DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

On 1st and 2nd of December 2022 partners of CAMELOT project gathered in Stuttgart for the last event of the program. The 2 days event included presentations of Stuttgart Region and of the international relations department of Stuttgart municipality, a field visit of one of Stuttgart Region flagship initiatives, and a conference on citizens participation in local and metropolitan governance. 

After a journey of very fruitful exchanges, partners had the chance to review and discuss their respective experience while implementing the project and exploring the possibilities to further strengthen citizens’ participation in Metropolitan areas. 

The example provided by the Stuttgart 21 project was particularly inspiring. This project, which was initiated in 1994, allowed project partners to learn how a major mobility project should take into account citizens. 

Stuttgart 21 is a railway and urban development project in Stuttgart, Germany. It is a part of the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway and the Main Line for Europe (Paris—Vienna) within the framework of the Trans-European Networks. Its core is a renewed Stuttgart train station. It was officially announced in April 1994, with construction works starting in February 2010 and a delivery expected for 2025. With a total cost officially estimated at €9.15 billion, it created intense debates and citizens’ opposition on a broad range of issues, including the relative costs and benefits, geological and environmental concerns, as well as performance issues. 

The field visit took CAMELOT project partners through 30 years of history of Stuttgart urban development and political life.

 Along with the discovery of an impressive architectural prowess, this visit with CAMELOT brought a frank exchange on challenges and opportunities linked to structural projects that are at the core of metropolitan areas responsibilities. 

The conference that took place on 2nd December gathered Fabienne Keller, Quaestor and Member of the European Parliament, Vice-President of the Urban Intergroup, Dr. Alexandra Zoller, Head of Department for EU Politics, State Representation in Brussels and cross-border cooperation, State Ministry Baden-Württemberg, Dr. Bernd Vöhringer, Lord Mayor, City of Sindelfingen, President of the local chamber of the Congress of the Council of Europe and Xavi Tiana, Head of Department for International Relations, Barcelona Metropolitan Area. 

They discussed the importance of the role of cities in connecting European citizens to the institutions of the European Union. Fabienne Keller reminded that the EU started with an economic project and grew to address the most pressing challenges. She mentioned the Health Strategy developed after the COVID crisis, but also the Cohesion policy (ERDF) that was designed to support both infrastructure projects and exchange of good practices in city networks. 

Reminding that in the 21st century we cannot develop policies without involving citizens, as they play a big part in the success of these policies, Ms Keller expressed her admiration for the CAMELOT project (funded by Europe for Citizens), as it has been instrumental in developing the use of participatory processes in strategic planning.

For the Vice-President of the interurban group, the local level is essential; it is the level where citizens can feel that they are heard. But it is complicated as EU policy goes through the central state level. We also have to explain better how to take advantage of EU fundings. 

A Representative from Baden Württemberg agreed and emphasized that regional and local levels are the place to work with civil society in order to gain more resilience. 

Bernd Vörhinger stressed that the local level is always at the front line. To illustrate his purpose, he referred to COVID and to the impact of the war in Ukraine. He also underlined the importance of local governments for peace and stability. 

After this inspirational exchange, CAMELOT partners presented their good practices in terms of citizens engagement and urban development. 

🇦🇲 Read the news in Armenian
🇬🇪 Read the news in Georgian
🇷🇴 Read the news in Romanian
🇺🇦 Read the news in Ukrainian

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

Despite its end, thanks to the results produced (and available for free on the project website) PIECE project still has the potential to impact not only existing community workers and communities, but also to help people create community spaces and activities.

Yet, how partners have been able to achieve this result? Let’s see the latest step undertaken

On September 16th, 2022, the PIECE’s partners have met in Seville for the Final Transnational Meeting. On this occasion, the consortium had the change to discuss the development of the project’s activities and results, exchanging views on the situation in their respective home countries and talking together about the finalisation of intellectual outputs. This event has set the tone for the finalization of the activities and the end the project in the most positive way.

Hence, during the final two months all the partners have been busy in the organization of multiplier events, piloting actions and dissemination activities. Moreover, in this last period all the Intellectual Outputs (IOs) have been completed and translated in all partners’ languages.

