handbook ict

HARNESSING THE POWER AND POTENTIALOF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

Couverture Hand Book OK_bsa_Mise en page 1 5/16/2012 1:42 PM

Couverture Hand Book OK_bsa_Mise en page 1 5/16/2012 1:42 PM

HARNESSING THE POWER AND POTENTIALOF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

A practical Handbook for local Mediterranean policy makers

Intenrieur Hand Book OK_bsa_v2_Mise en page 1 5/16/2012 2:55 PM Page 1

Harnessing the Power and Potential of Information and Communication Technologies for Local Development:

a practical Handbook for local Mediterranean policy makers

Copyright © 2012

by the United Nations Development Programme

Geneva Representation Office

Palais des Nations

CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission from UNDP.

UN Sales No.: E.12.III.B.3E.12.III.B.3

ISBN: 978-92-1-126337-4

eISBN: 978-92-1-055386-5

Price USD: $19.95

The designations of geographic entities in this book, and the presentation of the material herein, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever

on the part of the publisher or the participating organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area, or of its authorities, or

concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.


i

Contents

Acknowledgements 1

Foreword 3

Joint Preface 5

8 - Practical Conclusion 91

Glossary 97

References, Notes and others 103

Acronyms 107

Objectives 9

Target audiences 10

1 – Overview

In the beginning 13

Strategic Objectives 15

ART-ISI@MED service lines 15

The ART-ISI@MED 2010 Strategic

Workshop 16

2 – The ART -ISI@MED Initiative

Historical background: From information society

to knowledge economy 21

ICT4D and the MDGs 25

Lessons Learned from ICT4D efforts 27

ICT for territorial economic growth and

social progress in the MENA Region 28

ICT for good governance and development

in the MENA Region 30

Leapfrogging development through ICT

adoption 31

3 – ICT, the basis for development

Decentralization: What, Why, and How? 37

Decentralization, Local Democracy and

Local Governance in the World and in the

MENA Region 38

“How the UNDP ART Global Initiative adds

value to development programmes” 41

From decentralized cooperation to

triangular cooperation: The new

South-South experience 43

4 – The decentralized cooperationprocess and the international develop-ment agenda

ART ISI@MED pilot project 1 – Lebanon 67

ART ISI@MED pilot projects 2 & 3 – Morocco 71

6 – ICT4D Best practices: Case studies & challenges

Articulation through the ART ISI@MED Initiative :How to proceed? 79Templates 82

7- Implementing the ART-ISI@MEDInitiative: Practical framework

ICT for strategic urban planning 53

“Why is Malaga becoming the new Mecca for

Information Technologies?” 54

ICT for economic development 56

“The link between Champagne and

development cooperation” 59

ICT for community empowerment 62

5 – ICT for territorial development


ii

Boxes

2-1 The ART-ISI@MED Projects and

Partners 18

3-1 World Summits on Information

Society 22

3-2 Prerequisites for capturing ICT-Induced

Benefits 24

3-3 MDGs and role of ICT 26

3-4 ICT4D sustainability, scalability and

evaluation 28

3-5 Four soft policy instruments for successful

cities in the knowledge economy 29

4-1 Territorial organization of selected Arab

Mediterranean Countries 40

5-1 The “Arab spring”, a case study for

social media and community

empowerment 63

➲ Charts

Chart 3-1 Morocco ICT profile 31

Chart 3-2 Lebanon ICT profile 32

Chart 3-3 Syria ICT profile 32

Chart 3-4 Senegal ICT profile 33

Chart 3-5 Gabon ICT profile 33

Chart 3-6 Mauritania ICT profile 34

Chart 4-1 Trend in SSC activities and

budget 45

Chart 4-2 North-South & Triangular Cooperation,

Case #1 46

Chart 4-3 North-South & Triangular Cooperation,

Case #2 47

Chart 4-4 South -South & Triangular Cooperation,

Case #1 48


Case #2 48


Case #3 49


Case #4 50

Chart 5-1 Arab youth survey:

Biggest Challenges 56

Chart 5-2 ICT trade in selected MENA &

sub-Saharan countries 58

Annexes

Annex 1 -Decentralized cooperation:

definition, actors, benefits, modalities

and multilateral frameworks 109

Annex 2 - Common Schemes within

which decentralized cooperation

initiatives take place 118

Annex 3 - Decentralized cooperation in

the Mediterranean region: Focus on

the most active decentralized

cooperation links of France, Germany,

Italy, Spain and the ART Initiative 122


iii


1

Acknowledgements

The genesis for this handbook

was the ISI@MED 2010 Strategic

Workshop on the “Territorial

approach to development and

democratic governance through the

use of ICT”, which was held in

Marseille, France on 30 November

and 1 December 2010. The foundation

for what was to become a practical

publication was established during

the two days. The material grew and

evolved over the subsequent year

under the guidance and supervision

of Najat Rochdi of UNDP Geneva

and with the overall day-to-day

coordination provided by Najet

Tenoutit, Programme Coordinator at

CMI in Marseille supported by Kelly

Papadaki, ART- ISI@MED Programme

Officer at UNDP Geneva as well as

the contribution of Nada Tarbush,

Intern at the Directorate of UNDP

Geneva.

As a joint publication of the UNDP

office in Geneva and the Marseille

Center for Mediterranean Integration,

the publication benefited from

the support of teams from both

institutions and from a large panel

of cooperation partners.

