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On September 16th and 17th, 2020 the second transnational meeting of the FOREST project was held on the topic of “Safety in the workplace in forestry” in the beautiful setting of the Forestry Training Center Pilch in Austria. With the aim to exchange know-how and practices among project partners, the meeting was dedicated to security practices with a particular focus on the incidence of accidents in the agro-forestry field.

The event was composed of 2 sessions and it was opened by the Austrian partner of the project, and in particular by Mr Martin Krondorfer, Head of the Forestry Training Center Pilch, followed by Mr Franz Telser, who focused on the state of the art of accident prevention. Mr Norbert Weber then proceeded to provide all partners and participants of the workshop the necessary skills, abilities, and knowledge regarding company agreements, relevant standards and legislation for forest workers in Austria. The session was concluded by Mr Peter Konrad with an overview on the situation for Austrian forest entrepreneurs in terms of opportunities and challenges at both local and international level. In the end, all partners of the FOREST consortium met and discussed the implemented activities, and planned future strategies.

In the morning of September 17th, the second session consisted on an intensive, practical workshop in relation to safety regulations and innovative standards of working in experimental forests. A simulation was made of the felling and skidding processes as per Austrian standards: trainers and operators of the Forest Training Center showed partners how to safely operate while using chainsaws, according to the European Chainsaw Certificate (ECC) regulated by the European Forestry and Environmental Council (EFESC). More specifically, different methods of harvesting small trees of up to 20cm in diameter were addressed, as well as different methods of harvesting big trees of up to 80cm and more, with notes on technical help and different methods involving ropes or a hydraulic felling wedge.

Felling methods in deciduous trees were also examined, as well as the problem of ash die-back, rope-assisted felling methods and the processing of wind-thrown trees though at the time there were none in the forest.

It was a highly engaging occasion for the whole consortium – now looking forward to the next steps!

FOREST – Forestry Operators Reflecting on Equalising Skills and Training is a 24-month Erasmus+ project that wishes to respond to the fragmentation of competences in forestry management at the national and international levels, by giving rise to debate around the possibility to create a standard level of competences and skills of forestry workers and promoting innovation and professionalism by joint actions and initiatives.

Consult the FOREST leaflet to learn more!

DOCUMENTS

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Building strategies and implementing effective grassroot actions is at the core of ALDA’s mission; nevertheless, without a strong network of co-workers and supporters, it can be very hard to realize. For this reason, we are extremely proud to announce that our work in Tunisia now has a new supporter: the United Nations Democracy Fund – UNDEF, which will specifically support the implementation of the project “Youth empowerment to build local democracy in Tunisia” (Autonomisation de la jeunesse pour construire une démocratie locale en Tunisie).

The project, conducted in partnership with the association “Tamkeen for Development”, has the overall objective to enhance the capacity of local Tunisian youth in mastering and managing the core concepts and methodologies linked to good governance and local cooperation.

More exactly, we foresee to boost the involvement of youth in local governance, through three main fields of action:

  1. Firstly, local youngsters will be trained in participatory democracy, learning when and how this technique is used;
  2. Then, following a field-study, the 12 principles of local good governance will be fostered;
  3. And, in parallel, we will act locally to improve the conditions for youngsters’ civic participation.

Once again, we heartily thank UNDEF for making this possible and for contributing to our mission in North Africa… we can’t wait to get out there!

Français

Le FNUD en faveur de l’autonomisation des jeunes et de la participation civique

L’élaboration de stratégies et la mise en œuvre d’actions de terrain efficaces sont au cœur de la mission d’ALDA. Néanmoins, sans un solide réseau de collègues et de sympathisants, cela peut être très difficile à réaliser. C’est pourquoi nous sommes extrêmement fiers d’annoncer que notre travail en Tunisie a désormais un nouveau soutien : le Fonds des Nations unies pour la Démocratie – FNUD, qui soutiendra spécifiquement la mise en œuvre du projet “Autonomisation de la jeunesse pour construire une démocratie locale en Tunisie“.

Ce projet, mené en partenariat avec l’association “Tamkeen for Development“, a pour objectif général de renforcer la capacité de la jeunesse tunisienne locale à maîtriser et à gérer les concepts et les méthodologies de base liés à la bonne gouvernance et à la coopération locale.

Plus précisément, nous prévoyons de renforcer l’implication des jeunes dans la gouvernance locale, à travers trois principaux domaines d’action :

  1. Premièrement, les jeunes locaux seront formés à la démocratie participative, en apprenant quand et comment cette technique est utilisée ;
  2. Ensuite, après une étude sur le terrain, les 12 principes de la bonne gouvernance locale seront promus;
  3. Et, parallèlement, nous agirons localement pour améliorer les conditions de la participation civique des jeunes.

Une fois de plus, nous remercions chaleureusement le FNUD de rendre cela possible et de contribuer à notre mission en Afrique du Nord… nous sommes impatients d’y aller !

Italiano

UNDEF a sostegno dell’empowerment dei giovani e della partecipazione civica

La costruzione di strategie e l’attuazione di efficaci azioni a partire dal basso sono al centro della missione di ALDA; tuttavia, senza una forte rete di collaboratori e sostenitori, può essere molto difficile da realizzare. Per questo motivo, siamo estremamente orgogliosi di annunciare che il nostro lavoro in Tunisia ha ora un nuovo sostenitore: Il Fondo per la Democrazia delle Nazioni Unite – UNDEF, che sosterrà specificamente la realizzazione del progetto “Autonomizzazione dei giovani per costruire una democrazia locale in Tunisia” (Autonomisation de la jeunesse pour construire une démocratie locale en Tunisie).

Il progetto, condotto in partenariato con l’associazione “Tamkeen for Development“, ha l’obiettivo generale di migliorare la capacità dei giovani tunisini locali di padroneggiare e gestire i concetti e le metodologie legate al buon governo e alla cooperazione locale.

Più precisamente, prevediamo di rafforzare il coinvolgimento dei giovani nella governance locale, attraverso tre campi d’azione principali:

  1. In primo luogo, i giovani locali saranno formati alla democrazia partecipativa, imparando quando e come questa tecnica viene utilizzata;
  2. Poi, a seguito di uno studio sul campo, saranno promossi i 12 principi del buon governo locale;
  3. E, in parallelo, si agirà a livello locale per migliorare le condizioni di partecipazione civica dei giovani.

Ancora una volta, ringraziamo di cuore l’UNDEF per aver reso possibile tutto questo e per aver contribuito alla nostra missione in Nord Africa… non vediamo l’ora di iniziare!

русский

ФДООН в поддержку расширения прав и возможностей молодежи и гражданского участия

Выработка стратегий и реализация эффективных действий на низовом уровне – это суть миссии ALDA; тем не менее, без сильной сети сотрудников и сторонников это может быть очень трудно реализовать. По этой причине мы чрезвычайно рады сообщить, что у нашей работы в Тунисе появился новый спонсор: Фонд демократии Организации Объединенных Наций – UNDEF, который будет специально поддерживать реализацию проекта ”Расширение прав и возможностей молодежи для построения местной демократии в Тунисе” (Autonomisation de la jeunesse pour construire une démocratie locale en Tunisie).

Проект, осуществляемый в партнерстве с ассоциацией “Tamkeen for Development”, имеет общую цель – повысить способность местной тунисской молодежи усвоить и управлять основными концепциями и методологиями, связанными с надлежащим управлением и местным сотрудничеством.

Точнее, мы предполагаем активизировать вовлечение молодежи в местное управление посредством трех основных сфер деятельности:

  1. Во-первых, местная молодежь будет обучена принципам совместной демократии, узнав, когда и как используется этот метод;
  2. Затем, после полевого исследования, будут внедрены 12 принципов надлежащего местного управления;
  3. И параллельно мы будем действовать на местном уровне, чтобы улучшить условия для гражданского участия молодежи.