“Not just a project: thanks to PIECE I have been able to exchange with other community workers from other countries, thus improving my skills”

Many great achievements have been accomplished. The people who took part in the project and benefited from the IOs of the project not only have improved their skills and employability; but also they have fostered the latter as well the degree social inclusion of the people they have trained. Furthermore, the project provoked a positive spillover effect, involving participants into activities and networking moments, thus creating a virtuous circle of empowerment. “Not just a project: thanks to PIECE I have been able to exchange with other community workers from other countries, thus improving my skills” said a participant at the end of a training.

Overall, partners are proud of the achievements, and glad to have shared with many people knowledge, best practices and questions related to the world of community workers, promotion of active and constructive dialogue on the challenges of community life and local engagement.

🇦🇲 Read the news in Armenian
🇬🇪 Read the news in Georgian
🇷🇴 Read the news in Romanian
🇺🇦 Read the news in Ukrainian

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

After more than two years of hard work, the SMELT project – Skilling Marginalised people to Enter the Labour markeT – is coming to an end. 

The SMELT project is financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and it aims at facing the paradox of business sectors experiencing workforce shortage and the high number of vulnerable people unemployed, by supporting marginalised people in acquiring and developing key competencies strategical for the labour market. During this event, organised by Cooperativa Samarcanda Onlus, leader of the project, you will discover more about the project itself and its results, among which: 

  • The ‘Easy Handbook’ –  a manual containing practical guidelines for the social and labour market inclusion of vulnerable people. It is aimed at social workers, educators, youth workers and other professionals involved in promoting the employability of NEET, migrants, refugees and more; 
  • The ‘Training Manual’ –  a manual for the implementation of a vocational training course for welders, aimed at vulnerable people;
  • Various projects to support the so-called ‘people on the move’, those people who are living in refugee camps or in situations of severe precariousness and poverty.

Join the Closing Event of the SMELT project!

When? The Closing Event will take place on January 16, 2023, from 2pm to 4pm, within the framework of the SMELT Transnational Partners Meeting. 

Where? Megahub, Fablab e coworking  – Via Paraiso 60, Schio (VI), Italy.

The event is addressed to policy entrepreneurs, social workers and VET institutions. 

If you want to participate, send an email to: smelt@samarcandaonlus.it.

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

From December 3 to December 15, 2022, Ms. Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General, and Ms. Katica Janeva, ALDA Skopje Office Coordinator, have been in Djelfa (Algeria) to deliver the fifth round of capacity building activities to Local Authorities on good governance and citizens engagement. 

This fifth round of activities is the last one for 2022 and concludes the successful programme for supporting local participative democracy and social accountability, started back in 2017.

The programme, financed by the European Commission and coordinated by the Algerian Ministry of Interiors, validates the importance of citizens’ engagement in strategic development and solution problem-oriented policies.

The implementation of this programme in Algeria contributes to the creation of a fair society based on the fundamental principles of democracy and good governance

So far, a total of 245 Heads of Daira have been trained by ALDA staff along with two other experts, Mr Mohamed Sakri and Mr Moufida Ouselati. At times, those high-level training have also seen the special participation and contribution of the Association’s members. 

The implementation of this programme in Algeria, has not only strengthened the already solid cooperation between the Country and the Association, but has also contributed to the creation of a fair society based on the fundamental principles of democracy and good governance. 

Although the programme has come to an end, ALDA will never stop nourishing this partnership in the future, and continue promoting democracy and citizens participation worldwide.

***

Fourth round of capacity building activities in Algeria

Third round of capacity building activities in Algeria

🇦🇲 Read the news in Armenian
🇬🇪 Read the news in Georgian
🇷🇴 Read the news in Romanian
🇺🇦 Read the news in Ukrainian

Capacity building activities in Algeria
Capacity building activities in Algeria
Capacity building activities in Algeria
Capacity building activities in Algeria
Capacity building activities in Algeria
Capacity building activities in Algeria
Capacity building activities in Algeria

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

ALDA is a partner in the EU-funded project  SHARED GREEN DEAL  and its goal is to stimulate shared actions on Green Deal initiatives across Europe, by providing Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) tools to support the implementation of 8 EU Green Deal policy areas, at the local and regional level.

