Why do you want to join the ALF Network?

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) seeks to join the Anna Lindh Foundation Network to strengthen intercultural dialogue, regional cooperation, and civic engagement across the Euro-Mediterranean area, principles that lie at the heart of both ENC’s mission and ALF’s founding values.
Our organization shares the Foundation’s vision of a Mediterranean region built on mutual understanding, diversity, and shared prosperity. Since its establishment, ENC has worked to connect Europe with its neighbours through research, education, and collaboration. Joining the ALF Network will allow ENC to deepen this work by engaging directly with civil society, academic institutions, and youth organizations active in intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding.
ENC’s geographic scope and long-standing engagement in the Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood, including Türkiye, the Caucasus, the Western Balkans, and Central Asia position it well to contribute to ALF’s regional and cross-sector cooperation. Many of our initiatives already advance the ALF’s objectives, such as:
Youth empowerment and education: Through projects like Beyond Erasmus and Understanding Future Values, ENC has supported inter-university cooperation and youth dialogue on shared European and Mediterranean priorities, promoting active citizenship and social inclusion.
Intercultural exchange and mutual understanding: ENC’s partnerships across Europe, Türkiye, and Central Asia foster dialogue between cultures, academic communities, and local actors, aligning with ALF’s commitment to strengthening cultural ties. (?)
Media, communication, and trust-building: Our extensive media mapping and information literacy projects across Central Asia and the Middle East contribute to countering FIMI, disinformation, improving societal resilience, and building mutual trust between communities, key components of intercultural dialogue.
Joining the ALF Network will enable ENC to collaborate on joint research and cultural initiatives, share analytical insights from its evidence-based policy work, and connect with organizations that translate intercultural dialogue into local impact. The ENC also hopes to contribute to training, exchange programs, and regional dialogues that advance common values of democracy, peace, and coexistence.
Ultimately, ENC views participation in the ALF Network as a way to bridge its expertise with the Foundation’s people-centered mission, to turn research and policy analysis into tangible intercultural understanding, civic engagement, and cooperative action across the Mediterranean and its neighbourhood.