Еще раз мы сердечно благодарим UNDEF за то, что это стало возможным, и за вклад в нашу миссию в Северной Африке … нам не терпится поехать туда!

Srpski

UNDEF pruža podršku za osnaživanje mladih i građansko učešće

Izgradnja strategija i sprovođenje efikasnih “grassroot” akcija je srž misije ALDA-e; bez obzira na to, bez jake mreže saradnika i pristalica, to može biti vrlo teško ostvarivo. Iz tog razloga, izuzetno smo ponosni što možemo da objavimo da naš rad u Tunisu sada ima novu podršku: Fond za demokratiju Ujedinjenih nacija – UNDEF, koji će posebno podržati sprovođenje projekta „Osnaživanje mladih za izgradnju lokalne demokratije u Tunisu“ (Autonomisation de la jeunesse pour construire une démocratie locale en Tunisie).

Projekat, sproveden u partnerstvu sa udruženjem “Tamkeen for Development“, ima opšti cilј da poveća kapacitete omladine na lokalnom nivou u Tunisu u savladavanju i upravlјanju osnovnim konceptima i metodologijama povezanim sa dobrim upravlјanjem i lokalnom saradnjom.

Planiramo da pojačamo uklјučivanje mladih u lokalnu upravu, kroz tri glavna polјa delovanja:

  1. Prvo, lokalni mladi će biti obučeni u participativnu demokratiju, učeći kada i kako se koristi ova tehnika;
  2. Zatim, nakon terenske studije, negovaće 12 principa lokalnog upravljanja;
  3. A paralelno ćemo delovati lokalno kako bismo pobolјšali uslove za građansko učešće mladih.

Još jednom se od srca zahvalјujemo UNDEF-u što je omogućio sve ovo i što je doprineo našoj misiji u severnoj Africi… jedva čekamo da stignemo tamo!

العربية

صندوقالأممالمتحدةيدعممشاريعتمكينالشبابوالمشاركةالمدنية

تتمثل المهمة الأساسية التي تضطلع بها ألدا في بناء الاستراتيجيات وتنفيذ الأنشطة الفاعلة التي تستند إلى قاعدة موسعة على المستوى المحلي. غبر أنه بدون توفر شبكة من العاملين والداعمين, الذين يشتغلون بشكل مشترك, سوف لن تكون هذه المهمة سهلة الانجاز. لهذا السبب, نحن فخورون جدا بالإعلان أن نشاطنا القائم في تونس الآن يتم بدعم من طرف متدخل جديد, ألا وهو: صندوق الأمم المتحدة للديمقراطية. سيتولى هذا الصندوق بالخصوص دعم كافة الجهود المبذولة لتنفيذ مشروع تمكينالشبابمنأجلبناءمنظومةالديمقراطيةالمحليةفيتونس.

يهدف هذا المشروع, الذي يتم بالشراكة بين جمعية “تمكين من أجل التنمية“, أساسا إلى تعزيز قدرات الشباب التونسي على المستوى المحلي وتمكينه من امتلاك القدرة على التحكم في المفاهيم الأساسية وإدارة المنهجيات المرتبطة بالحوكمة الرشيدة والتعاون المحلي.

بشكل أوضح, نحن نتطلع إلى تعزيز عملية دمج الشباب صلب منظومة الحوكمة المحلية وذلك من خلال ثلاثة مجالات تشمل الأنشطة الأساسة التالية:

1. أولا, سيتلقى الشباب المحلي دورات تدريبية في مجال الديمقراطية التشاركية, وذلك بهدف إدراك متى وكيف يمكن استغلال هذه التقنية,

2. بعد ذلك, وعلى إثر الانتهاء من الدراسة الميدانية, سيتم اتخاذ كافة الاجراءات الضرورية لتعزيز 12 مبدإ المحددة لمنظومة الحومة الرشيدة محليا,

3. على إثر ذلك, وبالتوازي مع الجهود القائمة, سنتحرك على المستوى المحلي لتحسين ظروف الشباب ومساعدتهم على المشاركة في الحياةالمدنية.

مرة أخرى, نود التعبير عن شكرنا الجزيل لصندوق الأمم المتحدة للدمقراطية على الجهود المبذولة لتسهيل مهمتنا وعلى مساهمته القيمة في الأنشطة التي نضطلع بها في منطقة شمال إفريقيا. نحن ننتظر بفارغ الصبر انطلاق الأنشطة المبرمجة هناك.

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In occasione dell’evento pubblico svoltosi mercoledì 9 settembre 2020 alle ore 20 presso la Sala Turbine del Lanificio Conte di Schio (VI) a tema “Il quartiere comincia da te! Rigenerazione dei Consigli di Quartiere di Schio“, è stata presentata la fase 2 del processo partecipativo, ovvero il percorso di incontri che vede protagonisti i singoli quartieri in vista del prossimo rinnovo il 15 novembre.

L’obiettivo? Costruire ed elaborare una sorta di manifesto del quartiere condiviso da presentare alle elezionicon la lista dei candidati. Il percorso è strutturato in due appuntamenti per ciascuno dei sette quartieri scledensi: il primo per discutere delle criticità specifiche di ciascuno, con divisione in gruppi tematici per elaborare possibili sfide e soluzioni; il secondo, più deliberativo, con l’ambizione di trasformare le idee emerse nel primo incontro e redigere a partire da lì il programma per le elezioni.

«I consigli di quartiere sono una risorsa unica che da sempre contraddistingue la nostra Schio e prenderne parte è un’occasione per fare comunità attraverso la solidarietà, la cura del territorio e la democrazia diretta. Proprio per questo abbiamo deciso di avviare un percorso di coinvolgimento della popolazione supportato dalle competenze professionali di ALDA, così da incoraggiare una partecipazione consapevole e condivisa – dicono da Palazzo Garbin -. Questa seconda fase del percorso è molto importante e necessaria per definire chiaramente quali saranno gli obiettivi e gli impegni dei consigli per contribuire alla crescita della comunità cittadina».

In preparazione a tali cruciali passaggi, l’incontro del 9 sera ha incluso un lavoro di gruppo per la pianificazione, appunto, degli incontri da realizzarsi nei singoli quartieri, con un focus su:

  1. Programma: quali sono le problematiche del quartiere? Quali saranno i tavoli di discussione?
  2. Promozione: come coinvolgere quante più persone possibili agli incontri e quindi al voto?
  3. Logistica: conferma del calendario, organizzazione degli spazi, materiali utili, ecc.

Durante i 45 minuti di lavoro, i facilitatori di ALDA hanno supportato i referenti e i cittadini nel definire un piano d’azione completo per ogni quartiere: ora non resta che partecipare agli incontri!

Si prega di dare conferma al proprio quartiere per prenotare la propria partecipazione.

***

Per maggiori informazioni:

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On September 9th, 2020 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the Media Dialogue project announced the winners of grant competitions for media monitoring and producing parliamentary elections related materials for voters. It was a wonderful occasion to reward the hard work and ambitious projects of eleven media organizations in the country, which will now focus on monitoring hate speech and controversial, inflammatory narratives by key electoral actors.

“I’m very excited about the caliber of grantees for both social media monitoring and media production projects“, commented ALDA Eastern Partnership coordinator Alexandru Coica, who is closely following the developments of Media Dialogue. “We are looking forward to seeing the results of the implementation and the positive effect it will have on ensuring free and fair elections in Kyrgyzstan“.

The project is implemented by ALDA together with a consortium of four other organisations: the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), Media Policy Institute, ARTICLE 19 and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. In the words of EPD’s Vittoria Zanellati, who participated to the ceremony, “We are glad to be able to engage in achievements of the media’s objectives, for ensuring a democratic process during the election in Kyrgyzstan; I congratulate this success and I hope your projects will come to life soon“. ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida likewise congratuled all winners and applicants, and expressed her gratitude for the interest, on which Kyrgyzstan relies to remain “the most open and democratic country of Central Asia“.