While the “parents” of this publication

are UNDP and CMI, a large group

of people from many diverse

backgrounds contributed in some

way to the research, writing and

peer review of the handbook. In par-

ticular, the parent organizations

would like to express their appreciation

for the time, talent and energy

contributed by the following:

• City of Malaga: Francisco de

la Torre Prados, Mayor; Arturo

Rodriguez, Director of Information

Technologies

• City of Marseille: Jean-Claude

Gaudin, Mayor; Michelle Reynaud,

Director of International Relations

• Union of Municipalities of Al

Fayhaa: Nader Al Ghazal, Mayor

of Tripoli, Lebanon; Abdallah

Abdul Wahab, Director of Al Faya

Urban Communities

• City of Chefchaouen: Mohamed

Sefiani, Mayor

• City of Oujda: Omar Hejira, Mayor

• Region of Oriental: Ali Belhaj,

President

• Region of Champagne Ardenne:

Jean-Paul Bachy, President;

Abderahim el Khantour, Director of

International Relations

• ART-ISI@MED Team: Cristino

Pedraza Lopez, Claudia Micciche,

Francesco Bicciato, Abdallah

Muhieddine, Nisrine Qadouri,

Lurdes Gomez, Andrea Biswas


2

• Cecile Molinier, Director UNDP Geneva

• Mats Karlsson Director CMI

• Giovanni Camilleri, ART International Coordinator

• Adam Rogers, UNDP Senior Advisor, Strategic Communication

• Anuja Utz, Deputy Director CMI

• Olivier Lavinal, Operations Officer CMI

In addition to the above list of direct contributors, the following served on

a consultations panel of peer reviewers:

Lastly, the parent organizations would like to express their appreciation

to the following, who provided invaluable and often last-minute

support under tight deadlines in editing, production and translation services.

English (original language) editing: Lili Gutierrez

Design and Graphism: Artcom

Printing : Imprimerie Masson


3

Foreword

Information and communications

technologies (ICT) are critical for the

effective operation of government

and the delivery of services to

citizens and businesses. This is

especially true at the local level,

where municipal and local authori-

ties need to be able to respond

effectively and efficiently to the

needs of their citizens. ICTs facilitate

responsive and responsible public

service delivery through enabling,

for example, access to online trans-

actional services, public information

and communication channels with

authorities – promoting voice,

accountability and transparency. In

this way and many others, ICTs serve

as a crucial enabler for territorial

development, accelerating progress

in poverty reduction, while promoting

inclusive growth.

ART-ISI@MED (Information Society

Initiative for the Mediterranean) is

the result of an initial partnership

between the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP)

office in Geneva and the Centre for

Mediterranean Integration (CMI) in

Marseille. The initiative is part of

UNDP’s work in the practice areas of

democratic local governance within

the framework of decentralized

cooperation and its work through

the UNDP ART Global Initiative

(Articulation of Territorial and

Thematic Networks of Cooperation

for Human Development).

ART-ISI@MED’s strategic objective

is to strengthen and bolster

development efforts in the

Mediterranean Region through the

effective and efficient use of ICTs at

the local level. The Initiative has

three components: ICT for territorial

management, that is, for strategic

planning and management of local

resources; ICT for local economic

development, notably for helping

small and medium-size enterprises

and cooperatives’ management; and

ICT for community engagement.

In December 2010, CMI and UNDP

held the first Workshop of the

ART-ISI@MED Initiative in Marseille.

The meeting was an extraordinary

opportunity to build on Mediterranean

dialogues among sub-national

decision makers on the role of ICT

for the local development of the

region. President of Regions,

Mayors, and other high level

representatives of Lebanon,

Morocco, Syria, France, Spain,

Senegal and Mauritania gathered for

two days. The results of their

deliberations form the foundation

of the handbook you now hold in

your hands.

This guide is targeted at the local

level because we believe there is

tremendous energy and resources

there to facilitate equitable and

sustainable development in local

communities. It takes into conside-

ration the more developed northern


4

shores of the Mediterranean as well,

given the growing efforts in

decentralized partnerships between

regions and municipalities to build

bridges across the digital and

oceanic divides that separate the

two worlds.

We agree, without a doubt, that ICTs

should be considered in all local

development policy making. We

hope this publication will provide

local decision makers throughout

the Mediterranean with a set of

concrete and easy-to-use guidelines

on how to effectively and

strategically apply ICTs to produce

better results and improved

livelihoods for all their citizens.

Mats Karlsson

Director

Centre for Mediterranean Integration

Cecile Molinier

Director

United Nations Development Programme,

Office in Geneva


Joint preface of the mayors and local authorities in the Mediterranean Region involved in the ART- ISI@MED Initiative

Ali Belhaj,

President of Oriental Region, Morocco

Francisco De La Torre Prados,

Mayor of Malaga, Spain

Mohamed Sefiani,

Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco

We, mayors and regional authorities of the Mediterranean region, have

inherited responsibilities that have been passed down through the ages for

centuries. Without effective strategic planning and management skills, our

predecessors could never have built and expanded great civilizations, and

spread ideas, knowledge, trade and technology to the farthest reaches of the

world known to them at the time.

The history of these great civilizations is rooted in the proficiency to

which they managed the delivery of public goods and services - the

Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Canaanites, Greek, Roman, Carthaginian,

Byzantine, Ottoman, Christian, and Islamic cultures that spread upon our

shores – all had to establish and maintain roads, shipping lanes, ports,

irrigation, health and sanitation, etc. The ability to which they were able to

deliver these often determined how long their civilizations lasted.

Compared with the early days when the people of the Mediterranean first

planned their civilizations, the cities around the Sea today have more tools

and examples on which to plan, but their tasks are in some ways even more

challenging.

Omar Hejira,

Mayor of Oujda, Morocco


The skills required to effectively manage municipalities and rural communities

are made more complex by the myriad of tools at our hands, the foremost

of which are the information and communications technologies, which have

become essential for the effective operation of government and the

delivery of services to citizens and businesses. This is especially true at the

local level, where municipal and local authorities need to be able to

respond effectively and efficiently to the needs of their citizens.

