In June and July, 2023, ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida and the Head of ALDA Middle East & Africa Unit, Ms. Giulia Sostero, were respectively in Zambia (Africa) and in Tanzania (Africa) for the Southern Africa National Level Multi-Stakeholder dialogues, organised by Democracy Works Foundation within the framework of the Charter Project Africa. 

The Charter Project Africa is aimed at supporting the African Union member states fulfilling their commitments as outlined in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG). It builds connections between citizens and civic society, analysing the ACDEG’s role in achieving positive change.

The project, led by the European Partnership for Democracy, encourages the use of civic technology to boost citizen voices, particularly those of underrepresented groups. To achieve this, the project offers both financial and technical resources in the form of grants, expertise, and networks to initiatives in democracy at national level in 11 countries, as well as at the regional and continental levels.

Charter Project Africa encourages the use of civic technology to boost citizen voices, particularly those of underrepresented groups

The Southern Africa National Level Multi-Stakeholder dialogues which took place in Zambia and Tanzania are part of a series of events that aim to bring together stakeholders from civil society, government, private sector, regional institutions and the African Governance Architecture (AGA) to reflect on the urgency of adhering to the AU’s shared values instruments, in particularly the ACDEG, and facilitate dialogue, cooperation and synergies among stakeholders.

As a member of the EPD, ALDA participated in two training sessions. The first one took place in Zambia on June 29 & 30, 2023, and was attended by ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Valmorbida, while the second was carried out in Tanzania on 5 & 6 July, 2023 and saw the participation of Ms. Sostero. 

Mrs. Valmorbida and Ms. Sostero discussed the added value of citizens participation at the local level, answering key questions related to the main topics of the project. Additionally, they delivered training for trainers on developing effective advocacy and engagement strategies for democratic governance which consisted in knowing the actors active in the continent, mapping the civil society actors and their respective capacities and mapping the public sector capacities.

The two national multi-stakeholder dialogues represented an excellent opportunity to better understand the situation and the challenges in the continent and to start a path of cooperation to promote and strengthen democracy in Africa. 

Challenges and adaptation have become the norm in democratic processes in Europe and all around the world. Although we live in an increasingly advanced world in many respects, there is a constant and growing need to act in defence of democracy and democrats.

This was the starting point behind the EPD’s Annual Conference and 15th Anniversary, which took place on June 20th 2023, at the Hotel Comet in Brussels.

The Conference saw the participation of brilliant keynote speakers who nurtured the discussion, notably the Vice-President of the Commission, Ms Dubravka Šuica who gave an inspiring speech on the future of democratic participation in Europe.

“We continue our work on building an innovative democratic ecosystem that is the basis for a democracy fit for the future. Both on- and off-line. – Stated Ms Šuica – In a democracy, our greatest, most precious asset is our citizens. It may sound obvious, but I must emphasise that there is no democracy without citizens. (…). We really need to improve how we communicate with our #citizens and the best way to do this is starting at the grassroots with local democracy actors”.
[Read the full speech here]

In the wake of the welcome speech Ms Šuica gave at the opening ceremony of ALDA General Assembly, for ALDA it is always extremely motivating and inspiring to note the Commission’s proximity and direct support in our joint efforts in favour of local democracy and citizen participation in Europe and beyond, acting as strong partners pursuing the same mission.

“We need to improve how we communicate with our citizens and the best way to do this is starting at the grassroots with local democracy actors” – Ms Dubravka Šuica

Ms Šuica then mentioned all successful and innovative participative practices introduced thanks to the Conference on the Future of Europe, as well as the importance of the more recent Defence of Democracy Package, to which ALDA itself had the opportunity to include specific recommendations.

This intervention paved the way for a panel exploring initiatives to increase participation across Europe. Moderated by Richard Youngs, Carnegie Europe, the panel was animated by:

• Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law and HEC Paris and founder at The Good Lobby
• Colin Scicluna, Head of Cabinet of Vice President Dubavka Šuica, European Commission
• Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA – the European Association for Local Democracy
• Anthony Zacharzewski, President of The Democratic Society

This years’ EPD’s General Assembly has been a special one, for the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), for all its network of members, and for ALDA.

Indeed, held on June 19th 2023, this General Assembly not only saw the discussion of internal issues important for the running of the Organisation, but also included the renewal of the Presidency.

Thus, after 6 years, Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General and President of EPD until that day, handed over the presidency to Thijs Berman, Executive Director of NIMD – Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy.

