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Politeia, the initiative aimed at promoting youth engagement and democratic participation in the Western Balkans region and funded by the European Union, has launched its much-anticipated week-long Regional School for Youth Participation on July 6 in Niš (🇷🇸), welcoming this year’s students from Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

The first POLITEIA School for Civil Society took place in 1997 where youth gained valuable knowledge of democratic and European values. Since then, hundreds of young people were taught and motivated to actively participate in social and political processes. POLITEIA is recognized as one of the leading non-formal educative programs because of its various choice of lecturers, interactive methodology as well as choosing qualified participants. 

Vice-President of ALDA and Secretary General of the Center for Democracy Foundation, Nataša Vučković, took the floor to introduce to young participants all the stimulating opportunities that the institute introduced this year: to mention one, students will be involved in actively developing a project, based entirely on their inputs and ideas. Afterwards, she emphasized the importance of engaging youngsters in concretely learning and exchanging, to maintain the debate always open to  reflections that will empower youth to build a better and more prosperous future of the Western Balkans.

ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida encouraged youngsters to take concrete actions in their local contexts

ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida also addressed participants by highlighting Politeia’s tireless effort in engaging youngsters in the Western Balkans. She brought ALDA’s experience as local key actor in the Western Balkans, as the activities of LDAs have focused on citizen participation in public life and in the decision-making process, decreasing the gap between citizens and institutions, and creating an active and proactive civil society.

Antonella Valmorbida stated the significance of building strong connections among the participants from the region while encouraging them to get concretely involved in their local communities to be active actors of their local context. «Politeia teaches how to do democracy by understanding the added value of freedom, exchanges and mediation. We encourage and value the change that you are willing to make in the world» — she concluded. 

Welcoming notes were also delivered by Deputy Head of the EU Delegation  Plamena Halacheva; Minister of European Integration, Government of the Republic of Serbia, Tanja Miščević; Project Manager, Regional Cooperation Council — RCC Sarajevo Ognjen Marković; and Local Program Officer, Regional Youth Cooperation Office — RYCO  Đorđo Cvijović.

ALDA wish to all students a fruitful learning experience!

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Are you a Small Medium Enterprise (SME) willing to be more sustainable? A Local Authority willing to help empower the enterprises in your territory? Or simply a person interested in the methods foreseen by the EU to make products and processes more “green”?

On July 14, join the online webinar to learn about the PEF and OEF methods from 9:00 to 13:00 CEST

In the framework of the European Commission Tender «Capacity Building and Information on Environmental Footprint,» ALDA, in collaboration with Studio Fieschi and CBRE, it’s helding an unique webinar to give enterprises the expertise to position themselves as environmentally conscious players in the market.

The objective of the webinar is to enhance the capacities of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) but also of local authorities, NGOs working on the environment, and associations of SMEs, about Product and Organization Environmental Footprint (PEF/OEF) methods, whose goal is to enable to reduce the environmental impacts of goods, services, and organizations This initiative is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the PEF and OEF methods, enabling them to make informed decisions and implement sustainability practices. Our expert speakers will cover the correct steps for implementation, highlighting the opportunities and challenges associated with these methods.

Targeting individuals and organizations aspiring to position themselves as environmentally conscious enterprises, regardless of their size, this event offers invaluable guidance on adopting the right approach.

Whether enterprises are taking their first steps towards sustainability or seeking to refine existing practices, this training experience will equip stakeholders with practical knowledge and insights.

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On June 12-13-14-15, 2023 at the premises of Moltivolti Co-Working and the magnificent Palazzo Cutò and Bocs in Bagheria, Palermo (🇮🇹), ALDA participated at the third Transnational Partner Meeting within the Includate — Educating for Inclusion project: funded by the Erasmus+ Programme and led by the German organization Comparative Research Network, the project aims directly at the inclusion of people with fewer opportunities, specifically migrants. 