At different times in the ancient past, standards of living fluctuated

between civilizations. At times, the people of North Africa enjoyed standards

of living higher than any previously seen. At other times, it was the Romans,

the Turks, the Moors. Today, there is a distinct divide separating the

northern and southern shores of our common sea – a digital divide and one

of human development. But, when you look at the region from space, you

see one sea, one people, and ultimately, one planet, without borders. The

bottom line is that we are all in this together, and by working together in

solidarity, we will grow together in solidarity.

By bridging the digital divide, and sharing both technology and knowledge

of best practices, we are helping to close the human development divide.

This effort benefits all of us, from Malaga to Oujda, from Marseille to Tripoli,

Lebanon, and from Champagne Ardenne to the Oriental Region. By

improving the management of our municipalities and regions, we can

facilitate economic growth, development and improved livelihoods, thus

widening trade, commerce, communication and travel amongst all our

peoples, as it has been for millennia. Through the Information Society

Initiative for the Mediterranean (ISI@MED), this is already happening.

Nader Al Ghazal,

Mayor of Tripoli, Lebanon

Jean-Paul Bachy, President of the Regional Council of

Champagne Ardenne Region, France


Ove

rvie

w


9

Overview

ART-ISI@MED Handbookobjectives

The primary objective of this joint

publication of UNDP and CMI is to

provide local decision makers

throughout the Mediterranean with

a set of concrete and easy-to-use

guidelines on why and how ICTs

should be integrated into local

development policy making.

This handbook intends to provide

local policy makers with a practical

tool to support them. These

national and local authorities in

charge of strategic planning for

economic and social development

have new roles and responsibilities

within the framework of the

ongoing decentralization of their

functions, which requires them to

take charge of planning, resource

mobilization and implementation of

all local development activities.

As a result, local public officials

often need to build new capacities

and skills to effectively leverage

available ICT tools to efficiently

manage their new functions.

Another raison d’etre for this

publication is to offer a space -- for

all partners involved and those

interested in the ART-ISI@MED

Initiative -- in which to share their

experiences and lessons learned.

This is a knowledge management

exercise that provides stakeholders

with the opportunity to learn from

each other’s projects and best practices.

This handbook is designed to allow

readers to switch from one chapter

to another to discover the practical

information they are looking for to

support them in decision making.

Each chapter – from those focusing

on the background and context of

ICT for development (ICT4D) to

those dealing with the practical use

of ICTs in the field of decentralized

cooperation – is enriched by field

interviews of experts, local decision

makers, technicians or institutional

representatives.

Best practices and partners’

feedback are available throughout

the text to provide readers with a

‘hands-on’ approach on the kinds

of projects being developed under

the ART-ISI@MED Initiative.

The Lebanon and Morocco pilot

projects are the major case studies

presented in the handbook. These

two projects complement each

other in demonstrating why ICTs

matter in local administration and

how these kinds of projects

influence the way local decision

makers formulate their local

development plans.

The themes in the handbook reflect

months of discussion and consulta-

tion. In a perfect world, we would

have a ‘best practice’ for each of

the themes addressed, but we could

not. We do not want to speak as

theorists. We are practitioners, not

academicians. With the Tripoli, Le-

banon and the Region de l’Oriental,

Morocco cases, the handbook’s au-

dience will have two different sto-

ries, two different practices in two

different countries, with common

constraints and challenges shared

by practitioners across all territories

and countries.


10

There is very little operational

duplication between the two pilot

projects. When the Initiative started,

we intended to develop two

different initiatives, harnessing two

different aspects of ICT for local

development and two different

dimensions of regional marketing,

so we could (i) build cooperation

between these two countries as part

of a South-South cooperation

strategy and (ii) encourage the two

countries and their cooperation

partners to formulate triangular

cooperation projects from Morocco

and Lebanon but working on local

development in Mauritania, Senegal

and Gabon. This form of triangular

cooperation is one of the corners-

tones of the ART-ISI@MED Initiative.

This book also presents the many

complexities of ICT4D projects in the

context of decentralized cooperation

within the specific circumstances of

the Middle East and North Africa

(MENA) Region.

But more than that, this collaborative

work seeks to exemplify the principle

that development interventions

must embrace a clear expression

of solidarity among partners – a

principle that underlies the thinking

and a mindset at the heart of the

ART-ISI@MED Initiative.

ART-ISI@MED Handbooktarget audiences

The primary target audience of this

handbook includes all sub-national

levels of government, from rural

villages to municipalities and cities

as well as groups of local municipa-

lities and regional entities.

Decision makers of all kinds will

benefit from this handbook –

whether they are elected officials

preparing work plans or technicians

forming thematic work groups on

social and economic development.

Local authorities’ work plans reflect

budgets and budgeting priorities,

municipal or collective services,

infrastructure needs and investments.

This manual addresses these

subjects (even if only superficially at

times) to show that the ART Global

Initiative and associated governance

values are viable alternatives.

The ART-ISI@MED handbook intends

to be a valuable reference in

harnessing ICTs to facilitate or

improve local government service

delivery in response to the needs

and priorities of local populations.

My personal interest and expertise

in the international aid and

cooperation field make me a deep

believer in the high value of the

use of ICTs for local development.

ICT projects are quick win-win

initiatives which help to build local

confidence among all actors involved

in the development of their community

– from the decision makers to the

citizens. Integrating ICTs into sub-

national development initiatives is

an innovative and sustainable way

to ensure optimal results through

an effective participatory planning

process.

Najat Rochdi

Deputy Director,

UNDP Geneva


• In the beginning

• Strategic Objectives

• ART -ISI@MED service lines

• The ART -ISI@MED 2010 StrategicWorkshop

The

AR

T-IS

I@M

ED In

itia

tive


13

Globalization accelerates information

flow to the point where we know

more about everything and

anything that can be digitized, from

encyclopaedia entries with embedded

photographs and statistical charts

to indexed lists and correspondence

databases sorted by metatag. We

are no longer out of touch, except

by choice. Our world increasingly

resembles a data and communications

ecosystem. The sheer volume of this

information is unimaginable and

yet, we are only in the infancy of

information processing and

transformation through value

added processes. The purpose of

this manual is to explore the

implications of information processing

technologies as a response to

globalization, as a strategy for

community development, and as a

plethora of new tools for territorial

governance and economic

development.