All awarded projects are indeed extremely interesting and are expected to be very fruitful and helpful to citizens in improving the free press, free speech, and related legislations.

***
The Media Dialogue project is funded by the European Union and runs until late spring 2021. Its objective is to harness the power of the media in safeguarding conflict-free elections, hence its consortium has been delivering training and capacity-building activities to help media actors supply accurate and trustworthy election-related content to the citizens of Kyrgyzstan so that they can make informed choices.

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The Mind Inclusion project wishes to help intellectually disabled persons to have access to public spaces and exercise their rights. While project partners strongly believe that a more inclusive society is possible, it is a fact that, currently, public places such as bars, libraries, parks, and shops are not always designed for people with disabilities.

Based on the common conviction that everyone should be free and comfortable in the places they frequent, hence, there was born the Mind Inclusion application: a practical, useful, simple, easy-to-use tool that helps people with both cognitive and physical disabilities find and reach different spots in a city; as well as give them an understanding of the offer of those places, from services to opening hours, exact location, how to reach it and what the neighbourhood is like. In other words, the Mind Inclusion app wishes to help its users know more about a place in just a few clicks, for everyone to enjoy a better social life in an inclusive environment!

The app, indeed, wants not only to improve the inclusion in society of people with disabilities, but also to connect with managers of public places and make them more aware of the theme of social inclusion. In a time like this, spreading the seed of solidarity and attention to the other is more important than ever.

  • If you are the manager of a public space and you are interested in becoming part of this great initiative, watch this video.
  • If you want to use the app, download it from the Google Play store in English, Lithuanian, Spanish or Italian (soon in French as well).

What are you waiting for? Create your Mind Inclusion app account!

Started in November 2018, the Mind Inclusion 2.0 project aims to find sustainable and inclusive solutions that help caregivers improve their skills, on one hand, and allow disabled individuals to participate in social life on the other hand – with the goal to help people with disabilities overcome obstacles, thanks to technology, when accessing public places. Funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission, the project consortium gathers lead partner Margherita: Società Cooperativa Onlus (Italy) together with Polibienestar Research Institute, INTRAS Foundation (Spain), Social IT Software & Consulting Srl (Italy), Lietuvos sutrikusio intelekto zmoniu globos bendrija «Viltis» (Lithuania) and ALDA.

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BRIGHT’s Community of Interest is coming together. Three European actors have joined the community so far – there are still two spots available!
With its Community of Interest, BRIGHT is creating a wide network of local stakeholders across Europe for the protection of the rights of women seasonal workers employed in agriculture in the hosting communities. The members of the Community will have the chance to participate in the most interesting activities organized by the project partners, such as technical and awareness-raising webinars and capacity building training.


–> Want to join us?

To join the BRIGHT Community of Interest it is necessary to share the project goals and mission by signing a Memorandum of Understanding.The participation is free of charge. For more information: martina@aldaintranet.org


COMMUNITY MEMBERS: LET’S INTRODUCE THEM!

URBAN2020, Romania

URBAN2020 is a Bucharest-based NGO which stands up for the improvement of the citizens’ qualityof life in Romania and across Europe, by supporting good governance and promoting sustainability and equity in partnershipcreation between public, academic and private sectors. URBAN2020 strives to reduce the gaps between Romania andWestern Europe and between rural and urban dimensions by fostering the development through urban planning andarchitectural services. It also encourages the active participation of citizens and youth in decision-making, city life and theredevelopment of urban spaces and the integration of disadvantaged groups through training and educational services. Theinvolvement in the BRIGHT project represents a new challenge, an opportunity to expand its action’s range to cover anincreasingly topical social problem and try to find a connection with urban and territorial politics and strategies that can helpbetter understand the phenomena and develop the right policy toolkit to face it. URBAN2020 expertise may prove useful forthe elaboration of innovative strategies for the creation of local-based partnerships between citizens, private entities andmunicipalities to promote community-based initiatives in the Romanian cities most affected by the phenomenon and raiseawareness on it. (http://urban2020.org/) 

IPRES, Italy

The Apulian Institute of Economic and Social Research (IPRES) was founded in 1968 as anAssociation between public bodies, expression of the local and functional Autonomies’ system of the Puglia region. In July2018, IPRES was transformed into Foundation: the Puglia Region, the Municipalities of Bari, Taranto and Brindisi, theUniversity of Bari, the Chamber of Commerce of Bari and ISPE Association are members of IPRES. The Institute mission,firstly, aims at supporting the designing, adoption, implementation and evaluation of regional development policies and themultilevel institutional relationships. The Puglia Region is involved in promoting participatory governance systems, under theregional law n. 28/2017. As a technical body, supporting the formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation of theregional policies, IPRES Foundation is strictly concerned in training to support participatory processes and in recognition ofbest practices on participation methods. (https://www.ipres.it/it/) 

Bolyarovo Municipality, Bulgaria

Bolyarovo Municipality is situated in Southeastern Bulgaria, Yambol District. The municipality consists of 20 settlements, of which one city – the municipal center of Bolyarovo and 19 villages. The goals of Bolyarovo Municipality are to develop the conditions for economic development, to improve the quality of life, healthcare, educational, and social services, to improve the quality of administrative services and to create conditions for improvement of the climate.

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On September 3rd and 4th, 2020, ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida was honoured to participate to the Annual Federalist Training Seminar of the Spinelli Institute for Federalist Studies in Ventotene (Italy), together with the European Federalist Movement Italy and Europe. While she was an observer on the first day, she took the floor at the seminar on “European Solidarity vs Nationalism: towards political union” on the second day.
“Federalism in Europe and in the world. From the Monetary Union to the United States of Europe” was the title of this 39th edition of the event on the island where the Manifesto that inspired European Unity was written. Mrs Valmorbida’s intervention focused on solidarity being at the very heart of the European project and needing to be given priority not just in Covid-19 times or more generally in times of emergency, but rather as a matter of habit and constance.
“It is a question of individual wellbeing within a wider context“, she reminded; “institutional and political work must go hand in hand with a sense of citizenship, of culture and of common destiny and identity“. She proceeded to detail how the European project should be interpreted at the local level, too, and brought closer to citizens’ common sense, which can be distant from the great political dynamics but still very important. Such common sense of destiny, in fact, should be based on a series of micro-actions that, together, become macro: “ALDA works on a citizen dimension, of diffusion and information. Promoting citizenship, involvement, an idea of collective home through concrete practices: this is what we do together with local entities, municipalities and communities that share the same values“.

Of course, finding unanimity on complex topics is never easy when you involve masses of people, but after all “a citizen who’s active in their community is a citizen who’s active in the growth of Europe“. So on we go, with the strong belief that it is in the intimacy of local communities that each citizen’s vote is elaborated.

Read more on the event on the Spinelli Institute’s website.

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For many of us, the summer 2020 will be remembered as a summer like no other in recent history. Despite the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, luckily the implementation of projects’ activities didn’t stop.

Therefore, the association DRPDNM from Novo Mesto, Slovenia, organized safe outdoors events involving local youth, all within the framework of the project IMPACT. Together with the local partner Association for development of creative movement ‘Arabeska’, several workshops were held, which saw the participation of immigrants and children. The activity had an overall positive impact on the community, since being together help boosting the self-esteem and provide a sense of meaning. The youngsters were able to express their passion for art and to develop their artistic competencies, as also confirmed by Klara Magič Luneai, who joined the workshops: “Artistic expression in this way infuses self-confidence and is available as creative expression which has a positive impact on self-esteem.’’

The workshops took place on different locations and most of the activities were performed through the technique of improvisation, which was taught to children, thus enabling them to freely express feelings and emotions. A similar activity was organised during last year’s training in Italy, but as a matter of fact, working with children can give better results as they generally are more keen on building trust and connection within a given group of people.

Further workshop session will be prepared and implement during the autumn 2020… stay tuned!