The Includate project identifies the need for capacity building to enable migrant associations to be involved in inclusion and diversity strategies, starting with a careful analysis of the needs of the communities involved.
Its main focus is to enhance the inclusion of individuals with limited opportunities, especially migrants who often face intersectional marginalisation due to factors like ethnic discrimination and socio-economic deprivation.

During the meeting, which took place on June 12, partners finally welcomed in person the new partner Konkáv from Hungary (🇭🇺). Moreover, the event has also been an opportunity to coordinate the work among partners and prepare for the projects’ next steps and challenges. 

The event has been an opportunity to coordinate the work among partners and prepare for the projects’ next steps and challenges. 

In the following days the Training was held at palazzo Cutò and Bocs, in Bagheria (🇮🇹), specifically on June 13-14 and 15, 2023.

During the first part, the training was entirely focused on strategy-making processes as well as the LogFrame Approach (LFA) for the action plan building process. This approach is a systematic, visual approach to designing, executing and assessing projects which encourages users to consider the relationships between available resources, planned activities, and desired changes or results.

The second day of the training was aimed at analysing EU policies within the framework of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, while using the Problem Tree method. This method helps to find solutions by mapping out the anatomy of cause and effect around an issue in a similar way to a Mind map, but with more structure. 

On the third and last day, partners had the opportunity to discuss and reflect alternative methods for the action plan building process: some practical examples are the Theory of Change, Impact Pathways, Kanva.

The event ended with the “Through my eyes” Tour in Ballarò (🇮🇹), held by a  young man from Gambia, Mr. Malick; afterwards, partners participated to a storytelling event organised by ALDA in collaboration with the organisation CESIE. 

Partners look forward to gathering again at the end of November for the next Transnational Partner Meeting and Multiplier Event in Strasbourg (🇫🇷).

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During the month of June, within the STAND-UP project framework, Italy hosted three trainings aimed at giving practical tools to stand up against hate in the European Union.  Meetings took place in the beautiful setting of the cities of Venice, Milan and Rimini (🇮🇹).

Trainings were organized by Agenfor, a member of the STAND-UP consortium, while ALDA took part as trainer during the ones held in Venice and Rimini (🇮🇹).
The coaching sessions’ targets were members of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs),  Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Public Authorities, associations or communities affected by hate crime or hate speech.
The teaching aimed to improve competences and technological skills to concretely fight hate crimes/hate speech: as violence attributed to these behaviours has increased worldwide, societies confronting the trend must deal with questions of free speech and censorship on widely used tech platforms and beyond.

The teaching aimed to improve competences and technological skills to concretely fight hate crimes/hate speech

The STAND-UP project strives to create a comprehensive and holistic counter-hate crime framework that covers all components of the counter-hate process (reporting-investigating-prosecution-prevention (RIPP), embedded within a framework of victim support. In this way, the project ensures the complementarity of the work of different actors, leading to a streamlined and more efficient RIPP cycle, better victim support and higher levels of trust between CSOs, law enforcement, judiciary, and victims.

The courses focused on a more theoretical part concerning the European legislation, hate crimes/hate speech and the need for strong cooperation between public and private actors. The Victim Support Handbook and its victim-centered approach produced by ALDA within the project framework have also been object of further analysis.
The second part of the trainings aimed at teaching how to successfully manage the OSINT and Falkor software and Virtual Reality simulations in order to monitor hate speech consequences within society. 

Partners look forward to applying the knowledge acquired in the field and work actively on the pilot to take stock of the results and share them within the Final Event taking place in January in Brussels (🇧🇪).

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As promoter of the Scintilla Group and partner of the project V.A.N.G.A. — Vicenza per l’Ambiente. Nuove Generazioni in Azione, in June 2023 ALDA organised two events in Vicenza (🇮🇹) and its surroundings, aimed at engaging citizens on urban regeneration initiatives around the city. 

