In Gabon, the ART Initiative is supporting national authorities and Local and Regional Governments to mainstream participatory local development planning within the national planning system.

The process has resulted in the elaboration of a novel methodological guide that is now used by the Ministry in charge of planning. Thanks to this tool, introduced with the technical support of the ART Initiative, 40 Local and Regional Governments (out of 101) now use Local Development Plans with the Initiative’s instruments and methodology. The guide has become a national reference and all technical and financial partners are using it to elaborate Local Development Plans and International Cooperation Guidelines; therefore, these documents are supporting local authorities in their development processes, by enhancing harmonization, alignment and ownership. As well, they have allowed planning for development initiatives and strategies over the next five years, in the territories where the Programme is active. In 2013 alone, six new local development plans were elaborated, in addition to six departmental guidelines. It is worth noting that 40 percent of the 150 local stakeholders trained in local planning and guidelines formulation are women. These multilevel participatory planning processes have involved all local stakeholders, and have been aligned to and adopted at the national level; they have hence allowed more ownership of territorial development. In 2013 as well, and with the support of the National Government, the Programme embarked in its second phase (foreseen to last four years), with the aim of contributing to furthering good governance at the local level; this second phase will continue its support to the national strategy on local development, to the provinces and departments’ development, and to the consolidation of a network of partners.  

06/15/2016  
En Cienfuegos, promoción del desarrollo territorial y creación de sinergias

04/07/2016  
Finalization of the technical assistance for the handicraft promotion in the city of Chefchaouen
Technical assistance to Chefchaouen is part of the project of Consolidation of MedCities' Knowledge Transfer Centers, aimed to reinforce municipalities of the Maghreb and Mashreq regions in the sphere of urban development strategies and the implementation of strategic projects

03/24/2016  
Discuten especialistas y directores propuesta metodológica para promover el desarrollo municipal en el marco de la Plataforma Articulada para el Desarrollo Integral Territorial (PADIT)

08/25/2015  
New publication: UNDP ART Initiative - 2014 in Review is here!
Read the newly published annual report of the ART Initiative

07/14/2015  
PADIT in its first National Coordination Committee
Accompanying territorial development