The project has launched a “Call for local partners”, offering €22 000 to 24 organizations – either local and regional Authorities or not-for-profit organizations, to partner with the project to run social experiments focused on the following six priority Green Deal topics: 

Utilizing diverse participatory approaches to involve local stakeholders and citizens, the experiments will address the behavioral, social and cultural dimensions of the European Green Deal. The social experiments aim to facilitate and learn from change processes at both individual and collective levels whilst collecting research data in the process.

The SHARED GREEN DEAL call is open now and will run until 31 January 2023

Learn more about the topics, the application process, and the specific opportunities and requirements at the SHARED GREEN DEAL website. The opportunity is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. 

🇦🇲 Read the news in Armenian
🇬🇪 Read the news in Georgian
🇷🇴 Read the news in Romanian
🇺🇦 Read the news in Ukrainian

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

CHOICE aims at enhancing civil society’s role and to build its capacities to develop a heritage-friendly living environment in Belarus, Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Civil society organisations active in the field of local development, protection and rehabilitation of culture heritage and landscape in the four countries will be identified by the local partners at the grassroot level and actively involved in subsequent public initatives. The identification process will allow for exchanges with local communities about how to engage in the policy dialogue with the central government on the subject matter, given that the successful implementation of the international cultural conventions requires a conscious and engaged citizenry.

OBJECTIVES

The principal objectives of CHOICE will be:

  • Increased capacity of CSOs in Belarus, Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine to participate in the policy dialogue at the local, national, and international levels
  • Increased capacity to contribute to shaping of national policies on cultural heritage

In particular it envisages to achieve the following:

  • Develop skills and expertise to perform watchdog functions and to participate in cultural policy decision-making processes
  • Develop the professional network of national heritage experts and professionals
  • Foster the culture of cooperation among the Eastern Partnership countries
  • Raise awareness among the wider public about the value and importance of work of CSOs active in the field of cultural heritage

OUTCOMES

The principal outcome of the project will be to develop policy recommendations for the Eastern Partnership governments on preservation of cultural heritage, including country-specific expertise to be disseminated in the form of informational materials elaborated throughout the project.

, ,

DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

Project LADDER on the starting blocks!

One common project (3 years)
26 partners & 20 associates, coming from 18 EU and 17 non EU-countries
One major challenge for the EU and its Neighborhood: Development Education and Awareness Raising (DEAR)

OBJECTIVES

Funded by EuropeAid, LADDER has 1 global objective and 4 specific ones. For the next 36 months, it will seek to enhance and increase the action of Local Authorities in EU DEAR policies, with special reference to the EU Neighboring area. To do so, the following specific objectives have been identified:

  • strengthen the capacity of associations of local authorities (LAs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) to act in a sustainable way as drivers for development, fostering their role of multipliers within their countries, communities and networks,
  • inform, raise awareness and engage citizens in global issues, global interdependency and development education
  • develop & reinforce the cooperation between LAs and CSOs, to lead to winning synergies
  • improve DEAR methods in non-formal education system, through the development of new and innovative methods and tools addressed to a wide range of stakeholders (including educators, civil servants, NGOs, youth leaders etc).

ACTIVITIES

The strong commitment of the 26 Partners and the active involvement of the 20 Associates (including their respective networks) will ensure the timely implementation of the project and the fulfilment of its objective. A series of capacity building seminars & trainings, exchange meetings, conferences and events are foreseen to take place at international, national and local level, while a re-granting scheme will be implemented at all 28 EU Member States. Acting as an EU & Neighborhood-wide project on DEAR policies, a particular attention will be given to the European Year for Development 2015 and its follow-up.

ASSOCIATE PARTNERS

Besides the 26 Partners, the project will benefit from the active involvement of 20 Associates:

***

LADDER is the natural follow up of the project Working Together for Development (WTD), which focused on information, training and networking for LAs associations and networks of CSOs in the field of development cooperation. The will and strong motivation of the great majority of WTD partners in continuing the challenge together by setting higher goals cannot but be considered as a key result of the project itself.