The first event took place in the beautiful setting of the Inclusive Pampas garden, where three important initiatives and projects related to urban regeneration, eco-sustainability, active citizenship and urban greenery were presented. The event was launched by Elia Pizzolato, Councillor of the Vicenza Municipality, who reiterated the municipal administration’s willingness to support initiatives to redevelop the quadrilateral area, notably the district of Viale Milano. 

The V.A.N.G.A. project was one of the main focuses of the meeting. Presented by Gloria Marini of La Piccionaia — Centro di Produzione Teatrale and financed by the Cariverona Foundation, the project aims to promote environmental education among youngsters through the use of innovative pedagogical tools, notably performing arts and languages. The introduction of this initiative in schools as a way to enhance youth engagement was also discussed.

Afterwards, ALDA EU Project Coordinator Nadia di Iulio and Pampas President Francesca Volpiana stated the fruitful experience of the Scintilla Group: both active in Viale Milano, the two associations’ meeting of minds gave birth in 2019 to this wonderful initiative which works to enhance dialogue among citizens of the quadrilateral Via Torino/Florence/Naples and Viale Milano (Vicenza), with the aim of involving civil society in reviving the area.

Laboratorio Spazi Rurali e Boschi Urbani representative, Davide Primucci concluded the evening by introducing to the audience the makeover of the breathing heart of Vicenza: Cascina Carpaneda and its Urban Forest. This natural park has been subjected to a regeneration and planting process by the municipal administration since 2009, which has transformed it into a place rich in biodiversity. 

The Carpaneda Urban Forest was precisely the destination of the second initiative set up by ALDA on June 16th, 2023 on the occasion of the opening of the Carpaneda Ecofestival. Held from 16 to 18 June, the 3-days manifestation proposed many engaging activities for adults and children in the beautiful frame of Vicenza’s green countryside, located in the rural peri-urban area of Carpaneda.

Both events were conceived as a way to actively involve the local community and provide it with knowledgeable information on the local area to promote its relaunch

On June 16th, 2023, as part of the Ecofestival ‘Towards Carpaneda, a travelling conversation’, EQuiStiamo and Laboratorio Spazi Rurali e Boschi Urbani representatives Mirco Corato and Davide Primucci together with ALDA Project Manager Alessia Marzotto accompanied participants from the centre of Vicenza to the Carpaneda wood. While walking throughout an itinerary of exploration, live thematic contributions were delivered through wireless headphones: each participant had the opportunity to learn about food production and distribution models, land consumption and urban regeneration in Vicenza and its neighbourhoods, notably Viale Milano. The aim of the walk was to make participants live an experience characterised by the slow and symbolic approach to the rural peri-urban context of Carpaneda. The final destination of the walk was 100orti farm where the inauguration of Carpaneda Ecofestival took place at 6 pm.

Both events were conceived as a way to actively involve the local community and provide it with knowledgeable information on the local area to promote its relaunch. ALDA and the Scintilla Group have passionately dedicated themselves to the organisation of these initiatives as to raising awareness on environmental preservation and the promotion of sustainable development in the Vicenza area.

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WE ACT: Women Empowerment and Action in Politics and Media is a project financed by the European Union. Officially initiated in January 2023, it aims to strengthen the representation and participation of women in the political sphere at the local level in Türkiye, acting transversally in the 7 regions. To reach its final goal, the project is articulated through different strands of actions over a period of 30 months: the objective is to empower women running for the 2024 local elections by providing them with capacity building, training and coaching to prepare and run effectively an electoral campaign, but also to perform a good local, inclusive and participatory governance, if elected.

WE ACT wants to provide concrete support to the Turkish civil society associations working for women and/or LGBTIQ+ communities, in order to strengthen their empowerment and advocacy efforts towards policy making. The fight against stereotypes is another main priority of the project, which is also engaged in supporting media actors to ensure greater visibility for women politicians while countering and reducing sexist discourses in the media.