What is the Information Society?

Information itself is simply data.

It has no value until and unless it is

organized and exchanged. But even

organized, information-rich data

sets have no value if they cannot be

accessed and transformed by use.

The information society is more

than the mere processing and

storage of information, it is as much

about the publication and exchange

of information. It is life itself,

augmented and accelerated by

machines processing data at the

speed of light.

The key to understanding the

concept lies not in the “information”,

but in the “society” that is driven

by that information. Society means

public spaces. It means civil

intercourse, public accountability,

shared goals and objectives.

Information Society refers to the

intelligent use of information

processing technologies for the

responsible governance of public

spaces.

The trend in dealing with data

proliferation has been to adapt

governance systems to improve

data capture through decentralized

organization. Improved data

collection and analysis have

allowed states to streamline

governance, concentrating on

policy-making, supervising and

reinforcing local autonomy. The

process of decentralization has

led developing and developed

countries to reform their adminis-

trative structures and fully leverage

local productive systems, a source

of national wealth.

The ART-ISI@MED Initiative

From concept to fieldwork, ART-ISI@MED brings informationand communication technologies to territorial governanceand development

In the beginning…


14

Decentralization laws transfer

operational authority in various

policy areas including health,

education, resource management,

social and cultural affairs, economic

development and land-use

management to local communities.

This process unleashes new energy

and, in many ways, harnesses the

resourcefulness of long marginalized

populations. Managing these

reforms, and more importantly,

empowering local citizenry through

capacity-building exercises, are

the best ways to capitalize on new

productive energies.

Such reforms reflect increased

global interconnectedness. They

lead to massive information flows,

social cohesion and a new perspec-

tive on local development. This book

is about local development and

about how that development is sup-

ported by information technologies.

Cities and local governments

around the world rely on informa-

tion technologies for data manage-

ment, local development and

sustainable urbanisation. Our focus

is on both physical infrastructure

and soft infrastructure, and the role

that innovative ICT models1 play in

strategic planning and local economic

and social development.


15

ISI@MED was designed by UNDP

to address the digital divide

between Africa and Europe and to

leverage new technologies to

facilitate and accelerate the

improvement of livelihoods and the

creation of opportunities for people

living in poverty. Through ICTs,

communities are leapfrogging de-

velopment processes to improve

public service delivery, improve the

quality of education and expand

the labour market by plugging into

the world.

UNDP’s strategic plans and

programmes leverage and often

depend on ICTs to support national

policies for decentralization,

building the capacities of local

actors to plan, implement and

monitor local development strategies.

Since the dawn of the current

millennium, and with the World

Summits on the Information

Society (WSIS Geneva 2003 and

WSIS Tunis 2005), UNDP has taken

a particular interest in harnessing

ICT4D to help transform the

expanding digital divide into a

digital opportunity. With its

experience in 177 countries, UNDP

is working to stimulate the

enabling environment, catalyzing

applications and innovative

projects on the ground to bridge

the information gap and bring

everyone into the global economy.

Strategic objectives

ART-ISI@MED supports local

players and communities in their

use of ICT networking, knowledge

sharing and capacity building in

these areas:

ICT for strategic urban planning:

(i) Using ICTs, information systems

in general and Geographical Informa-

tion System (GIS) in particular, for

strategic urban planning, land and

resource management and

monitoring of local services and

local resources, and (ii) Offering

computerized public administration

and improved service delivery to ci-

tizens

ICT for economic development:

Targeting youth employability and

access to labour markets, job

creation, income generation, and

local small- and medium-sized

enterprises (SMEs) in poor areas to

better seize market opportunities

ICT for community empowerment:

Fostering diaspora and migrants’

engagement, social inclusion and

cross cultural youth involvement

through social media

Two countries were selected to

implement first-phase pilot

programmess in 2009 to July 2011.

This phase was devoted to finalizing

the concept and piloting the Initiative

with the implementation of the first

ISI@MED ICT4D projects in the Re-

gion de l’Oriental in Morocco and in

the Al Fayhaa Union of

Municipalities in the North of

Lebanon.

ART-ISI@MED services lines


16

The second phase started in July

2011. The aim is to consolidate and

capitalize on the results and

outcomes of the projects implemen-

ted in Morocco and Lebanon. These

will be rolled out to other cities/re-

gions in the countries of implemen-

tation (from the city of Oujda to the

City of Chefchaouen in Morocco)

and transferred to sub-Saharan

countries (e.g. Gabon, Senegal and

Mauritania) and other Mediterra-

nean countries (e.g. Tunisia and

Syria) using the South-South and

triangular cooperation mechanisms.

In 2010, the ART-ISI@MED Initiative

joined the multi-partner platform of

the Marseille CMI. CMI aims to

facilitate access to knowledge,

practices and support from public

and private institutions to improve

cooperation, encourage sustainable

development and achieve a

convergence of policies for an

integrated Mediterranean region.

CMI’s founding members are Egypt,

France, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco

and Tunisia, with the European

Investment Bank (EIB) and the

World Bank.

In November 2010, a two-day

ART-ISI@MED Workshop was held

in Marseille, in conjunction with

the “Semaine Economique de la

Méditerranée” (Mediterranean

Economic Week). This workshop,

organized by the UNDP Geneva

Office in cooperation with CMI,

assembled the stakeholders of the

ART-ISI@MED Initiative. A featured

event of the Mediterranean

Economic Week, it received support

from the French Ministry of Foreign

Affairs, the Regional Council of the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region

and the City of Marseille.