Since 2017, Antonella Valmorbida has been the Chair of EPD, guiding the organisation through a challenging yet transformative period, together with the Board members, the Executive Director Ken Godfrey and the whole EPD’s staff.

Among the several challenges encountered during her mandate, we recall the Brexit, the worldwide pandemic and the more recent war in Ukraine that has shaken Europe and the entire world.

We are proud of our Secretary General’s constant dedication and commitment to local democracy and we congratulate the new Chair, Thijs Berman!

In her speech, Antonella Valmorbida recalled achievements and challenges of the last 6 years, with a focus on EPD’s mission and commitment for a better and more responsive Democracy in Europe:

“We managed to get bigger but our determination to remain a lively and inclusive partnership has also been fulfilled. – stated Antonella Valmorbida in her speech – We were able to survive to our own success. We are a strong community and an instrument putting together our experiences and knowledge as strong and effective practitioners. We know how much effort democracy requires and how it must be multilevel and holistic. – continues Valmorbida – Democracy is more than elections, it is more than political parties, it is more than local governments, it is more than good and free media, it is more than civil society. Democracy is the interaction and empowerment of all these elements and this why EPD is unique and has been so effective in these last years.

As ALDA, we are proud of our Secretary General’s constant dedication and commitment to local democracy, which she pursues in ALDA and outside our organisation, confident that she will continue her appointment into the EPD Board with the same commitment, to accompany the organisation in its future endeavours.

Moreover, we congratulate the new president, Thijs Berman, who we are sure will successfully lead the organisation in the years to come!

The mission of this year’s ALDA General Assembly was to state that Local Democracy will save democracy. In this light, the Middle East & Africa Department organised on June 9th in Etterbeek (Brussels) a roundtable titled “Stronger together: exploring EU’s contribution to local democracy around the globe” in collaboration with the most relevant institutions, donors and partners working together with ALDA in the area.

The roundtable delved into the topic of the European Union and the French State as global agents boosting democratic values in Third Countries exploring three specific areas: the African continent, Türkiye and the Euro-Mediterranean area. The aim was to highlight the main challenges affecting local democracy in the communities bordering the EU as well as the initiatives taken by institutions and civil society organisations to address them, through concrete examples.

With the support of the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Commission (DG INTPA), introduced by its Head of Sector in Democratic Governance Tom Millar, the first focus of the roundtable was given on how the EU can support local democracy in the African continent. The main priorities identified by the EU in that sense lie on youth as target beneficiaries and main actors for change, as well as country-level work. Along this line, DG INTPA is funding the WYDE – Civic Engagement project, led by EPD – European Partnership for Democracy where ALDA is managing the Cluster 1, dedicated to regranting directed to youth organisations in the whole continent. The project has been presented by the ALDA project coordinator Abdelaziz Bouslah, together with the ALDA Grants manager Faty Babou, and Cluster partners Elbarlament’s Managing director Sebastian Bloching and People in Need’s Youth Civic Engagement Advisor Kristýna Sosnovcová.

The roundtable analysed challenges affecting local democracies in the communities bordering the EU and how to adress them

In the case of Türkiye, the floor was opened by the Deputy Head of the Türkiye Unit of DG NEAR – Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission Katarzyna Marzec. In her opinion, the strength of Turkish local democracy lies in the dedication of citizens and civil society organisations, who need to be supported by EU institutions in their activities. An example of engagement at the local governance level was given by Özge Sivrikaya, Senior International Affairs and Projects Expert of the Marmara Municipality Union, one of the most important Union of Municipalities of the country, behind, among many other things, the organisation of the renowned MARUF – Marmara Urban Forum. In preparation for the next local elections in 2024, the EU Delegation to Türkiye funded the WE ACT project, presented by ALDA’s Project Coordinator Apolline Bonfils, which aims to strengthen women participation by providing capacity building related to politics and media as well as subgranting to civil society organisations. As a further way to support EU-Turkish cooperation at the local level, Sinan Erensü, Chair of the Board and Hüseyincan Eryılmaz, Project coordinator of MAD – Mekanda Adalet Derneği (Centre for Spatial Justice) have presented THE:PLACE programme. This initiative, funded by the Mercator Foundation and co-managed with ALDA, seeks to reinforce the collaboration among civil society actors and local authorities on top of cross-border cooperation.