The project consortium is composed of 3 partners: Ka.Der, an organisation actively working from 1997 to increase the number of women in politics and in decision making positions as to achieve gender equality in Turkish politics. Ka.Der also trains and guides women throughout their candidacy journey. The second partner is Daktilo1984, a non-profit organisation acting as an essential platform where Turkish intellectuals can exchange their ideas and opinions and give media training to women candidates; and ALDA.

WE ACT concretely reinforces women’s participation in the political sphere at the local level in Türkiye

The Launching Event of the WE ACT Project took place on June 22, 2023 at the Postane Hol, İstanbul. The event began with the warm welcome of ALDA Secretary General, Mrs. Antonella Valmorbida and ALDA’s Project Coordinator, Ms. Apolline Bonfils together with Ka.Der President Ms. Nuray Karaoğlu and Daktilo1984 Administrative Affairs and Projects Director Ms. Derya Özkaynak Suer, who kicked off the informative session about the project. Relevant guests were also present, among which the EU Delegation to Türkiye that is actively supporting the WE ACT project. The highlight of the event was the panel discussion during which our esteemed guests shared their experiences stating the importance of women’s participation in local governance. Moderated by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Tourism Platform Director, Dr. Şengül Altan Arslan and joined by the Mayor of Doğubayazıt Municipality, Mr. Yıldız Acar together with the Former Mayor of Urla Municipality, Mr. Sibel UYAR, the panel was full of inspirational insights demonstrating their concrete engagement against the challenges that women politicians have to face in the role of mayors of the westernmost and easternmost areas of Türkiye. The networking cocktail at the end was the ideal opportunity for participants to connect, share ideas about women’s representation in local government and build valuable relationships. 

ALDA wishes to the whole team of WE ACT a good job while working to raise women’s voices and contribute to a more democratic and inclusive society in Türkiye.

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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. 

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On the 26th and 27th of June 2023, the 5th Civil Society Forum for Sustainability: Shaping the European Green Deal was co-organised by SOLIDAR, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and SDG Watch Europe within the framework of the REAL DEAL project. ALDA participated in the event as a partner of the project’s consortium.

The first day the REAL DEAL consortium and the Civil Society Organisations met at the European Parliament in Brussels to attend a conference on the EU Voluntary Review, Europe’s UN progress report on SDGs published by the European Commission in May.

The conference was introduced by Marta Iglesias López, Board Member of SOLIDAR & SOLIDAR Foundation and moderated by Patrizia Heidegger, Deputy Secretary General at European Environmental Bureau. 

Petros Kokkalis and Udo Bullmann, MEP SDG Alliance, took the floor as they presented remarks on the European Parliament SDG Report. Afterwards, Petra Petan, Cabinet of Paolo Gentiloni at the European Commission, based her intervention on the Remarks on the European Voluntary Review. At the end, Julie Rosenkilde, REAL DEAL representative of Nyt Europa and part of the steering group of SDG Watch Europe, presented the Civil Society Spotlight Report.

After the Conference at the European Parliament, the SDG Watch Europe Annual General Assembly took place at Mundo Madou. SDG Watch members from all over Europe met with more than 60 CSOs working on just transition, participation, social justice, and climate environmental sustainability to deliberate on the future of the European Green Deal and on the Agenda 2030. On this occasion, the elections of the SDG Watch Europe Steering groups took place. Three members of the Steering Group completed their terms as three new people were elected as new members. 

This in-person Civil Society Forum meeting had the objective to focus on the future of the European Green Deal and its transformative potential

The following day, the CSO Forum took place at Mundo Madou. 

After a brief presentation by Jeffrey Moxom (EEB) and Hilmi Tekoglu (Solidar), Imme Scholz, Co-President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Co-Chair of the Group of Independent Scientists presented the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2023, explaining how the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is proceeding, which are the difficulties regarding its application and how to follow-up on the call to actions contained in the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) at the European level. 