Fifty participants from around the

Mediterranean basin participated in

the workshop, including senior

representatives of various national

authorities (Ministries of Interior,

Foreign Affairs and National

Planning), local authorities (gover-

norates, regional councils and local

and municipal authorities) and the

private sector and civil society

organizations. The workshop

debates and roundtable discussions

provided insight into the policies

and problems of territorial develop-

ment in the southern Mediterranean,

as well as the transversal role played

by ICT in the local development pro-

cess.

Beyond the digital divide separating

the North and South Mediterranean

shores, the worshop offered

participants and speakers a platform

to discuss (i) ART-ISI@MED

implementation strategies, (ii) best

practices arising from field

experience and observation,

especially with regards to social and

cultural obstacles, and (iii) the

prospects for generalizing the

ART-ISI@MED approach through

triangular cooperation with sub-

Saharan Africa.

The ART-ISI@MED 2010 Strategic Workshop


17

For two days and across six sessions, delegates worked on these subjects. Their contributions and conclusions comprise the core of this Handbook.


18

ICT4D Project International Partner Local Partner

GIS for the street management of the City

of Tripoli

Improvement of public services delivery to

citizens through ICT use at the Municipality

of Oujda

Improvement of public services delivery to

citizens through ICT use at the Municipality

of Chefchaouen

Development of a database of all material

and immaterial assets of the Oriental Region

and promotion of local products through ICT

Development of an e-government portal –

pilot project of the Oriental Region

ART-ISI@MED

Municipality of Malaga, Spain

ART-ISI@MED


ART-ISI@MED


ART-ISI@MED

Region of Champagne-Ardenne, France

ART-ISI@MED

Province of Como, Italy

Municipality of Tripoli, Lebanon Al Fayhaa Union of Municipalities, North ofLebanon

Municipality of Oujda, Morocco

Ministry of Interior - General Directorate of

Local Communities (DGCL), Morocco

Municipality of Chefchaouen, Morocco

Ministry of Interior - General Directorate of

Local Communities (DGCL), Morocco

Oriental Region Development Agency for the Oriental Region University of Oujda “Mohammed I” Regional Council of the City Wilaya Regional Investment Center (CRI)

Oriental RegionWilaya Regional Investment Center (CRI)

Box 2-1 The ART-ISI@MED Projects and Partners


• Historical background: From informationsociety to knowledge economy

• ICT4D and the MDGs

• Lessons Learned from ICT4D efforts

• ICT for territorial economic growth and socialprogress in the MENA Region

• ICT for good governance and development inthe MENA Region

• Leapfrogging development through ICTadoption

ICT,

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asis

fo

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evel

op

men

t


21

The idea of “information society”

first appeared in Japan in the 1960s

as the association of “information”

(processed and output in such

diverse forms as books, recordings,

photographs, film, advertising, financial

reports) and “society” in the sense of

a group whose livelihood was

related to the production, distribution

and archiving of such information.

The concept was further refined by

sociologists seeking to understand

post-World War social transformations,

and the notion that somehow all of

this progress was “post-industrial”.

American sociologist and futurologist

Daniel Bell wrote a popular book

entitled The Coming of the Post-In-

dustrial Society2 in which he defined

post-industrial society and projected

a growing role for information

technologies. By the turn of the

millennium, information society

studies were widely recognized as an

academic discipline. Meanwhile, the

notion of an “information society”

became rhetorical shorthand for

information technologies as social

engineering tools with a high

probability of success and as political

marketing and planning tools for

public policy makers.

If the concept was originally coined

to speak of the production, ownership

and distribution of information in

fields as diverse as education,

science, innovation and culture, it

now addresses a social reality in

which information and its enabling

technologies are at the heart of

social preoccupations.

In the first decade of the second

millennium, with the advent of

digital telephony and the proliferation

of connected data terminals (both

computers and mobile telephones),

the information society debate has

moved to the centre of the globalization

debate, focusing on national infra-

structures and local empowerment

through access.3 Information flows

have become ubiquitous in a world

where data is transferred at the

speed of light. Despite the vast flows

and seemingly endless demand for

data, it should be recognized that

much of the data that is transferred

is coded raw data organized by

software applications into useable

information: documents, films, recor-

dings, sensor data and many more.

In the 2000s, particularly with the

2003 Geneva and 2005 Tunis World

Summits on the Information Society

(WSIS), UNDP took a particular

interest in the issue of ICTs for

development by making this topic

one of its six priority areas in

implementing the MDGs.

ICT, the basis for development

Historical background: From information society toknowledge economy


22

Box 3-1 World Summits on Information Society

One of the outcomes of both the 2003 and 2005 WSIS was a clear commitment by governments to foster the achievement of an inclusive

information society. To this end, the WSIS Geneva Plan of Action identified a number of recommendations and 10 targets, to be achieved by

2015, in line with the deadline for the achievement of the MDGs.

The WSIS targets are:

Target 1. Connect all villages with ICTs and establish community access points

Target 2. Connect all secondary schools and primary schools with ICTs

Target 3. Connect all scientific and research centres with ICTs

Target 4. Connect all public libraries, museums, post offices and national archives with ICTs

Target 5. Connect all health centres and hospitals with ICTs

Target 6. Connect all central government departments and establish websites

Target 7. Adapt all primary and secondary school curricula to meet the challenges of the information society, taking into account national

circumstances

Target 8. Ensure that all of the world’s population has access to television and radio services

Target 9. Encourage the development of content and put in place technical conditions to facilitate the presence and use of all world languages

on the Internet

Target 10. Ensure that more than half the world’s inhabitants have access to and make use of ICTs.


23

The information useful for territorial

development is not raw data. It is pro-

cessed data assembled and fit to de-

velopment models, which provide

tangible value whether by reinforcing

proximity, by empowering local and

sub-national communities or by

providing a more qualified assessment

of markets and risk. The net result is

improved decision-making and grea-

ter proximity to core project consti-

tuency, both determining factors in

project sustainability.