This activity was organised as part of the IMPACT project – Inclusion Matters! using Performing Arts towards Cohesion and Tolerance, co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 Programme.

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We receive and publish from Afaf Zaddem, delegate of the LDA Tunisia:

“Agriculture is unquestionably one of the pillars of the Tunisian economy, public policies have continued to aim at improving agricultural profitability without thinking of integrating in their visions and action plans solutions oriented towards improving the working conditions of people working in this sector and mainly women agricultural workers.

In fact, the agricultural workforce is mainly composed of women, more than 70% of whom work mostly as casual workers. Female labor force is poorly valued, poorly remunerated and remains in the informal circuit without a work contract, without social security coverage, without dignified and secure transportation, without the possibility of unionization and far from decent work conditions. 73.5% of female agricultural workers are not insured against occupational hazards. Only 33.3% of rural women working in this sector have social security coverage. By way of comparison, only 93,500 female agricultural workers have social security coverage compared to 377,000 agricultural workers.

Rural women are very vulnerable. 32% of them are illiterate and only 19.3% have economic resources of their own. In fact, they face cultural, social and economic constraints that limit their access to the labor market and to dignified and well-paid jobs. The majority of economically active rural women remain excluded from the social protection system, despite their massive participation in the development of strategic economic sectors such as agriculture. In the absence of collective agreements governing the agricultural sector, and in the absence of adaptation of the legislation in force regarding social security for occasional agricultural workers, they find themselves without any social protection.

Of the 10727 social security contributors declared under the agricultural workers’ scheme, only 1148 (10.7%) are women. Many women, school dropouts and others who have passed the legal retirement age are forced to work in harsh, indecent and uncontrolled conditions to support themselves without any social protection, which exposes them to the dangers of unprotected handling of pesticides and other chemicals used, as well as to poor hygiene and transport conditions, and to the volume of work per hour.

Occupational accidents suffered by rural women are frequent but are not covered by the current insurance system. This system remains unsuited to the specificities of this female agricultural labor force.

Unequal access to social benefits and services and the lack of public and private support for family obligations and responsibilities are an obstacle to their participation in the formal labor market. As a result, they remain excluded from many development programs.

Major deficits in knowledge, monitoring and evaluation of the economic and social situation of rural women, particularly in the agricultural sector, remain and require multi-stakeholder and integrated intervention by the various parties concerned.

For all these reasons, the Agency for Local Democracy ADL, Kairouan TUNISIA launched on the occasion of International Women’s Day (March 8), a field study on the situation of “Working Women in the Agricultural Sector: Pillar of Development despite the lack of an appropriate legal status”. For this reason, it adopted the cause of rural women to mobilize and motivate civil society, institutions, local and national partners to develop a legal status that protects them and guarantees their rights.

This initiative is in line with SDG 5 and in the continuity of the EU-sponsored PARFAIT project, launched by the ALDA Lead Partner Association in partnership with EPD, the Women’s Coalition and LDA Tunisia, and targeted five governorates in Tunisia; the project aimed to promote women’s participation in local public life in Tunisia, and to raise their awareness of the fact that civil and political rights go hand in hand with economic and social rights.

Through a questionnaire that reached 600 women workers and 300 farmers in 10 delegations in the three regions (Kairouan, Mahdia and Sidi Bouzid), LDA undertook to make this careful diagnosis of the situation of women and to determine the extent of the violation suffered in order to find adequate solutions whose aim is to change the living conditions of women and enable them to participate fully in local governance.

The presence of LDA Tunisia in urban and rural social environments allows it to deepen its studies by being in direct contact with citizens at all social, cultural, economic and political levels … and also helps to raise awareness among local officials, including municipal councils to give priority to the cause of rural women which is part of Human Rights – including the principle of non-discrimination – the fight and prevention of poverty.

Since the appearance of the code of local authorities, local governance has expanded its territory following the merging of marginalized rural areas into municipal districts created in several governorates known by the density of their inhabitants such as SIDI BOUZID, KAIROUAN … where rural women working in the agricultural sector requires the attention of the municipal council. The latter should find her, as a citizen and member of society, concrete and profitable solutions to remedy the precarious situation.

On the occasion of the National Day of Tunisian Women, LDA Tunisia organized a regional symposium to present the results of the study, and invited members of municipal councils in the region, administrative executives, components of local civil society and representatives of national organizations, who actively interacted with the salient findings of the study presented by the expert Mr. Radwan El-Fatnasy.

The first delegate Mr. Abdel-Fattah Al-Taghouti on behalf of Mr. Wali de Kairouan delivered the opening speech in which he expressed the importance of interaction and engagement between the different parties at the local level in order to design practical mechanisms and local initiatives. He also stressed the value of local participatory work that could be initiated by ADL Tunisia as a local energizer, as well as the need for a legislative initiative resulting from a political will to change this reality. He also expressed his willingness to follow and support.

On the program, Professor Al-Nasser Al-Aqrabawi, mayor of Ain Al-Bayda, gave a speech on “Women and Local Authority, the rural woman as a model”. He said that 500,000 working in the agricultural sector without a clear legal framework. And that open local governance requires openness to all social groups, including women in the agricultural sector. He said that the legislator within the local community code focused on political rights while neglecting the rest of the rights, and that the municipal council is responsible for seeking as much as possible to play its role in sensitizing this population.

The symposium was also followed by the regional and national media, and resulted in many important and practical proposals, which highlighted the need for networking for monitoring, study, sensitization, and especially to advocate for the State to assume its responsibilities in the fight against abuses against women workers in the agricultural sector. For its part, the local civil society with the women’s commissions in the municipalities are expected to start awareness sessions on work safety, health of women workers, social security coverage, insurance, etc… the training centers for rural girls can also contribute to training activities on rights and hygiene.

Participants also stressed the need for a legal framework guaranteeing all these rights in order to change the conditions of precariousness.

The symposium concluded with the presentation of the next steps presented by Ms. Afaf Zaddem, the delegate of the Agency for Local Democracy, followed by the presentation of the study both in Sidi Bouzid and Mahdia in the presence of local actors, launch a national advocacy campaign on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women on October 15, 2020, and form a legal committee to present a legislative initiative for a status that preserves the rights of rural women in the agricultural sector. For its part, LDA Tunisia is responsible for mobilizing national and international partners to support this local initiative that has grown”.

Watch the promotional video of this study: https://urlz.fr/dHsO.

DOCUMENTS

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Did you know that the APProach project created an online platform? Discover this great digital tool! 

Why the platform? One of the goals of the project was to design an online platform where European citizens and project partners can collaborate together. During various months, through test group activities and surveys, the project consortium asked for feedback from a number of EU citizens about the platform, what they wanted to see in it, etc…

The APProach platform was hence born thanks to the collaboration of both parties in order to answer as best as possible the questions and needs of mobile European citizens when they arrive in a new city.

How does it work? This platform was developed by 6 European cities that have a strong wish to help their newcomers: Paris, Lisbon, Etterbeek, Milan, Vejle and Nea Smyrni. A dedicated page was designed for each city, and the majority of the pages are both in the national language and in English.

By navigating the platform, every EU citizen will be able to find information on various topics such as education, civic and social life as well as voting. There is also an option to be an active participant in the evolution of the platform by becoming its member, thus being enabled to share events through a collaborative calendar and to help other newcomers by translating content in other languages.

What are you waiting for? Visit the APProach online platform: https://project-approach.eu/.

For more information about the APProach project

About the project: starting in April 2018, the APProach project is working to fill an existing gap which limits the exercises of citizens’ civic rights by co-creating an online platform. The project is co-funded by the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme, aiming to facilitate the circulation of information towards EU mobile citizens for them to effectively exercise their rights in their welcoming city.

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

ALDA opens its doors to all those who want to support our work, whatever their age, nationality or profession! Contribute to our mission with a small donation, starting from €20 a year, and become a Friend of ALDA!