Afterwards, Jeffrey Moxom, SDG Watch Europe Coordinator introduced to the audience the European Green Deal, presenting other relevant documents such as the REAL DEAL Gap Analysis Report and Pact for Our Common Future. Then, Patrizia Heidegger, Deputy Secretary General and Director for EU Governance and Sustainability and Global Policies presented how to act towards an EGD 2.0 with a focus on risks, the circular economy, air and water pollution, the climate crisis, sustainable food systems, and the importance of the EU elections 2024 in order to have the certainty to continue the ecological transition and to have the possibility to realise an upcoming EGD 2.0 

The Forum continued with the Civil Society Organisations Panel Discussion “The next European Green Deal: The global, economic, social, environmental (climate), and participatory dimensions of the EGD”,  moderated by Barbara Caracciolo from SOLIDAR. The Speakers were: 

  • Eric Ponthieu from Fair Trade Advocacy Office for the global dimension. 
  • Laura de Bonfils, from Social Platform for the social and economic dimensions. 
  • Adrien Licha from ALDA for the participatory dimension. 
  • Silvia Valentini, from CAN Europe for the environmental dimension. 

The panel discussion was followed by two working group sessions and participants were split into five groups corresponding to each EGD dimension. REAL DEAL partners facilitated discussions and activities and reported the inputs and suggestions that emerged from each group.

Last session was dedicated to the panel discussion “Policy Dialogue with EU Level Policy Makers — Looking ahead”, moderated by Rose Heffernan, WECF. The audience had the opportunity to listen to relevant policymakers, such as:

  • Margarida Marques, Member of the European Parliament (S&D). 
  • Thaís GONÇALVES, Policy Officer of DG EMPL. 
  • Aurelie Godefroy, Deputy head of unit INTPA F2 — Environment, Sustainable Natural Resources. 
  • Tanja Buzek, coordinator for the Domestic Advisory groups in trade agreements of EESC.

This in-person Civil Society Forum meeting had the objective to focus on the future of the European Green Deal and its transformative potential, tackling all the dimensions of the EGD with CSOs, citizens, policymakers, and experts. Indeed, it represented a fruitful opportunity to express concerns as to exchange knowledgeable information while sharing experiences and views on the topic.

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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

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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!

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On June 04 2023, LDA Tunisia organised another session of the inclusive show entitled “Theatre for ALL” within its project “Je Repars de Toi”.

The 2-plays show took place in the Cultural house of Chebika in Kairouan and the objective was to provide a platform for inclusion, personal growth, and soft skills training. The first play to debut was called «Desire» and it was performed by Tunisian young performers with physical and mental disabilities or that had to drop out of school due to family issues; the second play was named «Memories» and it was performed by Italian youngsters under the supervision of the project partner COPE Italy.

The masterful performance led the audience to a dimension of contemplation and introspection. Indeed, the show adressed prominent social issues such as inclusion, acceptance, resilience and solidarity. Furthermore, the artistic pieces transcended cultural and linguistic barriers as they relied entirely on creative corporal expressions. 

The message that was delivered to the community was invaluable

The message that was delivered to the community was invaluable: disabilities need to become a source of diversity and enrichment rather than exclusion. The artistic expression is one of the way to improve adults’ special needs capacities, together with the support of their community as the engagement of citizens plays an active and positive role favouring their rights and their inclusion.

The plays are the result of excessive training workshops within the project «Je Repars de Toi» that aims to include people with disabilities through a community-based approach. This initiative is financed by the Italian Agency for cooperative Development AIC’s, implemented with COPE Italy, in partnership with LDA Tunisia, the ministry of Social Affairs, and the associations ASDA, AGIM, UTAIM and the Italian association Mettiamoci In Gioco.

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On June 15, 2023, the PACIFY-D project partners gathered together in Strasbourg (France) for the third face-to-face Transnational Meeting.

The PACIFY-D project is working towards providing innovative training opportunities to young people and establishing Country Info Points as local learning centers for youth education, to strengthen democratic attitudes through civic engagement and civic participation. 