The key for ICT and sustainable social

and economic territorial development

is proximity and vital engagement.

Closeness or proximity is by defini-

tion vital to one’s interests. Proximity

stimulates response but it also

stimulates a virtuous cycle, a feed-

back process. In this way, action and

engagement are reinforced by mem-

bers of the reference group, whether

civil society, elected officials or public

servants.

Since the first decade of the second

millennium, it has become widely

accepted that IT productivity, when

combined with the social empower-

ment of decentralized governance,

produces a win-win situation for

local development, including

inclusive productivity4 across all

aspects of the development agenda,

from local and sub-national planning

and implementation to national

policy administration. Whether

speaking of agriculture, water, civil

defence and emergency preparedness,

urban development, transportation

or the social sector including health,

education, employment and local

engagement, ICT today is at the

heart of innovative policy choices.

As highlighted in Building Knowledge

Economies: Advanced strategies

for development5, “the knowledge

economy is an economy in which

knowledge is acquired, created,

disseminated, and applied to

enhance economic development”.

ICT holds major potential for social

and economic development in that

ICT infrastructure is at the heart of

worldwide knowledge exchanges.

The Oxford dictionary defines

“knowledge” as “facts, information,

and skills acquired by a person

through experience or education”.

Such a definition is simply the first

step in understanding the model by

which data and observation from

personal experience are transformed

into actionable knowledge. Informa-

tion itself is merely organized data

which requires transformation to be

useful.

Recent innovations in collaborative

and social media, the extraordinary

development of accessibility and

applications for handheld telephones

and low-cost geospatial tools provide

new opportunities to radically

improve public services. The opportu-

nities are rich and diverse because of

the nature of the tools – they are

open and collaborative, transparent,

adaptable and for the most part,

low cost. These tools can be used in

almost all the languages of the world.

Although ICT is neither a panacea

nor an exclusive response to the

major problems in development, it

is nevertheless a valuable tool. It is

an indispensable tool in providing

To better understand theinformation society,we must first look at theknowledge economy.


24

fair access to health services,

education and employment and es-

sential for local democratic pro-

cesses.

In the Mediterranean basin, where

most states are intermediate

income countries and where decen-

tralization processes are engaged

in different and unequal ways, ICT

is particularly useful in addressing

problems and opportunities raised

by integration. ICT offers a valuable

opportunity for leapfrogging, that is,

for providing access to communica-

tions networks where decades of

underinvestment have resulted in

significant development delay.

Although ICT plays a valuable role

in “catching up”, it adds value only

as part of a strategy to support

human competencies in using these

innovative tools.

“Which innovative tools?” is the

obvious question. However, the real

question is above all, “Which tools,

for which uses, and with what

content?” These questions are at

the heart of the issue of ICT4D.

These questions are all the more

important for economic develop-

ment in the southern Mediterranean

by virtue of their contribution to

community solidarities in each

area’s towns and regions.

Préparation Accès Usage Valeur

Source: Building Knowledge Economies, Advanced strategies for development, World Bank Institute 2010

Box 3-2 Prerequisites for capturing ICT-Induced Benefits


25

In 2000, 189 nations promised to

work together to free people from

extreme poverty and multiple

deprivations. Their pledge was

substantiated into eight Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs), to be

achieved by 2015. In September

2010, the world recommitted itself to

accelerate progress towards these

goals.

ICTs play a crucial role in achieving

MDGs at different levels, as shown in

the box below. ICT experts in the de-

velopment sector agree that:

• ICT is an integral part of efforts to

achieve MDGs, and

• Progress toward MDGs impact the

demand for ICT.

ICT4D and the MDGs


26

Increase access to market information and reduce transaction costs for poor farmers

and traders

Increase supply of trained teachers through ICT-enhanced distance training

Deliver educational and literacy programmes specifically targeted to poor girls and

women using appropriate technologies

Increase access of rural care-givers to specialist support and remote diagnosis

Enhance delivery of basic and in-service training for health workers

Increase monitoring and information-sharing on disease and famine

Remote sensing technologies and communications networks permit more effective

monitoring, resource management, mitigation of environmental risks

Poverty1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Education2. Achieve universal primary education

Gender3. Promote gender equality and empower women

Health4. Reduce child mortality5. Improve maternal health6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

Sustainable development7. Ensure environmental sustainability

Global partnership for development

8. Make available the benefits of new technologies

The eighth MDG specifies that the nations of the world will “develop a global partnership for development” and, “in cooperation with the

private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications technologies”. Two indicators were

identified as relevant to the measurement of “access”: telephone lines and cellular subscribers per 100 inhabitants (target indicator number

47 assigned for monitoring to the International Telegraph Union (ITU)), and personal computers in use per 100 inhabitants and Internet users per

100 inhabitants (target indicator number 48, also assigned to ITU).

Box 3-3 MDGs and role of ICT6

MDGs Goal/Target Role of ICT

ITU adapted from The Significance of Information and Communication Technologies for Reducing Poverty, Department for InternationalDevelopment (DFID - United Kingdom), www.dfid.gov.uk.


27

ICT4D focuses on using ICT to

deliver specific development goals,

most notably the MDGs. It concerns

itself with directly applying

information technology approaches

to poverty reduction. ICTs can be

applied either in the direct sense,

where their use benefits the

disadvantaged population, or in an

indirect sense, where they assist

aid organizations, NGOs, govern-

ments, or businesses improve

general socio-economic conditions.

The adoption of MDGs as a deve-

lopment tool general availability

and increased use of the Internet in

the industrialized world led to

a rapid rise in investment in ICT

infrastructure, programmes, and

projects in developing countries.

A characteristic example was the

establishment of telecentres that

provided poor individuals and

communities the opportunity to

learn computer skills, access the

Internet and be informed on

development issues, such as health,

education, and agriculture. These

telecentres have also started

delivery of online government

services.

