Gemma Aubarell Solduga is Director of the Culture, Gender and Civil Society Area at the European Institute of the Mediterranean IEMed (Barcelona). She has extensive experience in Euro-Mediterranean relations, with a strong focus on civil society engagement, migration policies, gender equality, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural dialogue. Between 2009 and 2016, she served as Director of the Programme and Network Unit at the Anna Lindh Foundation in Alexandria. She is currently Associate Professor of International Relations at Blanquerna – Ramon Llull University and Associate Researcher on Migrations issues at the GRITIM-UPF. Throughout her career, she has been actively involved in advancing Euro-Mediterranean cooperation through civil society initiatives. Recently she contributed to the organisation of the Euromed Civil Society Conference on 2025 “From Vision to Action: Reinforcing Civil Society Engagement for an inclusive Mediterranean” and is currently overseeing the edition of the related policy paper.   She participated in research teams and directed European projects with a special focus on the issues of migration, education, and youth. She has published articles and edited books on these subjects and has directed periodical publications in the Mediterranean area. Her research and publications are situated at the intersection of migration studies, multi-level governance, and civil society studies within the Euro-Mediterranean context. Her most recent work examines the extent to which migration initiatives promoted by local and transnational networks contribute to shaping cooperation frameworks across the Mediterranean, as well as the evolving role of cultural diplomacy and intercultural dialogue in this regional space.