If you care about local democracy and citizen participation, you can now support the Association towards the values and goals you have at heart. Join the Friends of ALDA and

– always be up to date on our sectors of action
– receive our monthly and thematic newsletters
– be in the know of all our meetings, conferences and projects in the enlarged Europe
– benefit from discounts on training opportunities and other ALDA activities

…and more! We’ll be happy to send you your e-card “Friends of ALDA” in recognition of your special bond with us!

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Supporta la democrazia locale e la partecipazione cittadina, diventa Amico/a di ALDA!

ALDA apre le proprie porte a tutti coloro che desiderano sostenere il nostro lavoro, qualsiasi sia la loro età, nazionalità o professione! Contribuisci alla nostra missione con una piccola donazione, a partire da €20 all’anno, e diventa Amico/a di ALDA!

Se la democrazia locale e la partecipazione dei cittadini sono importanti per te, ora puoi supportare l’Associazione per i valori e gli obiettivi che hai a cuore! Unisciti agli Amici di ALDA e

– sarai sempre aggiornato/a sui nostri settori di azione
– riceverai le nostre newsletter mensili e tematiche
– ti terremo sempre a conoscenza sui nostri incontri, conferenze e progetti nell’Europa allargata
– potrai usufruire di sconti sulle offerte formative ed altre attività organizzate da ALDA

…ed altro ancora! Saremo felici di inviarti la tua e-card “Amici di ALDA” in riconoscimento del tuo speciale legame con noi!

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

If you come from, or know, the Western Balkans, have you ever wondered what Konjic, Brezovica, Uzice or Sid have in common? The answer is that they all have exquisite post-WW2 monuments as part of their cultural heritage.

This summer, young bloggers, greeters and touristic workers are having the opportunity to visit different parts of these cultural heritage sites in the Western Balkans, where the local Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs) are proposing three different tours around Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia within the “Monumental 9” project.

First, a tour of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro includes visits to Tito’s bunker in Konjic, the Battle of Neretva Memorial in Jablanica, the Partisan cemetery in Mostar and the Trebjesa Memorial site near Niksic. The Monument Brezovica in Kosovo, Makedonium in Krusevo (North Macedonia) and Bubanj Memorial Park in Nis (Serbia) follow in the second tour. The last itinerary, finally, goes from the Kadinjaca Monument site in Uzice through the Sremski Front memorial park in Sid and ends with the Kozara Monument in Prijedor.

In thisexciting discovery experience dipped in rich history, the young bloggers and greeters involved have the opportunity to film while boating on the marvelous Jablanica Lake or document the local artisanal production of cheese and coffee – as not only the history of the monuments is important, but its connection with the beautiful local nature and its valuable produce, too. How to forget the Balkanic traditional and fine industries such as knitting in Jablanica or crafting your own bracelets in Mostar, not to mention the varied and tasteful local gastronomy?

This touristic offer of the WW2 cultural heritage of the Western Balkans collected by the Monumental 9 project will soon be presented on a new website, showcasing all those attractive places for everyone to see. Stay tuned!

Monumental 9 is supported by the Regional Cooperation Council and implemented by ALDA’s Skopje office and Western Balkan LDAs.

DOCUMENTS

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In cooperation with local partners in Moldova, starting in mid-July 2020 ALDA has organized more than 15 trainings in the context of the AGREED project’s capacity-building programme for Local Authorities (LAs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).

With the aim to increase LPAs and CSOs’ knowledge and skills in the fields of decentralization, transparency and citizen participation, the programme provides them with crucial training on the application of the principles of participatory democracy within the context of local communities. The trainings, which should amount to at least one for each of the 32 districts of Moldova by the end of September, are delivered face-to-face where possible and in online format in those districts where the Covid-19 situation doesn’t allow for that.

Panel discussions tackle various aspects of cooperation between CSOs and LAs, such as open government partnership in the service of local democracy or the preconditions for effective cooperation between the two; so far, all meetings have gathered around 35-45 participants including a great mix of mayors, local counselors and representatives of non-governmental organisations, as well as the presidents and/or vice-presidents of the districts when available.

“We will be grateful if you’ll organize such trainings in the future again”, mentioned participants in their evaluation questionnaire. “The information and consultation provided is extremely helpful”.

Co-financed by National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the capacity-building programme is looking forward to continue its mission in the coming weeks with hopefully ever-increasing success!

The 24-month AGREED project (Activating Governance Reform for Enhancing Development) is co-financed by the European Union and implemented by Alda together with the Local Democracy Agency Moldova and the University Legal Clinic Balti. It aims to strengthen the capacity of Moldovan local authorities to perform a transparent and participatory governance in their Communities, with a specific reference to the policy-making process related to decentralisation reform.

DOCUMENTS

  • No documents available

Over the last 17 years, the European Week of Regions and Cities (#EURegionsWeek), i.e. the biggest annual Brussels-based event dedicated to regional policy, has been instrumental in promoting policy learning and exchange of good practices.

This year, we are thrilled that ALDA will be especially active in this unique communication and networking platform: as well as situating the annual General Assembly within the framework of the Week, in fact, the Association is one of its official partners and will be involved in two of its October events as project partner of the CAMELOT and the LIFE Metro Adapt projects.

To begin with, during the first week of the exceptional 3-week spread of this 2020 edition, the CAMELOT project will lead a workshop on Metropolitan cities and European funds to tackle Covid-19 emergency under the “Empowering Citizens” theme. Taking place on October 6th from 9:30 to 11am, the workshop will be an opportunity to share best practices about facing the pandemic crisis and to reflect about future cities’ outlook, while steering cities in the direction of green, digital, sustainable growth and relying on cooperation among European States.

From an overview on the new European Multi-annual Financial Framework (2021-2027) to a debate around the three main challenges that cities are nowadays called to face (social, digital, green), CAMELOT’s lead partner the Metropolitan City of Milan and ALDA will bring to discussion successful cases and experiences in European funding management and implementation, for the economic reconstruction of cities and the creation of new opportunities for their communities; and will present its experience with the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative and React-EU.

On October 22nd from 11:30am to 1pm, then, the LIFE Metro Adapt project will intervene in the “Green Europe” week, in cooperation with the European Green Week of which ALDA is also an official partner, on the topic of Adapting European Metropolitan Areas to Climate Change. As Europe has been identified as one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change, this workshop will analyze the fundamental role of European Metropolitan Cities in setting a comprehensive strategy to adopt climate change adaptation measures at the local level.

Starting from the successful process developed within the LIFE Metro Adapt project itself (co-funded by the LIFE Programme of the European Union), the workshop will (1) create dialogue on the possible measures and strategies for climate change adaptation that local authorities can strive towards, specifically as regards flood risk prevention and the reduction of the urban heat islands effect; (2) stress the importance of fostering good practices replicability and knowledge transfer at the European level; and (3) encourage citizens’ participation.

Register for all events of the 18th European Week of Regions and Cities from August 27th, 2020!
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À la Semaine européenne des régions avec CAMELOT et LIFE Metro Adapt

Au cours des 17 dernières années, la Semaine européenne des régions et des villes (#EURegionsWeek), c’est-à-dire le plus grand événement annuel à Bruxelles consacré à la politique régionale, a joué un rôle essentiel dans la promotion de l’apprentissage politique et de l’échange de bonnes pratiques.

Cette année, nous sommes ravis qu’ALDA soit particulièrement active dans cette plateforme unique de communication et de mise en réseau. En plus de situer l’Assemblée générale annuelle dans le cadre de la Semaine, l’Association est en effet l’un de ses partenaires officiels et sera impliquée dans deux de ses événements d’octobre en tant que partenaire des projets CAMELOT et LIFE Metro Adapt.

Tout d’abord, pendant la première semaine de cette édition 2020 qui durera exceptionnellement 3 semaines, le projet CAMELOT animera un atelier sur les villes métropolitaines et les fonds européens pour faire face à l’urgence de Covid-19 sous le thème “Empowering Citizens”. L’atelier, qui aura lieu le 6 octobre de 9h30 à 11h, sera l’occasion de partager les meilleures pratiques pour faire face à la crise pandémique et de réfléchir aux perspectives des villes futures, tout en orientant les villes vers une croissance verte, numérique et durable et en s’appuyant sur la coopération entre les États européens.