ICT4D is moving to a phase that will

require the latest technologies

and innovative approaches to ICT

application for the poor in

developing countries. It will be less

concerned with e-readiness, more

interested in the impact of ICTs on

development and more focused

on the poor as producers and

innovators with ICTs (as opposed

to just consumers of ICT-based

information).

Crucial in making any ICT4Deffort successful is effectivepartnership among the follo-wing stakeholders:

• Public sector (governments - from

developed nations, developing

nations, such as emerging

Southern aid donors, international

bodies, and local governments);

• Private sector (companies

belonging to members of the

target audience, multi-national

organizations wishing to expand

their markets to the poor as

bottom of the pyramid [BOP]

consumers, pro-poor or social

companies);

• Public-private partnerships;

• Informal sector (non-governmental

organizations [NGOs], advocacy

groups, think tanks);

• Representation from the target

audience.

The World Bank’s Information for

Development Program (infoDev)7,

published 6 lessons from an analysis

of 17 pilot programmes. These

lessons are backed by a variety

of examples as well as a list of

recommendations8:

• Lesson 1: Involve target groups in

project design and monitoring;

• Lesson 2: When choosing the

technology for a poverty

intervention project, pay particular

attention to infrastructure requi-

rements, local availability,

training requirements, and

technical challenges. Simpler

technology often produces better

results;

Lessons Learned from ICT4D efforts


28

• Lesson 3: Existing technologies—

particularly the telephone, radio,

and television—can often convey

information less expensively, in

local languages, and to larger

numbers of people than can

newer technologies. In some

cases, the former can enhance

the capacity of the latter;

• Lesson 4: ICT projects that reach

out to rural areas might contri

bute more to the MDGs than

projects based in urban areas;

• Lesson 5: Financial sustainability

is a challenge for ICT-for-

development initiatives;

• Lesson 6: Projects that focus on

ICT training should include a job

placement component.

ICT for territorial economicgrowth and social progressin the MENA region

Currently, the main three perspectives coming out of this sector are,

first, to ensure sustainability and viability of ICT programmes/projects,

for example, through emphasizing the need for external aid to build

infrastructure. Second, to design ICT programmes/projects which are

sustainable and scalable with greater reach and able to survive after

the external initial funding. Sustaining the project's scalability is a huge

challenge of ICT4D; how the target user will continue using the

platform. The need arises to develop and build on local talent. Last,

to ensure objective evaluation of impacts of ICT programmes/projects

implemented.9

A recent study by the United

Nations Conference on Trade and

Development (UNCTAD) found that,

in a typical developing country, an

increase of 10 mobile phones per

100 inhabitants boosts GDP growth

by 0.6%.10 Several InfoDev studies

report that ICT is a major contributor

to productivity, profitability and

growth at company levels in

transition economies.

In the MENA region, large invest-

ments have been made over the last

decade on ICT infrastructure, to

enhance and foster development

in these countries. Despite these

investments, which have allowed

most MENA countries to access

infrastructure and equipment,

notably in the Gulf Region where

equipment levels are very high,

Box 3-4 ICT4D sustainability, scalability andevaluation


29

there remains a significant digital

divide between MENA and developed

countries, within the countries

themselves, among cities and

between urban and rural areas.

MENA countries show great

variability in levels of ICT infra-

structure and equipment. The

greatest variability is in access to

ICT resources for education and

citizen capacity building. In this

area, there is significant geographic

variability with respect to accessibility

of ICT infrastructure and user

training (usage).11

A dynamic ICT sector implies broad

involvement in all aspects of public

life, from education and health

services to employment and public

debate. To limit the undesirable

social consequences of digitally

divided national spaces, sub-national

and city authorities must understand

and encourage community-based

solutions for changing market

conditions. They must constantly

strive to address locally the

influence of globalized processes.

Box 3-5 Four soft policy instruments for successfulcities in the knowledge economy

According to Will Hutton,12 in his paper on “Building successful cities

in the knowledge economy: the role of soft policy instruments”, the

“four soft policy instruments that are most important for cities

seeking to respond to the changing economy” are:

Skills: Cities need to invest in skills appropriate to their key sectors, so

they can benefit from the innovation associated with higher skills as

well as the spin-off benefits of educational institutions;

Leadership: If cities are to change direction, they need strong

leadership to work with key stakeholders and generate a sense of

shared purpose;

Distinctiveness: Successful cities are those which have a unique

identity that helps them attract businesses, skilled workers, visitors

and students. Often this may involve strengths in the creative and cul-

tural sectors, which can, in turn, have an impact on economic success;

Collaboration: Different cities have different assets, but frequently

these assets are complementary. Inter-city collaboration can enhance

the offer that each city makes to businesses and workers. For example,

a large city could find it easier to employ workers if a nearby city

offers a high “quality of life” where workers can live with their

families. Collaboration may be particularly important for cities where

the core industry has declined.


30

In the North Africa region,

e-Government deployment rankings

place Tunisia in the lead, followed

by Egypt, Libya and Morocco. In the

Levant however, e-Government

rankings for Jordan, Lebanon

and Syria were lower in 2010 than

in 2008.13

e-Government refers to “the use

of ICT to transform government by

making it more accessible, effective

and accountable.”14 This has

become especially important in

the context of the “information

revolution” and has had a major

impact on society, on constituencies’

expectations and on working

processes at large. Examples of

e-Government initiatives include

on-line government information

and services, publication of regulations

and forms or interfaces which allow

citizens to request ID card renewals

or file tax declarations. In this way,

citizens save time on performing

civic duties which require travel and

often, queuing. Enhanced transparency

considerably reduces opportunity for

corruption and ensures universal

and fair access to public information.

e-Government initiatives include

the creation of electronic databases

containing citizens’ identification

records, such as the civil registry

that can provide to citizens a timely

and efficient delivery of personal

documents needed (birth certifi-

cates, criminal records, etc), as well

as the electoral registry that can help

improve the electoral process by up-

dating electoral lists, eliminating

double entries in the electoral roll,

computerizing the electoral process

for electoral census purposes, etc.

