Development of the Mediterranean Bassin
| Subject: International Relations
MedCities contributes to the conferences of the Mediterranean Commission of the CGLU in Tunisia
On 22 and 23 September, Sousse (Tunisia) is hosting the Workshops for the Development of the Mediterranean Basin, in preparation for the 4th edition of the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities of the Mediterranean, which will be held in March 2017.
Mayors, experts and different representatives from local Mediterranean governments debate on handling and managing urban development in the region, including the Secretariat General of MedCities, which has supported the Mediterranean commission of the CGLU in organising the conference, jointly with
NALAS, CIM-CPMR and Latin Arc.
The workshops will handle integrated territorial development from different perspectives: the environment (climate and energy), the promotion of socioeconomic development (cultural and sustainable tourism, social economy) and territorial development, as well as sessions on youth job placement, mobility and local finances in the Mediterranean. Sfax, Sousse and Tangier –three of the cities in the MedCities network– actively participate by sharing their experiences.
The conferences aim to foster synergies and capitalise relevant experiences from different participating local and regional authorities in the Mediterranean basin, in addition to generating new associations, agreements and possible ideas for projects for integrated urban development and the application of the Sustainable Development Objectives.
Using the conclusions from the debates, specific needs are detected of the local and regional authorities in the southern Mediterranean and different tools are specified for driving forward policies in dynamic and inclusive territories, like Tunisia and Morocco, where decentralisation processes are advancing more quickly. They shall also be used as recommendations for the upcoming Forum of Local Mediterranean Authorities, the dialogue space for fostering and channelling the demands for the construction of a balanced and prosperous Mediterranean region, whose 4th edition will be held in 2017.