Inter-professional Experiences

Social context of increasing diversity and complexity of the environment

In the social context of increasing diversity and complexity of the environment, the main challenge faced today by professionals is that of learning how best to recognize and manage the differences that separate them


The project focus on inter-professional experi­ences where the accent is put on the exchange of shared experiences within different professions. The professionals are invited to participate in a spontaneous conversation sharing ideas and visions with other profes­sionals, without prior positions from a specific point of view and without obligation to arrive at any consensus. The exchange builds on a common denominator which is the profession, its ethics and practice.

It is never a straightforward undertaking to build shared experiences with people from different backgrounds. The language and the points of refer­ence change from one person to another, from one country to another, from one profession to another. Cross-training: special interest will be given one opportunity to introduce elements of coincidences in the formation of young judges and journalists trying to reach their interest, know their visions, to include their proposals and to disseminate them. “It’s all about having a conversation: maybe we’ll manage to reach conclusions, maybe not, but at least we’ll have exchanged views on problems that preoccupy us all”.

A first meet­ing was held in Rabat between Spanish and Moroccan judges. In this meeting, the judges questioned the role and importance of the media in the present time. A second meeting, which was held in Tunisia, brought together journalists from several countries of the Mediterranean to discuss the responsibility of the journalist in a moment of commoditization of information and media where transparency, independence and neutrality of the journalist are paramount. In this third meeting we wanted to bring judges and journalists together in one meeting to question both journalis­tic and judicial ethics.

In the context of increasing globalization of information, of communica­tion and of ideological threats, a democratic challenge arising from our multicultural societies is to learn to manage the differences that separate us and to combine freedom of expression, counter-power and judicial eth­ics for the general interest. North and South of the Mediterranean, judges and journalists share –with­in the exercise of their profession– the quest of three common principles: truth, freedom and independence. In the current context, this shared hori­zon is found between the lines of the discussions and debates. The aim is to foster this spirit of dialogue during the encounters and to nurture the public debate which is essential to democratic societies. It primarily involves the citizens who, on countless occasions, play both the role of informants, of the informed and of the judges. Professionals from both sides of the Mediterranean share their points of view and their beliefs regarding the different meanings of view and their beliefs regarding the different meanings of “truth“, “freedom“ and “independence“ within their complexity.


UNU-IIAOC, United Nations University – International Institute for the Alliance of Civilizations, Barcelona

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