,

DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

ALDA has been active in Belarus since 2004 and has implemented several projects together with its main partner in Belarus, the Lev Sapieha Foundation. The TANDEM II project is a follow up to the successfully implemented TANDEM project and will last 24 months.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims at strengthening an inclusive and empowered society in Belarus by supporting the development of local communities and strengthening their cooperation with Local Authorities (LA).

The specific objectives of TANDEM II are:

  • the development of capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and local community groups to implement community development projects focusing on sustainable development,
  • raising the awareness of CSOs and community groups on the role played by LA in development and on the possibilities for cooperation with local authorities,
  • the support of community groups to implement civic initiatives in cooperation with LA as well as
  • the construction on the basis of the achievements of TANDEM I and SPREAD to further increase the involvement of LA to cooperate with CSOs and local community groups.

ACTIVITIES

TANDEM II will provide sub-grants to 15 civic community initiatives. Four of the civic community initiatives will be partnership projects and will involve cooperation with local authorities from other EU countries, that will bring their knowledge and experience on cooperation with citizens into the project.
A launching international conference will start TANDEM II, which will be followed by an international study visit in Latvia during the project and a closing local conference that will mark the end. Along the project, community groups will participate in training sessions on project management and on local self-government.
The TANDEM II project will raise the capacity of civic community groups to be more active actors in the field of development. At the same time, the project will also increase the awareness of local stakeholders’ understanding of each other and the benefits of cooperating for sustainable community development.

,

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

The project aims to facilitate the smooth running of the upcoming elections in Tunisia through the dissemination of information to young people and the setting up of an online forum for open discussion.

OBJECTIVES

The general objective of this project is to contribute to the transition towards a more successful democratic system and, to this end, the improvement of the electoral process in Tunisia as much in its organisational as in its political dimension. The specific objective of the project is to train, engage and raise awareness among young people and women of the electoral procedure and political debate.

ACTIVITIES

  • Training of 24 Regional Coordinators

To begin with, there will be a selection (with a gender-balance requirement) of participants in close collaboration with regional associations and members of Lam Echaml. This training aims to reinforce the capabilities and competences of young people on the subject of active citizenship and the electoral process.

  • Training of 120 Civic Educators

The training will cover the following themes: active citizenship, citizen’s guidance methodology, election information, incentives to vote and the presentation of candidacy, conflict management, negotiation, using the voxinbox.tn platform as a tool.
A handbook on Active Citizenship will be drawn up which will then be used to support the awareness-raising campaign.

  • Citizen’s Advice

The civic educators of each prefecture will be responsible for organising the advisory meetings.
The advisory meetings will work on different subjects, for example: Reports and bills (relating to questions which are topical at the time of the advisory meetings); Recommendations on the smooth running of the elections; Important subjects at municipal level (development and local democracy).
Moreover, the advisory meetings will serve as a source of information for citizens.

  • Awareness-Raising Campaign

Two campaigns, one before the legislative and presidential elections and another before the municipal elections.
The campaign will be managed by the regional coordinators and civic educators, who will go around local areas especially places where people congregate in large numbers (the town square, souks, schools, clinics).
The Awareness-Raising campaign has the following goals : encourage people to vote, to sign up to the electoral lists and to the presentation of candidacies.

  • Setting up the Voxinbox.tn platform

The interactive online platform will be hosted and updated by the civic educators.
The role of the platform is to put together a network of associations and activists; a place of interaction between citizens with the aim of supplying reliable information on the election process.

,

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

ALDA has been active in Belarus since 2004 and has implemented several projects together with its main partner in Belarus the Lev Sapieha Foundation. The TANDEM project is a follow up to the ACSOBE and REACT projects which focused on the strengthening of civil society organisations and local community groups and their cooperation with local authorities.

OBJECTIVES

Citizen participation at the local level is still limited in Belarus and the TANDEM project seeks to increase the participation of citizens and their cooperation with local authorities. The project supports the development of local communities and civil society organisations and their cooperation with local authorities both through technical and financial support.

