Rabat — The city of Tangier is gearing up to host Global South diplomacy through the 17th edition of the Medays International Forum, at a time when geopolitical tensions reshape the international landscape.
Scheduled to take place from November 26 to 29 under the theme “Fractures and Polarization: Reinventing the Global Equation,” the event promises to address the deepening divisions that characterize contemporary international relations.
Organized by the MEDays Forum Foundation and the Amadeus Institute under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI, this year’s forum is expected to draw more than 7,000 participants from over 120 countries, including 300 high-profile speakers ranging from heads of state to leading business executives and renowned international experts.
From Mediterranean vision to global south platform
Since its inaugural edition in 2008, when MEDays focused on “The Southern Forum for a New Mediterranean” coinciding with the launch of the Union for the Mediterranean, the forum has dramatically expanded its scope and ambition.
What began as a platform for Mediterranean dialogue has transformed into what many observers now call “the African Davos” — a space where the Global South can articulate its vision for a multipolar world order.
The forum’s themes’ evolution reflects changing global dynamics. It moved from “responsible co-development” in 2009 to examining “What emergences in an unstable world?” in 2013.
Each edition has responded to the pressing challenges of its time, positioning MEDays as both a barometer of international affairs and a proactive force for change.
Recent editions have tackled increasingly urgent themes. The 14th forum in 2022 addressed “From crisis to crisis: towards a new world order?” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war. The 16th edition in 2024 focused on “Sovereignties and Resilience: Towards a New Global Balance,” covering economic sovereignty, energy transition, technological innovation, and African integration.
A strategic tool of Moroccan diplomacy
The forum has established itself as a powerful instrument of Morocco’s soft power strategy, faithfully reflecting the North African country’s ambitious and proactive foreign policy under King Mohammed VI.
According to the Amadeus Institute’s founding vision, MEDays aims to strengthen Morocco’s international brand while advancing the strategic orientations defined by the monarch, particularly regarding South-South cooperation.
Brahim Fassi Fihri, president of the Amadeus Institute and founder of MEDays, has consistently maintained the forum’s identity. “MEDays is above all a forum of the South. A forum for Africans and by Africans,” he stated at the 14th edition.
Confronting a fractured world order
The 2025 theme directly addresses the most pressing challenge facing global governance: the breakdown of consensus-based international order.
In a world where uncertainty has become the norm, MEDays positions itself as both a driver of ideas and a crossroads for geostrategic and economic reflection.
The forum’s core mission has remained consistent over the years, notes the official MEDays website, concluding that its ultimate ambition is to transform ideas into action, give voice to the Global South, and influence the redefinition of global balances.
