World Social Forum

In the framework of the World Social Forum, held in Tunisia, March 24-28, in the campus of the University of El Manar, UNDP Tunisia and UNDP ART Initiative collaborated with a consortium of Tunisian CSOs (under the leadership of the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia) and FELCOS Umbria in the organization, on March 25, of a reflection day on “The contributions of local actors in promoting social cohesion and sustainable development at the local, national and global level” through two round tables, attracting the interest of nearly 100 participants representing more than 10 countries in different regions of the world (Tunisia, France, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Switzerland, Senegal, Jordan and Colombia).

The round tables have been attended by many national and international actors, including representatives of associative structures, Tunisian municipalities, decentralized cooperation, academic research and media, who came to watch the presentations of various stakeholders, including the National Federation of Tunisian Cities, the Unesco Bardo OSC, UCLG, FAMSI, ADF and UNDP.

1st Round Table: The morning was dedicated to discussions on the role of local actors in strengthening social cohesion. First, the role of local governments has been reviewed, emphasizing the important aspect of participatory democracy and accountability of public actors towards their citizens as a vector for social cohesion, through the use of innovative tools, such as digital portals. The need for social inclusion of all marginalized populations in the political decision-making at local level was also discussed at length. In a second step, the role of civil society has been highlighted, mainly for the promotion of transitional justice in post-crisis period, and for the control of the media in the diffusion of hate messages.

2nd Round Table: The afternoon gave the opportunity to discuss the importance of the dialogue between territories in the promotion of sustainable development, presenting various good practices such as the UNDP ART Initiative, the Joint Migration and Development Program and also the decentralized cooperation with FAMSI. Moreover, stakeholders dealt with themes such as the collaboration between territories for the management of natural resources, which should allow a more equitable redistribution of the income from the extraction of these resources, and the very positive contribution of migrants in territorial development, when channeled, as fund transfer volumes are greater than official development assistance.

Finally, the presentations have been expanded with several moments of exchange and discussion with the audience, who recognized the quality of the interventions and the importance of this type of reflection and sharing round tables.

In addition, UNDP Tunisia and its partners opened a stand with the purpose of providing participants of the WSF with informative materials (flyers, brochures, etc.) on the initiatives and projects conducted in Tunisia. This place also allowed to show videos, on a TV screen, about UNPD actions for transitional justice and environment, and finally to make some socio-educational games with the young people present on constitutional dialogue, citizen involvement and socio-economic rights. Furthermore, some methods for organizing these games in youth centers or schools have been transmitted to the youth associations present. In total, between 4,000 and 5,000 people visited the stand, and over 2,000 informative materials were distributed.

These activities have been the result of the joint work of a dedicated and highly committed team which is an excellent example of collaboration between the different projects of UNDP Tunisia.

 

SOURCE: UNDP TUNISIA 

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