ACTIVITIES

As part of TANDEM, community groups will participate in trainings and receive information on the role played by local authorities and the possibilities for citizens and civil society organisations to cooperate more actively with local authorities. Furthermore the project provides sub-grants to civic community initiatives. The grants are awarded to community groups that propose concrete activities to ensure sustainable development in cooperation with local authorities. Two of these initiatives are partnership projects and will involve cooperation with local authorities from other countries who will bring their knowledge and experience on cooperation with citizens into the project. More information about the initiatives that receive subgrants as part of the TANDEM project can be found below and on the interactive map above.
The TANDEM project raises the capacity of civic community groups to be more active actors in the field of development. At the same time the project also raises the awareness of local stakeholders’ understanding of each other and the benefits of cooperating for sustainable community development.

SUBGRANTED PROJECTS

  1. GOMEL: The Future is in your hands
  2. Golshany Arc uniting people and cultures
  3. Vezhny Development of a mini sanctuary ”The Island” as a factor of sustainable development
  4. Rechitsa Together to solve the problems faced by disabled children and orphans in Rechitsa
  5. Smarhoń Developing social services and psychological care for cancer patients
  6. Braslaw Using the local capacities as the main resource to create innovative
  7. Minsk Cooperation of the local communities and the local governments in creating a bicycle infrastructure in the neighbourhood
  8. Sporovsky A green route between the three lakes
  9. Beloozersk Greenways for local development in the countryside
,

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

The Economic, Social and SPatial INequalities in Europe in the Era of Global Mega-trends project (ESSPIN) funded by the Horizon Europe programme officially kick-off on the 13th and 14th of October online. It was dedicated to the assessment and plan of the project together with the presentation of the key roles and activities of each partner.

The ESSPIN project directly addresses European challenges with an aim to share actions, understandings, evidence, insights, responsibilities and benefits across stakeholders including policymakers and civil society. The goal of the project is to re-examine the nexus of social, economic and spatial inequalities in the EU in the light of emerging and highly interacting mega-trends and challenges, threatening to increase pressures and make policy choices even more difficult. 

The outputs of the project will be delivered across different partner  states, covering a variety of  both social science and humanities disciplines, with multi-stakeholder, practice-based and policy-science expertise. Besides, the consortium  of the ESSPIN project will organise several workshops, policy seminars and Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) as well as participate in national and international conferences.

ESSPIN examines the nexus of social, economic and spatial inequalities in the EU in the light of the interacting mega-trends and challenges

Concerning the role of ALDA, with the support of all the partners, the Association  is in charge of communication, dissemination and community engagement activities of the project which will assist the European Commission with its ambitions of a more equal and inclusive society.

Hence, during the Kick-Off Meeting Valeria Fantini, ALDA responsible PM of the project, presented the key roles of the Association in the implementation of ESSPIN, by highlighting the timeline and the main tasks. 

With great enthusiasm, ALDA looks for the next steps to take in the implementation of the project.

 Are you interested in the project? Follow it on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn or sign up for the newsletter.

***
ESSPIN is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. The duration of the project is 3 years and its budget amounts to €2 674 000.00.

ESSPIN is a project bringing together 13 leading organisations from across Europe including eight universities and three research institutions. The partners cover core elements of the ESSPIN project cross-cutting priorities such as civil society, democracy, social and economic inclusion and equality.

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

[Joint appeal by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Commission] 

Civilian infrastructures, residential places have been the targeted of the recent Russian attacks: this means that Ukraine is now suffering from energy shortage, which, in other words, further affect people’s lives.

Winter is no longer at the doors; it is already in the streets of Kyiv and many other cities. People do not have enough electricity, heating and even water, thus making the humanitarian situation more sensitive and urgent. Hence, as recently reported in the letter from the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) “the energy network is only able to cover 70% of peak demand power”

Constantly in touch with the delegates from the LDAs in Dnipro and Mariupol, ALDA is very much aware of the on-going situation, and it calls its members and partners to further reiterate support for Ukraine.  Specifically in this context, ALDA has worked hand in hand with the City of Gdansk to stimulate a cohesive and united action to contribute to the Ukrainian cause.

« The energy network is only able to cover 70% of peak demand power” – letter from the European Committee of the Regions – CoR

By also being among the partner of the LDA Mariupol, the City Mayor, Ms.Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, holds now the position of Chair of the WG Ukraine, calling “once again, European local governments […] to show how solidary and determined they are to help in a just cause.”