As a third but equally relevant dimension where ALDA is active, the roundtable then focused on the Euro-Mediterranean area. An overview was given by Thibaut Lespagnol, Deputy delegate for Civil society, civic engagement and youth (DGM/CIV), who highlighted the most pressing issues affecting local democracy in the area: visa restrictions, informality of the third sector, political instability among others, and gave examples on how civil society support can be provided by French cooperation actions.

In this context, the role of the Anna Lindh Foundation has been presented by its Liaison Officer in Brussels Alessandro Lamonica, who explained how two initiatives such as the award for Mediterranean Capital for Culture and Dialogue and the Med Youth in Action programme can contribute through the promotion of good practices of governance and youth empowerment.

The roundtable was closed by Sam Khebizi, President of Les Têtes de L’Art, with whom ALDA is co-leading the French Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation. He reminded that, as the title of the roundtable said, we are stronger together in supporting local democracy: as co-leaders, as donors with beneficiaries, as civil society organisations with local authorities, as Europeans with neighbours, as people believing in democracy.

The ALDA General Assembly 2023, which took place on June 8, was the occasion to present to ALDA members’ representatives, partners and friends gathered in Etterbeek (Belgium), the newly constituted ALDA Advisory Board. The Advisory Board is a selected team of people with different qualities and expertise who will closely follow the work of the organisation by acting on geographical areas. 

During the ALDA General Assembly 2023, the group met with the members of the Governing Board in order to exchange views on future ALDA activities and to lay the foundations for a solid and fruitful collaboration.

The Advisory Board will remain in office for one year. Regarding the European area, the people who will be part of the group are as follows;

Ms. Kirsi Verkka, Participatory budgeting development manager at the city of Helsinki, who will cooperate with the HUB on citizens’ participation and territorial development. 

Ms. Maite Arrondo, freelance consultant and researcher on urban innovation, specialised in housing policies, who will follow the Working Group on Social Inclusion, cooperating with the Thematic HUB on Gender, Inclusion and Human Rights. 

Ms. Maddalena Alberti, LDA Zavidovici, who will be part of the Working Group on Social Inclusion, collaborating with the Thematic HUB on Migration. 

Ms. Joelle Gerber, Director of Maison du jeune citoyen et du Service Enfance Jeunesse in the city of Schiltigheim, who will also be part of the Working Group on Social Inclusion, cooperating with the Thematic HUB on Youth. 

To conclude the with European Area, Ms. Claire Breschard, Institut Français du Monde Associatif, will stay in the Working Group Civil Society Organisation Capacity Building and Mr. Aurelio Escobar, Consultant at Expert at Covenant of Mayors, who will join the Working Group on Environment, taking part of the Environment Thematic HUB. 

Concerning the Middle East & Africa area, Mr. Ahmet Allouch, Director at the Tunisian People’s Representatives Assembly and Project Manager and trainer at “Youth Without Borders – Tunisia” will closely follow the work implemented by ALDA in Tunisia. 

Ms. Elif Avci, Participatory processes and Youth Engagement Advisor at the Istanbul Development Agency, will cooperate with the Association for the activities carried out in Türkiye.

Lastly, Dr. Ibrahim Ndagijimana, One Mainstreaming Coordinator in GIZ Rwanda/Rights Based Programme, will cooperate with ALDA for the activities in Rwanda. 

Ms. Senida Mesi, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Albania, expert on civil society local governance, will be the point of contact for the Western Balkans area. 

While Ms. Inna Volkova, member of the Odesa Rayon Council and Ms. Tamara Ehs, expert on civil society and local governance will closely follow the activities implemented in the Eastern Partnership region. 

ALDA Festival and General Assembly 2023, which took place in Brussels (Belgium), offered space for strategic discussions on the importance of local democracy in the EU integration processes of the Eastern Neighbourhood candidate countries. Several roundtables and debates were held as part of the ALDA Festival 2023 from 6 to 9 June, 2023.

In recent years, the Eastern Partnership region has faced several new challenges related to migration, defence and security, enlargement and international threats from Russia. This topic has been the focus of the panel discussion moderated by Mr. Alexandru Coica, Head of ALDA’s Eastern Partnership Unit, which took place on June 9, 2023.

The panel was opened by ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida; “Local democracy will save democracy, and the Eastern Partnership is not just a region, it is much more. It is important that we extend democratic values over a wider area.” – stated Mrs. Valmorbida, introducing the topic.

