Mayor of Bethlehem (Palestine)

The mayor of Bethlehem says that hope cannot be lost and has arrived in Barcelona with good news: after two years without Christmas celebrations in the city, they have now decided to put up a large tree again in front of the Church of the Nativity. Nadal returns to Bethlehem as a sign of resilience“There are no words to describe what is happening in Gaza, and it is clear that states find it difficult to change policies they have maintained for decades, but the support of the people and of many municipalities in Europe is a powerful message that the world has not forgotten the Palestinian people. And that helps us a great deal,” he says. The mayor’s recipe for bringing peace to the Mediterranean can be summed up in a single word: “Justice, because without justice there will be no peace or future.”

Climate Crisis and Sustainability

Majlinda Bufi, mayor of Roskovec (Albania)

The Mediterranean Sea is considered a site of high pollution. The water is warming 20% faster than the global average, and more than 200,000 tons of plastic are dumped into it annually. This is a problem that directly affects Albania, which It faces the challenge of improving waste management Urban areas to continue along the path of integration into the European Union. In the Albanian town of Roskovec, they are very aware of this common challenge and have been implementing initiatives for some time to establish a circular economy: composting organic waste to produce fertilizer for farmers, selling recycled paper, and a future project to produce wood pellets to heat schools. They have also built a photovoltaic park that allows them to "cover a large part of their energy needs with solar power," says the mayor.

Bufi argues that cities must be central players in this fight: "Policies must be designed by governments and ministries. But cities are the closest point of contact for citizens. When someone has a problem, they go to the town hall. That's why cities are the key space for providing direct support to the population." She also emphasizes the need for cooperation between municipalities to find common solutions to these shared challenges.

Social inequalities

Mustafa Hijazi, Mayor of Saida (Lebanon)

The mayor of Saida, the ancient Sidon of southern Lebanon, Mustafa Hijazi, explains that his city has been a welcoming place for decades. It houses the largest Palestinian refugee camp outside of PalestineSince 1948, Saida has also absorbed the massive influx of Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons during successive crises. At the most tense moments, he says, Saida, with its 200,000 inhabitants, has received up to 35,000 displaced people. Hijazi says his job is to "calm things down," a lesson for a Europe that trembles at the arrival of a few thousand refugees, a situation exploited by the far right.

Hijazi warns that this sustained pressure "strains basic infrastructure—water, electricity, sewage—to its limits" and calls on the international community to commit to empowering municipalities with transformative projects, not just one-off financial aid. "There will be more wars and more crises, and we must be prepared, but I head the emergency management unit, and I can tell you that our warehouses are empty." It also argues that centralized governance prevents cities from making agile decisions and advocates for cooperation among Mediterranean cities as a useful tool for building a "strategic vision," something that seems to have disappeared from the vocabulary of states.

Migrations

Nazar Fakih Lanjri, Vice President of the Municipality of Tetouan (Morocco)

The vice president of the municipality of Tetouan, Nazar Fakih Lanjri, explains that his city is a key migration point to Europe, both for young sub-Saharan Africans fleeing their countries of origin and for Moroccans themselves. He admits that this is one of the main problems facing Morocco: the brain drain. "Every year, more than 500 or 600 medical graduates leave Morocco as soon as they finish their studies, mainly for Europe, which creates a clear shortage in the healthcare sector." Therefore, Local authorities are working with Moroccan and Spanish institutions to reduce irregular migration and to encourage the return and local employment of young people through training and business support. "If there is genuine economic and industrial development, with job creation and wealth generation, people will stay," he says. Lanjri also observes another exodus: people migrating from rural areas to cities. More than 70% of the country's population lives in urban areas, so he argues that cities must be key players in public policy.

Democracy

Clare Hart, Vice President of the Montpellier Metropolis (France)

One of the most serious challenges facing cities is the far right. Clare Hart, vice-president of the Montpellier metropolitan area, maintains that Europe and the United States are experiencing an identity-based retreat that attempts to pit the "Global South" against the West.“We, the cities and the MedCities network, are working to overcome this retreat, which is the basis of populism and the far right: the rejection of multilateralism and international institutions,” he maintains, and champions these meetings as the “bridges that must be maintained between one city and another.” “We must defend democracy, the rule of law, free elections, and freedom of expression everywhere. In the northern Mediterranean, we must support cities that are currently fighting for freedom, such as Turkish cities.”

Hart acknowledges that "In France, nobody knows what will happen in the next elections."And this raises a question: how can we defend democracy in cities when the far right gains access to institutions? Montpellier is surrounded by cities governed by the far right, and yet it resists. For Hart, the key lies in strengthening the network and a zero-tolerance policy. "We don't let anything slide. No action goes unanswered. In Montpellier, we will not allow anyone to dictate how we live," he asserts.