Not only the CoR and the WG Ukraine, but also the Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms; together with the Commissioner for Crisis Management Committee of the Regions, have launched a call to address the shortages of power and electricity. “I am convinced” – continued Dulkiewicz – “that our call will not remain unanswered, and we will once more show the strength of the European community. Let us offer our Ukrainian friends not only moral support, but also concrete help by providing generators and energy equipment to Ukraine to help them survive the winter.”

Overall, always committed to the restoration of peace, ALDA welcomes the creation of the « rescEU energy hub » in Poland, which is meant to receive and forward the donation to Ukraine; and support the European Commission, among the most prominent international actor in this framework, invitation for everyone to make its contribution and contact the ECHO Donation unit.

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

This project proposal aims at strengthening role of regional CSOs (NGOs and CBOs) and their mobilisation for support to decentralisation.
The proposal is based on the rationale that no government itself will give up centralised power without well – organised popular demand from below. Development of Local democracy must be achieved by the Georgian society itself and therefore Local COs must play role of mobilisers and qualified advocates of Georgian society by facilitating bottom up pressure on the government at local and national level. To perform such and ambitious task, Georgian CSOs shall transform themselves from a narrow circle of grant hunters to a popular organisations based on membership and constituency, having potential to become real actors of change.
The proposal is based on the rationale that no government itself will give up centralised power without well-organised popular demand from below. Development of Local democracy, as any development, cannot be provided it must be achieved by by the Georgian society itself and therefore Local CSOs must play role of mobilisers and qualified advocates of Georgian society by facilitating bottom up pressure on the government at local and national level. To perform such an ambitious task, Georgian regional CSOs shall transform themselves from a narrow circle of grant hunters to a popular organisations based on membership and constituency, having potential to become real actors of change.

OBJECTIVES

To build capacity of regional CSOs to monitor local government reform and represent interests of local communities at the national level.

Specific objectives:

  1. Mobilise local CSO and build their capacity in community mobilisation and lobbyism;
  2. Establish horizontal networks for exchange of information and monitoring results of implementation LG reform;
  3. Elaboration of sets of recommendations for strengthening of local democracy in Georgia and presentation these recommendations to the committee on regional Policy and LG of the parliament of Georgia
  4. Organisation of media campaign for popularisation of LG reform

EXPECTED RESULTS

Overall results of this action are strengthened role of CSOs and community leaders in process of LG reform and advocacy of local interests, increased popularity for CSOs among local population.

Specific outputs of the action are:

  • 72 CSO representatives will obtain
  • skills for organising of training for community leaders.
  • Up to 1500 representatives of regional CSOs and community leaders,
  • Thematic network of regional SCOs will be equipped with modern technology of exchange and dissemination of information regional CSO of Georgia will have possibility to present their findings to European institutions.
,

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

Five years have passed since the opening of the LDA Mariupol, and so much has changed since December 9, 2017. 

If you looked out the window there was another Ukraine. The buildings were intact, streets were crowded, life was flowing quietly. Today, after a tremendous and inhumane attack directed towards Ukraine and its citizens that has lasted for more than 10 months, we find a different nation. 

But there is something that has not changed: the mission, the vision and values of LDA Mariupol and its team, which continues, today more than ever, promoting democracy, good governance and citizens engagement, with an ever-increasing determination.

On this important anniversary we want to focus on what can be rebuilt through democracy, good governance and public participation

Since 2017, the LDA Mariupol has been implementing actions towards the promotion of these concepts, and has no intention to stop. To mention a few, the Ukrainian Local Democracy Agency participated  in the “Youth for democracy” project, which was aimed at training young people to participate in decision-making at the city level. Other projects like “Empowerment of local self-government and civil society in Ukraine and Moldova through participatory democracy tools” was aimed at finding effective mechanisms of interaction and solving problems relevant to the city of Mariupol, while the project “Participatory Democracy” had the goal of implementing 12 principles of good governance in the work of local self-government in Mariupol.