D’un aperçu du nouveau cadre financier pluriannuel européen (2021-2027) à un débat autour des trois principaux défis auxquels les villes sont aujourd’hui appelées à faire face (social, numérique, vert), le partenaire principal de CAMELOT, la ville métropolitaine de Milan et ALDA, apporteront à la discussion des cas et des expériences réussies en matière de gestion et de mise en œuvre de financements européens, pour la reconstruction économique des villes et la création de nouvelles opportunités pour leurs communautés ; et présenteront leur expérience avec l’initiative d’investissement dans la réponse au coronavirus et React-EU.

Le 22 octobre de 11h30 à 13h, le projet LIFE Metro Adapt interviendra dans le cadre de la semaine “Green Europe”, en coopération avec la Semaine verte européenne dont ALDA est également un partenaire officiel, sur le thème de l’adaptation des aires métropolitaines européennes au changement climatique. L’Europe ayant été identifiée comme l’une des zones les plus vulnérables au changement climatique, cet atelier analysera le rôle fondamental des villes métropolitaines européennes dans la mise en place d’une stratégie globale visant à adopter des mesures d’adaptation au changement climatique au niveau local.

En partant du processus réussi développé dans le cadre du projet LIFE Metro Adapt (cofinancé par le programme LIFE de l’Union européenne), l’atelier (1) créera un dialogue sur les mesures et stratégies possibles d’adaptation au changement climatique que les autorités locales peuvent s’efforcer d’adopter, en particulier en ce qui concerne la prévention des risques d’inondation et la réduction de l’effet d’îlot de chaleur urbain ; (2) soulignera l’importance de favoriser la reproductibilité des bonnes pratiques et le transfert de connaissances au niveau européen ; et (3) encouragera la participation des citoyens.

Inscrivez-vous à tous les événements de la 18e Semaine européenne des régions et des villes à partir du 27 août 2020 !

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Alla Settimana UE delle Regioni con CAMELOT e LIFE Metro Adapt 

Negli ultimi 17 anni, la Settimana Europea delle Regioni e delle Città (#EURegionsWeek), maggior evento annuale di Bruxelles dedicato alla politica regionale, ha contribuito in modo cruciale a promuovere l’apprendimento delle politiche e lo scambio di buone pratiche.

Quest’anno, ALDA sarà felicemente particolarmente attiva in questa piattaforma unica di comunicazione e networking: oltre a collocare l’annuale Assemblea Generale nell’ambito della Settimana, infatti, l’Associazione è uno dei suoi partner ufficiali e sarà coinvolta in due dei suoi eventi di ottobre come partner di progetto dei progetti CAMELOT e LIFE Metro Adapt.

Per cominciare, durante la prima delle eccezionali 3 settimane di calendario per questa edizione 2020, il progetto CAMELOT condurrà un workshop a tema Città metropolitane e fondi europei per affrontare l’emergenza Covid-19 all’interno della serie “Empowering Citizens”. Il workshop, che si terrà il 6 ottobre dalle 9.30 alle 11.00, sarà un’occasione per condividere le migliori pratiche per affrontare la crisi pandemica e per riflettere sulle prospettive future delle città, orientandole verso una crescita verde, digitale e sostenibile e puntando sulla cooperazione tra gli Stati europei.

Da una panoramica sul nuovo Quadro Finanziario Pluriennale Europeo (2021-2027) ad un dibattito sulle tre principali sfide che le città sono oggi chiamate ad affrontare (sociale, digitale, verde), ALDA e il capofila di CAMELOT, la Città Metropolitana di Milano, metteranno sul tavolo casi ed esperienze di successo nella gestione ed implementazione dei finanziamenti europei per la ricostruzione economica delle città e la creazione di nuove opportunità per le loro comunità; e presenteranno l’esperienza milanese con la “Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative” e con “React-EU”.

Il 22 ottobre dalle 11.30 alle 13.00, poi, il progetto LIFE Metro Adapt interverrà nella settimana “Green Europe”, in collaborazione con la Settimana Verde Europea di cui ALDA pure è partner ufficiale, a proposito dell’Adattamento delle aree metropolitane europee ai cambiamenti climatici. Dal momento che l’Europa è stata identificata come una delle aree più vulnerabili al cambiamento climatico, il workshop analizzerà il ruolo fondamentale delle città metropolitane europee nel definire una strategia a tutto tondo per adottare misure di adattamento al cambiamento climatico a livello locale.

A partire dall’efficace processo sviluppato nell’ambito del progetto LIFE Metro Adapt stesso (co-finanziato dal Programma LIFE dell’Unione Europea), il workshop (1) creerà un dialogo sulle possibili misure e strategie per l’adattamento al cambiamento climatico cui le autorità locali possono tendere, in particolare per quanto riguarda la prevenzione del rischio di inondazioni e la riduzione dell’effetto delle isole di calore urbano; (2) sottolineerà l’importanza di promuovere la replicabilità delle buone pratiche e il trasferimento di conoscenze a livello europeo; e (3) incoraggerà la partecipazione dei cittadini.

Iscriviti a tutti gli eventi della 18esima Settimana Europea delle Regioni e delle Città dal 27 agosto 2020!

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На Неделе регионов ЕС с CAMELOT и LIFE Metro Adapt

За последние 17 лет Европейская неделя регионов и городов (#EURegionsWeek), то есть крупнейшее ежегодное мероприятие в Брюсселе, посвященное региональной политике, сыграла важную роль в содействии изучению политики и обмену передовым опытом.

В этом году мы очень рады, что ALDA будет особенно активна в этой уникальной коммуникационной и сетевой платформе: помимо проведения ежегодной Генеральной Ассамблеи в рамках Недели, фактически, Ассоциация является одним из ее официальных партнеров и будет участвовать в двух октябрьских мероприятиях в качестве партнера проектов CAMELOT и LIFE Metro Adapt.

Начнем с того, что в течение первой недели исключительного трехнедельного распространения этого издания 2020 года проект CAMELOT проведет семинар по мегаполисам и европейским фондам для решения проблемы чрезвычайной ситуации Covid-19 в рамках темы «Расширение прав и возможностей граждан». Семинар, который состоится 6 октября с 9:30 до 11:00, предоставит возможность поделиться передовым опытом борьбы с пандемическим кризисом и поразмышлять о перспективах городов будущего, в то же время направляя города в направлении зеленого, цифрового, устойчивого роста и опираясь на сотрудничество между европейскими государствами.

От обзора новой европейской многолетней финансовой системы (2021-2027) до обсуждения трех основных проблем, с которыми в настоящее время сталкиваются города (социальные, цифровые, зеленые), ведущий партнер CAMELOT –  город Милан и ALDA представит на обсуждение успешные примеры и опыт в области управления и реализации финансирования в Европе для экономической реконструкции городов и создания новых возможностей для их сообществ; и представит свой опыт работы с Инвестиционной Инициативой по Реагированию на Коронавирус и React-EU.

Затем, 22 октября с 11:30 до 13:00, проект LIFE Metro Adapt примет участие в неделе «Зеленой Европы» в сотрудничестве с Европейской зеленой неделей, официальным партнером которой является и компания ALDA, по теме адаптации европейских мегаполисов к изменению климата. Поскольку Европа была определена как одна из наиболее уязвимых областей для изменения климата, на этом семинаре будет проанализирована фундаментальная роль европейских мегаполисов в разработке всеобъемлющей стратегии для принятия мер по адаптации к изменению климата на местном уровне.