In this ongoing phase of the project, partners are drafting the guiding documents to build and structure the CPIs as well as piloting the CPIs in the targeted countries.

The meeting represented an excellent opportunity for partners to monitor the progress of the project, identify next steps and share views on the project topics!

Firstly, during the meeting, the Training programme for YLAs in developing skills was presented and discussed, including the translations of the digital modules and the report collecting all the main information. The translated and digitalised contents will be available soon on the project website.

Then, the second part was dedicated to the Guide for the development of Country Info Points (CIPs) and Piloting was presented, presenting the updates based on how to structure and build the CIPs. Cooperativa GEA, leader of this project result, will finalise a comprehensive and detailed guiding document by the end of June 2023,to be used for the replicability of the CIPs in other countries. 

The third and last part of the meeting programme, dedicated to the PACIFY-D Policy Handbook, consisted on the presentation of ALDA’s handbook draft and on a brainstorming session, collecting partners’ feedback and inputs. Following the outline presented in Strasbourg at the meeting, ALDA will collect partners’ contributions, and finalise and consolidate the handbook by the end of November 2023. 

Finally, coordinated by ALDA, all partners discussed the communication and dissemination of the project, exchanging views on its objectives and results as well as on the reporting requirements.

The PACIFY-D project will end in March 2024, when the final conference of the project will take place in Brussels!

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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.

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Do we still need to celebrate Pride Month?

Yes, we do! We do because although the rights of people who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community have increased since the beginning of the new millennium, we still cannot talk about complete equality. 

Furthermore, if we take a quick look at the Rainbow Europe Map published annually by the ILGA Europe, we realize that in some European countries, such as Italy, the queer community is not even granted basic rights. In addition to being discriminated against legally speaking, this also affects their everyday life. 

Articles of aggression against people in the community are daily occurrences, but even worse than aggression is the fear of coming out. Fear is triggered because of the few legal protections and as a result, many people in the community are unable to live their gender identity and sexual orientation openly, like cisgender and heterosexual people. 

Inclusiveness and non-discrimination represent some of the core values underlying ALDA’s work and mission, also at the core of projects we develop and implement, such as STAND UP, or MOVING On.

Inclusiveness and non-discrimination represent some of the core values underlying ALDA’s work and mission

Although the Gay Movement started as a liberation movement for the white gay population, over the years it has attracted many other minorities and subgroups to it. Today it is more correct to talk about Pride than Gay Pride as it does not only represent the gay minority but different groups, such as all non-binary or asexual identities. 

The Queer movement has also championed battles for the liberation of the body, both the black body and the fat body. Within pride, it is no longer only the gay identity that is celebrated, but the diversity and uniqueness hidden within each of us, coming from the intersectionality experienced by each of us. It is crucial to welcome and accept all identities and all representations of being, such as being part of the black and gay community or being a transgender person with a migratory background. 

For this reason, the pride we want to celebrate is an intersectional pride, best represented by the new inclusive pride flag. 

How to support LGBTQIA+ Community: 

  1. Get informed about the LGBTQIA+ community through articles, news, podcasts and social media pages that support the movement. 
  2. Understand your privilege condition as a cisgender and heterosexual person. Find out more about the Daily Effects of Cisgender Privilege in this recent study published by the Gender and Sexuality Center. 
  3. Be an activist online and offline openly showing your support to the LGBQTIA+ campaign taking part in queer organizations, prides, fundraisings and so on. 
  4. Get acquainted with being uncomfortable; You may make mistakes as you get to know the LGBTQIA+ community better. It’s not a problem, it’s perfectly fine.

Micro Glossary: 

Cisgender: Indicates persons whose gender identity corresponds to their gender and biological sex at birth. 

LGBTQIA+: The acronym for Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and +, every other person who feels represented by the community. 