These are only a few examples to highlight that, on this important anniversary, we do not want to focus on what is no longer there, but on what can be rebuilt through these exact values. 

Said with the words of Tetiana Lomakina, Delegate of the LDA Mariupol  “After the victory, the revival of Mariupol awaits us. And we believe that those bases of local democracy, those approaches of good governance, those best practices of public participation that we have been implementing for the last 5 years, will be at the heart of all processes. And that our friends and partners such as the European Association of Local Democracy will be with us.”

ALDA will never stop promoting and working with the LDA Mariupol and the other Local Democracies Agencies, in support of Ukraine and its citizens. 

We wish the Ukrainian LDA a joyful 5th anniversary, with the hope that the next one will be surrounded by harmony and peace. 

***

Useful resources:

5th anniversary
5th anniversary
5th anniversary
5th anniversary
5th anniversary
5th anniversary
5th anniversary
5th anniversary
5th anniversary
5th anniversary
5th anniversary

DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

ALDA has been active in Belarus since 2004 and has implemented several projects together with its main partner in Belarus the NGO Lev Sapieha Foundation. SPREAD is a complementary project to TANDEM and TANDEM II which both aim at strengthening an inclusive and empowered society in Belarus by supporting the development of local communities and strengthening their cooperation with local authorities (LAs).

OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of SPREAD is the contribution to poverty reduction in the context of sustainable development, including the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed targets.
SPREAD activities are aimed at strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations and LA as a pre-condition for a more equitable, open and democratic society through support to their “own initiatives” and to actions aimed at promoting an inclusive and empowered society in Belarus.
A further target is to increase the level of information and skills of citizens in the targeted regions in order to reinforce their awareness on available tools to enhance their participation in local decision making processes and to create better conditions for citizens and CSOs to defend their rights and with interaction local authorities.

ACTIVITIES

The main activity will be the creation of citizen centres in three Belarusian regions. These centres will be hosted by an NGO in each region and will create a strong network on local development with information and training activities for LAs and civil society organisations (CSOs).
International conferences with partners and associates will take place in order to exchange best practice examples between the European partners and the Belarusian regions.
Furthermore, there will be launched a monitoring system on the implementation of laws concerning communication and cooperation between citizens and their representatives as well as information on citizen participation at the local level will be spread.
SPREAD consists of elements of support to small citizens’ initiatives focusing on how to generate constructive and result-oriented activities between citizens and local authorities.

DOCUMENTS

AT A GLANCE

WTD – Working Together for Development is a multi-annual development project designed by the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA) in cooperation with 21 international partners and associates coming from 16 different countries of the enlarged Europe. The project lasts 30 months and involves both Associations of Local Authorities and NGO networks, and aims at improving their capacities to act as development agents in and outside Europe, in partnership with European and national institutions.
WTD is based on ALDA’s long term vision of development and the method of multilateral decentralised cooperation. The project uses a multi-stakeholder approach and focuses on creating strong partnerships between Local Authorities and NGOs. Local Authorities and NGOs have extensive knowledge of their local communities, and their joint activities and cooperation play an important role in the field of development.

OBJECTIVES

Local Authorities and Non State Actors play a relevant role – fully recognised as a fundamental principle – in the framework of the EC development policies, complementary to the roles of national governments and the Community.
It is of the utmost importance to support these actors, in order to ensure their ownership of the development strategies and to favor their full involvement in the policy making process, enhancing their capacities to act as development agents in and outside Europe.

In particular, it is fundamental to foster the role of LAs and NSAs as promoters of democracy, social justice and human rights, promoting and favoring a structured dialogue within and among all types of LAs and NSAs and between them and the European Institutions, in accordance with the principles of the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action on aid effectiveness.
A greater involvement of these actors in development aspects, both at the local and at the European level, strengthening their voice in the development process, will favor the construction of a more prosperous, equitable and stable societies in the whole world.
A significant specific role in this framework is assigned to local authorities associations and civil society networks. Their core characteristic of multi-actor bodies, as well as their capacity to reach a wide number of different stakeholders and to make LAs and civil society organisations working together in a concerted manner, contribute to their more efficient action in the field of development at all levels.
This project targets local authorities associations and civil society networks in 7 different Member States. It aims at fostering the role of local authorities associations and civil society networks in the field of development, enhancing their capacities to act as development agents in and outside Europe, partnering with the European Institutions in the implementation of the EC development policies.

