On 29 April 2016, an important meeting of the Med Path of LADDER project took place in Tunis, in order to further develop two key documents drafted by the coordinators of the group focusing on the Mediterranean area, Mr. Ben Slimane and Mr. Giordano.

 

The event was organised by ALDA in cooperation with its Tunisian partner Lam Echaml, and represented the occasion to further discuss two important papers within the framework of LADDER project:

The “CHARMEDAL : Mediterranean Charter of Democracy and Local Autonomy”, drafted by Mr. Moncef Ben Slimane, President of the Tunisian Association Lam Echaml, aiming at defining the principles and new perspectives for the future on both sides of the Mediterranean, in the field of democracy and local autonomy;

The “Med-Path strategic document”, drafted by Mr. Giordano, representative of the Italian organisation COPPEM, aiming at providing a clear direction and a goal to the Med Path, including concrete actions that the Med Path can undertake in the two coming years.

The event saw the participation of several members of the Med Path, coming from both sides of the Mediterranean, and many young activists of Lam Echaml association. The work of ALDA, the strong cooperation with the partners, the LADDER project and the specific role of the LADDER Med Path were introduced during the opening of the event by Mr. Moncef Ben Slimane, President of Lam Echaml, Ms. Elena Debonis, representative of ALDA, and Mr. Natale Giordano, representative of COPPEM.

The Mediterranean Charter was then further analysed, gathering the opinion and inputs of the participants, and improved according to the main objectives the charter intend to stress at local, national and international levels: the valorisation of a common and shared Mediterranean identity, the role of LAs and CSOs in the realisation of the common goals of development in the respect of Human Rights and cultural differences considering the current difficulties that are still affecting the Mediterranean area, but also the actions of raising awareness about the processes of democratisation and decentralisation.

During the second session of the event, the representatives of the Med Path discussed about the “Med-Path strategic document” that represents a sort of action plan including concrete actions that need to be implemented in the Mediterranean area in line with the objectives of the LADDER project. During this brainstorming session, several topics reflecting the current difficulties were mentioned, such as youth, unemployment, migration, mobility, and many more. In this framework, participants discussed on the way Development Education and Awareness Raising could impact positively these issues.

The whole event represented an important moment of exchange where the participation of young activists played a relevant role, bringing new ideas and points of view of a generation particularly impacted by the situation and challenges of the Mediterranean area.

The new version of the two documents, i.e. the Mediterranean Charter of Democracy and Local Autonomy and the Med Path strategic documents will be shared with the Med Path members who were not able to attend the meeting in Tunis in order for them to bring their contributions. Then, the new draft versions will be definitely adopted during the next Med Path meeting that will be held in Paris on 13 May, during the 4th Steering Committee of the LADDER Project.