Начиная с успешного процесса, разработанного в рамках самого проекта LIFE Metro Adapt (финансируемого совместно с программой LIFE Европейского Союза), семинар (1) создаст диалог о возможных мерах и стратегиях адаптации к изменению климата, к которым могут стремиться местные власти в частности в отношении предотвращения риска наводнений и уменьшения эффекта городских тепловых островов; (2) подчеркнуть важность содействия воспроизведению передовой практики и передаче знаний на европейском уровне; и (3) поощрять участие граждан.

Регистрируйтесь на все мероприятия 18-й Европейской недели регионов и городов с 27 августа 2020 года!

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Na EU nedelji regiona sa projektima CAMELOT i LIFE Metro Adapt 

Tokom poslednjih 17 godina, Evropska nedelja regiona i gradova (#EURegionsWeek), tj . najveći godišnji događaj u Briselu, posvećen regionalnoj politici, bio je klјučan za promociju učenja o politici i razmene dobrih praksi.

Ove godine smo oduševlјeni time što će ALDA biti posebno aktivna u ovoj jedinstvenoj platformi za komunikaciju i umrežavanje: kao i održavanju godišnje Generalne skupštine u okviru tog događaja, u stvari, naša asocijacija je jedan od zvaničnih partnera i biće uklјučen u dva oktobarska događaja kao partner na projektima CAMELOT i LIFE Metro Adapt.

Za početak, tokom prve nedelјe događaja, projekat CAMELOT će voditi radionicu o metropolitskim gradovima i evropskim fondovima za rešavanje problema za pružanje pomoći tokom Covid-19 krize u okviru teme “Osnaživanje građana”. Radionica će se održati 6. oktobra od 9:30 do 11:00, i to će biti dobra prilika za razmenu najbolјih praksi suočavanja sa pandemijskom krizom i za razmišlјanje o izgledom gradova u budućnosti, usmeravajući ih u pravcu zelenog, digitalnog, održivog rasta i oslanjajući se na saradnju između evropskih država.

Od pregleda novog evropskog višegodišnjeg finansijskog okvira (2021.-2027.), do debate o tri glavna izazova sa kojima se danas gradovi suočavaju (socijalni, digitalni, zeleni), vodeći partner CAMELOT-a, grad Milano i ALDA izneće tokom diskusije uspešne slučajeve i iskustva u upravlјanju i primeni evropskog finansiranja, za ekonomsku obnovu gradova i stvaranje novih mogućnosti za njihove zajednice; i predstaviće svoje iskustvo sa Inicijativom za investiranje u reagovanje na korona virus i React-EU.

22. oktobra od 11:30 do 13:00, projekat LIFE Metro Adapt uključiće se u nedelјu „Zelene Evrope“, u saradnji sa Evropskom zelenom nedeljom, u okviru koje je ALDA takođe zvanični partner, na temu prilagođavanja evropskih metropola klimatskim promenama. Pošto je Evropa identifikovana kao jedno od najugroženijih područja za klimatske promene, ova radionica će analizirati osnovnu ulogu evropskih gradova u uspostavlјanju sveobuhvatne strategije za usvajanje mera prilagođavanja klimatskim promenama na lokalnom nivou.

Polazeći od uspešnog procesa razvijenog u okviru samog projekta LIFE Metro Adapt (sufinansiranog iz LIFE programa Evropske unije), radionica će (1) kreirati dijalog o mogućim merama i strategijama za prilagođavanje klimatskim promenama kojima lokalne vlasti mogu da teže, posebno u pogledu sprečavanja rizika od poplava i smanjenja efekta urbanih toplih ostrva; (2) naglasiti važnost podsticanja ponovlјivosti dobre prakse i prenosa znanja na evropskom nivou; i (3) podsticanje učešća građana.

Registrujte se za sve događaje 18. evropske nedelјe regiona i gradova od 27. avgusta 2020. godine!

العربية

فيالأسبوعالأوروبيللمناطقرفقةكاملوولايفمتروأدابت

 (#EURegionsWeek),خلال فترة 17 سنة الأخيرة, مثلت تظاهرة الأسبوع الأوروبي للمناطق والمدن
.أكبر تظاهرة سنوية تم تنظيمها بمدينة بروكسل وخصصتللسياسةالإقليمية, أداة فاعلة للترويج لفنون تعليم السياسة وتبادل الممارسات الحميدة

هذا العام, يحدونا شعور كبير يتسم بالإثارة والحماس أمامالنشاطالخاصالذيتقومبهألدا على هذه المنصة الفريدة في مجال الاتصال والتشبيك: إضافة إلى وضع الجمعية العامة السنوية في الإطار الاسبوعي. ستتكفل الجمعية, التي تمثلأحدالشركاءالرسميين, بتنظيم تظاهرتين اثنتين, تقام خلال شهر أكتوبر (تشرين الأول), حيث ستكون شريكا في مشروع كاملو ومشروع لايف متروأدابت.

في البداية, وخلال الأسبوع الأول ضمن البرنامج الخاص الذي سيمتد على مدى 3 أسابيع في إطار دورة 2020 هذه, سيتولى القائمون على مشروع كاملو قيادة ورشة عمل حول موضوع المدنالمتروبوليةوالاعتماداتالأوروبيةللتعاملمعحالاتالطوارئالتيفرضتهاجائحةكوفيد-19, وذلك تحت عنوان “تمكين المواطنين”. ستمثل هذه الورشة التي ستنظم يوم 6 أكتوبر (تشرينالأول), منالساعة 9.30 إلى 11.00, فرصة سانحة لتبادل أفضل الممارسات حول طريقة التعامل مع جائحة كوفيد-19 والتفكير في الشكل الذي ستكتسبه المدن مستقبلا, مع الحرص على توجيه هذه المدن نحو كل ما هو أخضر ورقمي وكذلك نحو التنمية المستدامة والاعتماد على أصناف شتى من التعاون بين مختلف الدول الأوروبية

انطلاقا من لمحة عن الإطار المالي المتعدد السنوات لأوروبا جديدة (2021-2027) ووصولا إلى نقاش حول ثلاثة تحديات كبرى يتعين على المدن رفعها في الوقت الحاضر (من الجوانب الاجتماعية والرقمية والخضراء), ستتولى كل من مدينة ميلانو المتروبولية, بصفتها الشريك الأساسي في مشروع كاملو, وألدا إثارة الحالات والتجارب الناجحة للنقاش في إطار منظومة الإدارة والتنفيذ للاعتمادات الأوروبية, وذلك بهدف إنجاز إعادة الإعمار الاقتصادي للمدن وخلق فرص جديدة لفائدة مجتمعاتهم المحلية. كما سيتم بهذه المناسبة تقديم التجربة الخاصة بمبادرة الاستثمار للتعامل مع جائحة كوفيد-19 ورد الفعل في الاتحاد (Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative and React-EU)- الأوروبي.

يوم 22 أكتوبر (تشرينالأول), منالساعة 11.00 إلى  13.00, سيقدم القائمون على مشروع لايف مترو أدابت مداخلة تأتي في إطار أسبوع “أوروبا الخضراء“, وذلك بالتعاون مع أسبوع أوروبا الخضراء,  الذي تُعدّ الدا أحد الشركاء الرئيسيين فيه ,حول محورتأقلمالمناطقالمتروبوليةالأوروبيةمعالتغيراتالمناخية.

بعد تصنيف أوروبا كمنطقة أكثر هشاشة بسبب التغيرات المناخية, سيتولى المشاركون في هذه الورشة تحليل الدور المحوري الذي تلعبه المدن المتروبولية في أوروبا في اعتماد استراتيجية شاملة لاتخاذ اجراءات تمكن من التأقلم مع التغيرات المناخية على المستوى المحلي.