The discussion continued with an intervention of Mr. H.E. Dirk Schübel, EU Special Representative for the Eastern Partnership, who stated: “The EaP was designed to help each country achieve its goals and, first and foremost, to prepare Moldova and Ukraine for the start of negotiations with the EU and, hopefully, for the not too distant future for Georgia and the other countries.” – stated Mr. Schübel.

“We want to maintain the Eastern Partnership and, just to tell you, we are working closely with Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan.” Mr. Schübel concluded, adding that the European Union is moving fast and counts on a number of wonderful programs to support the cooperation process, local policies, EU for Integrity and anti-corruption programs, for EaP countries.

The panel discussion highlighted the importance of local democracy in EU integration processes and the promotion of European values at the local level

Ms. Tania Marocchi, Policy and Advocacy Manager, EaP Civil Society Forum followed “The involvement of civil society remains highly dependent on the willingness of the government to commit to inclusive transparency – Moldova and Georgia are good examples of inclusive and exclusive ways, but we saw another way in Belarus, and Azerbaijan, where civil society does not function. I think the Eastern Partnership multilateral policy is a great opportunity to engage in particular Belarus and civil society with democratic forces.” – stated Ms. Marocchi.

The “Local Democracy in the context of a renewed geopolitical framework in the Eastern Partnership Countries” panel follows a similar exercise held in November 2022 in Wroclaw (Poland) and updates on the state of the 3 countries: Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, discussing the implications for the region and emphasising the crucial importance of good governance and stakeholders in addressing future challenges.

In this context, the panel discussion highlighted the importance of local democracy in EU integration processes and the promotion of European values at the local level. The Local Democracy Agencies of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, who were present at the panel, brought their testimonies, presenting their expertise, needs and challenges.

The event also focused on the role of participatory mechanisms and citizen involvement in making communities more resilient and strong to overcome multiple crises.

ALDA’s presence in Ukraine dates back to 2015, when the Local Democracy Agency (LDA) in Dnipro was opened, followed by LDA Mariupol in 2017, thus representing, for almost 10 years, a strategic partner in the country.

Today more than ever, ALDA’s presence in Ukraine has increased and keeps doing so, committing to support local government, civil society organisations and the Ukrainian population as a whole.

On 7 June 2023, within the framework of ALDA Festival General Assembly, the event “Challenges for local communities in the face of migration of Ukrainians during the war“ took place. Partners and stakeholders met in Brussels (Belgium) to discuss recommendations for actions to support local communities in Ukraine that adopt Internally Displaced Persons. LDA Dnipropetrovsk, indeed, is a great example of this.

Since the very beginning of the war in Ukraine, ALDA has supported the country and its people by implementing different actions, among which the “Flagship initiative of ALDA in Ukraine”, aimed at establishing further LDAs in Ukraine as instruments of peace, cohesion and democracy. During the ALDA Festival, partners from Ukraine, EU and representatives of other LDAs met and discussed the creation of these LDAs, thus bringing together a big group of cities, regions and NGOs ready to commit.

One of the key priorities emerged during the roundtable concerned the support to the integration and activation of IDPs in local communities, through the new LDAs to be opened.

The meeting represented a valuable moment of exchange and served to plan strategy for future actions on the opening of the new LDAs in Ukraine

During the first part of the meeting, ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Antonella Valmborbida, welcomed the participants and gave an overview of ALDA’s work in Ukraine, presenting the Flagship Initiative in Ukraine, together with Mr. Bartek Ostrowski, Consultant for LDAs development in the country. 

After that, Ms. Inna Volkova, ALDA Advisory Board member and Councilor of Odesa Rayon Council presented the LDAs partners from Ukraine. 

The session envisaged the presence of representatives: Ms. Anzhelika Pylypenko, ALDA Governing Board member and delegate of LDA Dnipro and Ms. Anastasiia Diakova from LDA Mariupol, who talked about actions undertaken to support IDPs, and further steps. 

The event unfolded with working groups for each LDA and potential LDA present, namely LDA Mariupol, LDA Dnipro, LDA Vinnytsia, LDA Odesa and LDA Rivne, for partners to discuss an action plan and next steps in the cooperation. 

The event was organised with the support of European Endowment for Democracy (EED), an independent, grant-making organisation and strategic partner that is sharing our values and mission, and working with us towards the same goal: rebuilding the country by operating to guarantee to the Ukrainian population a free, democratic and peaceful future.