Together with the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement and the ministers and state secretaries of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, and Tunisia, State Secretary Raščan discussed people-centred policies for a more resilient and inclusive society. 

In light of Slovenia’s upcoming EU Council Presidency, the State Secretary underlined the country’s interest in strengthening partnership with the Middle East and North Africa region. He continued by outlining some of the Presidency priorities, notably respect for the rule of law, stressing the importance of restoring people’s trust in institutions as an indispensable part of the successful fight against the epidemic and to kick-start the post-pandemic recovery of societies.

Concerning the MENA region, Slovenia presented three initiatives, namely the priority of water issues during the EU Council Presidency, the project of ITF Enhancing Human Security in Northern Syria, and the activities of the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) based in Slovenia. 

At the end of the conference, the participants adopted a Ministerial Declaration defining the cooperation between the OECD and MENA.