انطلاقا من التجربة الناجحة التي تم اعتمادها في إطار مشروع لايف مترو أدابت نفسه (الذي يحظى بتمويل مشترك من قبل برنامج لايف للاتحاد الأوروبي), سيعكف منظمو الورشة على (1) خلق حوار حول الاجراءات والاستراتيجيات الممكنة للتأقلم مع التغيرات المناخية والتي يمكن للسلطات المحلية التطلع لها وخاصة فيما يتعلق بالوقاية من مخاطر الفيضانات والحد من تداعيات ظاهرة الجزر الحرارية الحضرية, (2) التأكيد على أهمية استنساخ الممارسات الحميدة ونقل المعرفة على المستوى الأوروبي, و(3) التشجيع على مشاركة المواطنين.

بادر بالتسجيل للمساهمة في كافة التظاهرات التي ستقام بمناسبة الدورة 18 للأسبوع الأوروبي للمناطق والمدن, انطلاقا من تاريخ 27 أكتوبر (تشرين الأول), 2020

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While Coronavirus keeps circulating all over the world, governments and civic society organizations are each implementing their own measures to face the pandemic, thus giving a variety of local responses to this global phenomenon.

For months now, ALDA member the Local Council Association (LCA) has been doing just that in its home country of Malta, and ALDA is proud to share such contribution as one of the good practices to counter the crisis that we are studying through our ad hoc questionnaire. In cooperation with the island’s authorities, LCA is in fact involved in the management of two projects that could actually continue and evolve even after the end of the current emergency, given their proven ability to improve the quality of life in Malta.

The first project is called YouSafe. Starting from the assumption that any crisis can be seen as an opportunity to improve behaviours and procedures, its founding idea is for the pandemic to act as a motivation for Local Councils to move away from a model of delivering services to and for people, and adopt a model of delivering services with people instead.

Indeed, YouSafe’s setup consists of 68 Facebook Groups, one for each Maltese Local Council, which are managed and moderated independently by each Local Council’s team. All groups then come together under a single ad hoc Facebook Page aiming to facilitate growth, the dissemination of general information and the cross-sharing of information among the different communities and Local Councils. Moreover, the team managing each group is encouraged to take part in conversations to reach a variety of goals, among which the creation and fostering of dialogue with local inhabitants; a greater involvement in decision-making; the energising of residents around particular initiatives or topics; and a habit for communities to help one another.

Secondly but not less importantly, the LCA is carrying forward the Slow Streets project, too. In cooperation with the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government and in coordination with Transport Malta and the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Project, the Association is working on an action plan to make sure that the mobility flows resuming after Coronavirus’ first wave are safe, sustainable, healthy and efficient.

More specifically, as travelling on foot and by bycicle will keep being the most recommended ways to get around for short and medium distances, the plan wishes to promote walking and cycling; and, with that in mind, it foresees a few necessary temporary interventions. Such short-term actions can in turn be considered as a tool to test ideas before implementing large-scale and expensive projects which might run the risk of not actually meeting the designed goals, while some may prove so successful as to become permanent or cyclical from their very onset.

All actions are part of the LCA Vision 2019-2024 plan, through which Malta will implement actions in the four key sectors of urban green; mobility and sustainable transport; smart city; and open space. Hoping that this can serve as inspiration for others, ALDA wishes to congratulate the Local Council Association for its amazing efforts so far: keep up the remarkable work!

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We are happy to announce a recent addition among the ranks of our ALDA ambassadors! As of beginning of August 2020, we were delighted to have Pascal Goergen join this wonderful group of committed individuals with the mandate to represent the Association and consolidate it at the local level as a pan-European organisation… and beyond.

Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Grez-Doiceau in Belgium, where Mr Goergen leads citizen participation, civic affairs, population, digitalisation, international relations and partnerships, we couldn’t think of a better fit for this role and its aim to improve visibility and establish relationships with new counterparts and to support the action of the ALDA members in Belgium.

With around 20 years of experience in local and regional European affairs, indeed, this 57-year-old Belgian is a doctor in Political Science and a trained Germanist who is very familiar with the realities of his country and is a fervent defender of democratic values, particularly at the regional, national and European levels.

Included in his noteworthy curriculum are 10 years as diplomatic representative of the Brussels-Capital region to the European Union as well as almost 4 years as Secretary General of the Assembly of European Regions (AER); and it was out of Mr Goergen’s initiative that his Municipality became the first ALDA member of the Walloon Region in 2019 and will soon participate in a European project in partnership with other ALDA members, too.

“From the beginning of my mandate in Grez-Doiceau in December 2018, I have put ethics, good governance and citizen participation at the centre of my concerns. A charter of good governance and a code of citizen participation were adopted by the Communal Council. My municipality’s membership of ALDA is a real added value: on the one hand, it is a way of putting Grez-Doiceau on the European map and, on the other hand, it provides a whole range of tools to improve citizens’ participation in local life: through European programmes, exchanges of good practice and via the ALDA network. As an ambassador, I would like all Belgian municipalities to benefit from this added value that Alda represents“. Thank you Pascal, and welcome!

–> Read the related article on the Brussels Express.

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On September 22nd and 23rd, 2020, the closing conference of the Monumental 9 project was held in Nikšić, Montenegro officially announcing the end of the project activities.

The outcomes of Monumental 9 included online trainings for young local greeters, vloggers and bloggers as well as, most importantly, the creation of 3 pilot tours to promote memorial tourism – the first in Konjic, Jablanica, Mostar and Nikšić; the second in Brezovica, Kruševo, Niš; and the last in Prijedor, Šid and Užice.

An interactive and friendly website containing audio, visual and written narratives of the nine magnificent WWII monuments in question was also created, giving the possibility to explore the Balkan adventure of the project stakeholders, and can be visited at www.monumental9.org.

The values at the core of the project will now see a follow-up with the new CulTours activities funded by the Western Balkan Fund, which aim to create a mobile application for the promotion and dissemination of local cultural heritage.

The CulTours will carry on and promote Monumental 9’s core values

Monumental 9 was supported by the Regional Cooperation Council through the Tourism Development & Promotion Project’s Grant Programme, and funded by European Union. Implemented by the Local Democracy Agency Montenegro as lead partner, its consortium involved LDA Mostar, LDA Kosovo, LDA Zavidovici, LDA Prijedor, LDA Knjazevac, LDA Subotica & ALDA Skopje and drew on the cultural heritage monuments dedicated to WWII in the Western Balkans.

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International African Women’s Day was promulgated by the United Nations in 1962, before being officially declared on July 31st, 1974, during the first Congress organised by the Panafrican Women’s Organisation in Dakar.

Since that moment, African women have set numerous achievements and have been marking history thanks to the important role they have been playing within their countries, as well as in the world, increasingly showing an authentic leadership that is taking foot in the political and economic world.

On July 31st, 2020, LDA Tunisia organised a joint event together with the Youth Economic Chamber (Jeune Chambre Economique JCI) in Kairouan, Tunisia to celebrate such important recurrence. The idea to make this happen was born during a “friendly talk” session with JCI Junior Kairouan, as the group wanted to honour all African Women for their perseverance, resilience in protecting their rights, and for contributing to the consolidation of democracy and to the sustainable development of their countries. Prepared and realised by youth, the event allowed the audience to discover through a docu-film the lives of the 5 most affirmed African women, followed by an “open mic” session where the audience of young students had the chance to share their related experiences in the city of Kairouan.

The whole occasion was marked by outstanding vivacity, bright colours and African rythms which brought joy to all, and was a great way not only to reaffirm the important role of women in the Continent, but also to promote the culture of African students in Kairouan, and to allow youth to perceive and appreciate the ethnic and linguistic differences of the Sub-Saharan African community that resides there.

Once again, a wonderful initiative brought together by LDA Tunisia together with local actors, in line with its strategic objectives of promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) connected to sustainable cities and communities; local governance and citizen participation; gender equality; local development and cultural heritage valorisation. The Agency has to date completed the PARFAIT project and is currently involved in the projects In City, Ricomincio Da Te, and AUTREMENT. In addition, it is undertaking a strategy for waste management in Kairouan, conducting a field study on local women employed in the agricultural field, and hosting regular workshops and webinars: a true inspiration for all of Alda!