At a time when we can celebrate efforts to reduce the digital divide between North and South in the Mediterranean region, we must remain vigilant about protecting the essential foundations of civilizations, such as Mediterranean languages and written documents. It is important to remember that it was in the Mediterranean that the first alphabet was invented and that the Indo-European and Semitic languages have flourished in this vast area of communication and exchange.

Today, this rich heritage continues, especially in the millions of manuscripts preserved in the libraries of the Mediterranean. These manuscripts in Arabic, Greek, Latin, Syriac, Hebrew, Aramaic, Coptic, Berber, Armenian etc. reveal and document evidence of dead languages, minority or vernacular dialects, intangible heritage par excellence. Mediterranean manuscripts and languages should be considered as a whole of which we must strive to preserve the diversity; that is the objective of the project MANUMED "Of Manuscripts and Men" which is aimed at professionals, Mediterranean citizens and particularly younger generations.