Gay Pride: It is a tradition dating back to June 1969 as a consequence of the Stonewall attacks. Since then, pride has been celebrated in June, to let the world know that yes the queer community exists and that each of its members does not have to apologize for being the way they are but rather is proud of its diversity. 

Transgender: Indicates persons whose gender identity does not correspond to their gender and biological sex at birth. Nowadays it is preferred to use the acronym AMAB or AFAB which stands for Assigned Male At Birth and Assigned Female At Birth, Recognising non-conforming identities more inclusively.

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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. 

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In a resounding victory for Climate Action, the LIFE Metro Adapt project led by the Metropolitan City of Milan has emerged as the winner of the prestigious LIFE Awards 2023. This remarkable achievement was made possible by the combined efforts of several key stakeholders, including e-Geos, Ambiente Italia, Legambiente Lombardia, Gruppo CAP and ALDA.

The LIFE Metro Adapt project, entitled «Strategies and Measures for Adaptation to Climate Change», triumphed in the «Climate Action» category and was recognised by a panel of eminent European experts. The jury, chaired by renowned Australian agronomist Tony Rinaudo, recognised the project’s outstanding efforts to combat climate change and promote resilience in urban areas. The project also resonated with the public, securing a commendable third place with 1703 votes for the Citizens Prize.

Led by the Environmental and Territorial Protection Area of the Metropolitan City of Milan, in partnership with ALDA and other respected organisations, Metro Adapt has been instrumental in disseminating knowledge, techniques and strategies to combat climate change throughout the metropolitan area. One of the key objectives of the project was to promote the development of effective adaptation measures, with a particular focus on Nature Based Solutions (NBS). Inspired by nature, this innovative engineering aims to enhance urban resilience by mimicking and replicating its elements.

ALDA played a key role in ensuring the success of the Metro Adapt project

As a prominent advocate of local democracy and citizen participation, ALDA played a key role in ensuring the success of the Metro Adapt project. The association’s expertise in fostering collaboration and empowering local communities was invaluable in engaging citizens, encouraging their support and gaining public buy-in for the initiative. ALDA’s commitment to democratic decision-making and inclusive governance has undoubtedly contributed to the project’s remarkable achievements.

“Winning the prestigious LIFE Award 2023 as the best project for Climate Action and receiving the preferences of more than 1700 citizens shows us that expertise and research can go hand in hand with public participation and active citizenship, topics very close to ALDA’s mission and vision“ — commented Antonella Valmorbida, ALDA Secretary General. “Seeing and experiencing active citizen participation and virtuous cooperation between local authorities and civil society rewards us for our daily commitment and shows us how important it is to carry out projects like the LIFE Metro Adapt”  — she concluded. 

This achievement is a testament to the importance of collaboration and the power of local democratic engagement in addressing the pressing challenges of climate change. Going forward, we must build on the momentum generated by this remarkable initiative and continue to champion environmental issues and the transition to a more sustainable future.

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On 1 & 2 June 2023, the SHERPA Final Conference took place in Brussels (Belgium), at the premises of the Committee of the Regions. This important event offered an opportunity to analyse the work done within the SHERPA project, identify the main SHERPA recommendations, and reflect on the methodology of using Science-Society-Policy Interfaces.

The 2-day conference gathered together more than 150 people: representatives of the 17 project partners, members of all 41 Science-Society-Policy interfaces, and external participants. Through a co-creative participatory approach, they had the chance to interact with each other directly, give their input in in both SHERPA’s contribution to the EU Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas and its recommendations for the wider policy framework, and explore how the Science-Society-Policy interfaces created in SHERPA can continue to contribute to rural policies after the end of the SHERPA project, which will take place in September 2023.

The SHERPA Final Conference represented an important moment for the future of rural areas in Europe

The Environment & Climate Hub of ALDA had an active role in the conference, with a contribution to the Science-Society-Policy interfaces session. Facilitated by Jorieke Potters, from NordRegio, the session aimed to discuss how to effectively design, support and run Science-Society-Policy interfaces, what are the benefits and added value of these interfaces, and how to sustain them in the long-run. The session also gave space to the experiences of the Multi Actor Platforms initiated in the project.

