Close to 400 local and regional elected officials and policymakers from 24 countries will debate on democratic governance in the Mediterranean during the 3rd Forum of Local and Regional Authorities of the Mediterranean that will be held in Marseille on 3 & 4 April 2013.
For the first time since the political and social developments that have taken place in the Mediterranean—Arab springs in the South and the economic crisis in the North—Mediterranean elected officials will debate on the new challenges they are currently facing. During this exceptional event, they will reaffirm their will to be active stakeholders in the development and governance of their territories. They will formulate proposals to strengthen local democracy, support decentralisation and to guarantee priority public services. They will also discuss how to implement decentralised sustainable development policies that take into account local specificities and that prioritise the youth and employment sectors. Finally, they will discuss their role in crisis management and resolution.
This 3rd Forum will also be the occasion to review the contribution to the Mediterranean of international fund donors (World Bank, United Nations, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank, etc.) and to deliver the “political declaration of local and regional authorities of the Mediterranean” to representatives of international institutions, among others, the Union for the Mediterranean and the European Commission.
Voicing the views of Mediterranean youth
Coinciding with the Anna Lindh Forum of civil society (4 to 7 April in Marseille), the FLRAM will also provide an opportunity for exchanges between the Mediterranean youth and local and regional elected officials. More than 100 youth representatives will be invited to debate and discuss their views on democratic governance in their respective countries and to make concrete proposals to the elected officials attending the forum.
This 3rd Forum of Local and Regional Authorities of the Mediterranean is being organised by the Mediterranean Commission of United Cities and Local Governments, the City of Marseille, and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, with the support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Forum is a platform for the political expression of Mediterranean local and regional authorities, including municipalities, cities, inter-communal structures, departments, provinces, autonomous communities, regions and districts, and their networks. Shared prosperity, solidarity and dialogue in the Mediterranean cannot be achieved without the participation of local and regional governments that work close to the citizens and have formed close relationships with civil society actors.
Source: UCLG Mediterranean Committee