Through strengthening the role of NSA and LA associations in the field of development, the present proposal also aims at:

  • strengthening their capacity to build trans-national alliances and to disseminate best practices;
  • increasing the number of multi-actor partnerships and consolidating exchanges between different types of LAs and NSAs networks, within their organisations and with Community institutions;
  • strengthening the capacity of Las and NSAs platforms in the new Member States (5 new Member States are involved in the present actions) in order to make them play an active role in their countries and at the EU level, including ensuring smooth integration of EU development policies;
  • providing to LAs and NSAs networks new capacities to act as « multipliers » agents in the field of development, especially through fostering the involvement of their members at the local, regional and national level.

PROJECT’S ASSOCIATES

Besides the partners, WTD enjoys the contribution of the following project’s associates:

  • Albanian Association of Municipalities – AL
  • Communities Association of Armenia – AM
  • Croatian Institute for Local Government – HR
  • NALAG – National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia – GE
  • New Israel Fund – Shatil – IL
  • Association of Kosovo Municipalities – KS
  • ZELS – Association of the Units of Local Self-government of the Republic of Macedonia – MK
  • BCSDN – Balkan Civil Society Development Network – MK
  • The Citizens’ Pact for South Eastern Europe – SRB
  • YÖNDER – Association of Local Government Managers – TR
  • Union of Municipalities of Marmara – TR

RELATED NEWS

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

The project is designed to support intercultural education at school and in non-formal youth environments as a vehicle to foster social inclusion, cross-cultural dialogue, and active citizenship by promoting European values.
What is the methodological approach used by this project? GEM IN uses non-formal educational approaches in formal and non-formal fields. For example, GEM IN will be used in non-formal and youth educational environments, promoting intercultural education as a key lever to enhance the acquisition of social and civic competences and to promote the ownership of shared values.

OBJECTIVES

  • Support intercultural education at school and in non-formal youth environments;
  • Enhance the acquisition of social and civic competences;
  • Promote the ownership of shared values;
  • Promote critical reflection and innovative approaches to discuss citizenship education under an intercultural perspective.

Visit the project’s website: www.gem-in.eu/en/

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

AT A GLANCE

Nowadays European cities face a number of issues including fragmentation, stigmatisation of various groups, and social exclusion. The systemic meltdown of the late 2000s as well as the European migrant crisis and other societal issues, lead to degradation of certain areas in many cities, and the consequential marginalisation of groups of people living there.
The project is creating a network with a common strategy promoting social inclusion and decreasing marginalisation by the rehabilitation of depressed and abandoned areas of European cities through street art. Street art is seen as a form of social expression, which allows engagement of communities and the regeneration of neighbourhoods; it can increase local identity, mutual understanding and solidarity. Under this project, the street art will be realised in cooperation with citizens, artists, migrants, schools and local organisations.

OBJECTIVES

• Increasing citizens’ participation and solidarity;
• Connecting people of different backgrounds and cultures;
• Regenerating depressed and abandoned areas resulting in decreased marginalisation;
• Public awareness-raising activities to prevent discrimination and intolerance.

RESULTS

  • Increased knowledge about mechanisms for social inclusion and citizens’ participation among partners
  • Increased solidarity between citizens and marginalised groups though active participation and interaction with citizens pertaining to different walks of life, cultures, economic and/or social status in street art workshops
  • Regeneration of depressed and critical areas of European cities, by using the power of street art in order to promote the intercultural dialogue and solidarity
  • Increased awareness and engagement at the local level on social urban issues
  • Dialogue between citizens and vulnerable groups (such as migrants, women and children) is encouraged during common activities and workshops at local and international level.
  • Increased awareness on European values and the importance of strengthening the European integration process to share good practices related to face social exclusion and degradation, such as street art
  • Increased awareness about importance of social inclusion and citizens’ participation for future cities development
  • Regeneration of depressed and critical areas of European cities, by using the power of street art in order to promote the intercultural dialogue and solidarity