The session continued with a reflection and a reaction from a representative of Policy — Alexia Rouby (DG AGRI), a representative of Science — Karen Refsgaard (Nordregio) and a representative of Civil Society — Valeria Fantini, who is the coordinator of ALDA’s Environment & Climate Hub.  The latter participated in the panel representing the Civil Society perspective and stressed the importance of the connection among the three sectors and the necessity for policymakers to include civil society’s inputs in their decision-making process in order to have a more resilient democracy also in rural areas.

The SHERPA Final Conference demonstrated the great work done by the whole consortium and represented an important moment for the future of rural areas in Europe.

Follow the SHERPA project on the social media: FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube

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The AUTREMENT project’s Inter-Regional Forum on Active Mobility, held on May 24-25 2023 in the beautiful  city of Mahdia, was a resounding success, showcasing the celebration of sustainable urban  development and the promotion of active mobility in Tunisia and beyond. 

The Forum was organized by the AUTREMENT project consortium, which includes six partners: the  cities of Kairouan, Mahdia, and Strasbourg, along with ALDA, CODATU, and CEREMA. In collaboration  with UN Habitat and Cities Alliance, this event served as a pivotal platform for exchanging knowledgeable information, fostering networking opportunities, presenting the project’s results and boosting collaborative initiatives aimed at shaping a more sustainable tomorrow. 

The event featured around 25 interactive activities that engaged participants throughout the two-day Forum and stimulating side events such as workshops and roundtable discussions took place in a dynamic context. 

A standout moment was the participants’ opening bike parade who pedaled along the streets of Mahdia, showing the concrete potential of biking as one of the most sustainable and urban means of transport.

This moment gathered the collective commitment of the projects’ participants towards a fully sustainable urban development.

The event also included stands and exhibitions held by stakeholders dedicated to promoting active mobility. Special guests such as Lemon Tour, Cadr67 and Vélorution brought their own expertise adding valuable contributions to the discussion. 

More than 150 experts coming from Tunisia and its neighborhood (Algeria, Italy and France) and representing around 60 state and non-state bodies, institutions and associations gathered fostering fruitful exchanges of best practices in the field of active mobility and urban development, while highlighting the wide-reaching impact of the event. In addition to Kairouan, Strasbourg and Mahdia, other Tunisian municipalities beyond AUTREMENT’s partners actively contributed to the debates, such as Ariana, Sfax, and Msaken. 

Civil society, including the six winning associations of the project (ADL, Mahdia Tawassol, Kairouan  Community, We Love Kairouan, and JCI Kairouan) played a key role during the Forum as they held workshops while advocating for sustainable urban development and stating the importance of cooperation between stakeholders in successfully implementing active mobility initiatives. 

The 2-days event set up several opportunities for attendees to quibble around public policies, tactical  urbanism, bike services, gender mainstreaming, citizen consultations, “cyclotourism” or cycling  tourism, decentralised cooperation, future cycling facilities and bike path management. Discussions’ outcomes showcased the Forum’s dedication to address different challenges and  opportunities in the field of active mobility. 

The Forum’s impact is going to extend beyond the event itself: ideas were shared and networks were formed, as the intent is to channel positive change both on a national and international level. The AUTREMENT project  consortium remains at disposal in order to support concrete actions that will shape the future of urban mobility in Tunisia, paving the way towards greener, healthier and more  sustainable communities. 

As the progress continues to expand, we are extremely grateful for every participant, partner and  supporter who contributed to the success of the manifestation. Let’s cherish this green wave by continuing to pedal towards a brighter and more sustainable future together! 

This is the link to the Forum’s aftermovie. Enjoy!

Stay tuned to receive more updates on the AUTREMENT project’s efforts in promoting active mobility and sustainable urban development. Together, we can make a difference!