We should also mention that recent

advances in mobile technologies,

including wireless and internet-

enabled mobile devices, have led to

increased government use of

mobile device channels. m-Govern-

ment, or the extension of e-Govern-

ment to mobile telephony

platforms, is defined as “a strategy

and its implementation” using a

broad array of wireless and mobile

technologies, services, applications

and devices. The main advantage of

mobile strategy is that government-

citizen interaction is ubiquitous,

with citizens able to access government

services and information anytime,

anywhere.

Last, but not least, m-Government

is particularly relevant and beneficial

for developing countries where the

level of readiness for e-Government

may be low but where mobile

phone penetration is high.15

As highlighted by the International

Labour Organization (ILO), mobile

technologies have allowed develo-

ping countries to bypass adoption

of costly and time consuming

fixed-wire telecommunications

infrastructure.16

ICT for good governance and development in the MENA Region


31

To have a better understanding of

the ICT profile of the countries

where ART-ISI@MED Initiative

operates (such as Morocco and

Lebanon) or intends to operate

using the model of South-South and

triangular cooperation (such as

Syria, Senegal, Gabon, and Mauri-

tania), the following section

showcases important ICT indicators.

These indicators include telephone

lines, mobile cellular subscriptions,

fixed broadband Internet subscri-

bers, personal computers, Internet

users, e-government web measure

index. The definitions of the terms

used in the charts are provided at

the end of this section. Every chart

presents comparable ICT statistics

for 2000 and 2009 per MENA or

sub-Saharan country.

These specific indicators were

selected among a set of indicators

covering the economic and social

context, the structure of the

information and communication

technology sector, sector efficiency

and capacity, and sector performance

related to access, usage, quality,

affordability, trade, and applications

of a recent, comprehensive publication

of World Bank, namely The Little

Data Book on Information and

Communication Technology, 2011,

while data analysis and presentation

was made by UNDP, Geneva Office,

ART- ISI@MED Initiative.

Leapfrogging development through ICT adoption:ICT country profiles for selected MENA andsub-Saharan countries

➲ Chart 3-1: Morocco ICT profile

• 10-fold or 877% increase in mobile subscriptions

• 15-fold or 1,400% increase in fixed internet subscribers

• 5-fold increase or 375% increase in the number of personal

computers

• 46-fold or 4,500% increase in the number of internet users

• Despite the increase in these indicators, progress has to be made

for Morocco to catch up in terms of fixed internet subscribers,

ownership of personal computers, internet users and e-Government

services

2000 2009

11

4,9 8,20,1

79,1

1,5 5,7

1,2 0,7

32,2

0,24

0Telephonelines Mobile

subscriptionsFixed Internet

subscribersPersonal

Computers Internetusers

Egov webmeasure index


32

➲ Chart 3-2: Lebanon ICT profile

• 2-fold or 83% increase in mobile phone subscriptions

• 3-fold or 241% increase in fixed internet subscribers

• 2-fold or 122% increase in the number of personal computers

• 3-fold or 196% increase in the number of internet users

• Lebanon is ahead of several MENA countries. However, despite the

increase in these indicators, progress has to be made for Lebanon

to catch up in terms of fixed internet subscribers, ownership of per

sonal computers, internet users and e-Government services

2000 2009

➲ Chart 3-3: Syria ICT profile

• 230-fold or 22,900% increase in mobile phone subscriptions,

• 37-fold or 3,600% increase in fixed internet subscriptions


• 94-fold or 9,250% increase in the number of internet users


for Syria to catch up in terms of fixed internet subscribers,

ownership of personal computers, internet users and

e-Government services

2000 2009

18,4

10,1

0,2 0,1

46

3,7 9

1,50,2

18,7

0,04



subscribersPersonal

Computers Internetusers Egov web

measure index

15,3

Telephonelines Mobile


subscribersPersonal



17,819,7

36,1

7,5

2,2

10,2

4,6 8

23,7

0

0,27


33

➲ Chart 3-4: Senegal ICT profile

• 22-fold or 2,104% increase mobile phone subscriptions

• 5-fold or 400% increase in fixed internet subscriptions

• 38% increase in the number of personal computers

• 19-fold or 1,750%, increase in the number of internet users


for Senegal to catch up in terms of fixed internet subscribers,

ownership of personal computers, internet users and e-Government

services

2000 2009

➲ Chart 3-5: Gabon ICT profile

• 44%. decrease in the number of telephone lines

• 10-fold or 860% increase in the number of mobile phone subscriptions

• 2-fold or 100%increase in fixed internet subscriptions


• 6-fold or 458% increase in the number of internet users

• Despite the increase in these indicators, except for the decrease intelephone lines, progress has to be made for Gabon to catch upin terms of fixed internet subscribers, ownership of personalcomputers, internet users and e-Government services

2000 2009

1,89,7

0,4

93,1

0,8 3,4

16,7

0,08



subscribersPersonal



2,1



subscribersPersonal



2,2

2,5

55,1

0,50,1

2,21,6

0,4

7,4

00,18


34

➲ Chart 3-6: Mauritania ICT profile

• 111-fold or 10,950% increase in mobile phone subscriptions

• A small increase in fixed internet subscriptions

• 5-fold or 350% increase in the number of personal computers.

• 12-fold or 1,050%, increase in the number of internet users


for Mauritania to catch up in terms of fixed internet subscribers,

ownership of personal computers, internet users and

e-Government services.

2000 2009



subscribersPersonal



0,6

66,3

0,3

0

4,5

1 0,2

2,3

0

0,09


• Decentralization: What, Why, and How?

• Decentralization, Local Democracy andLocal Governance in the World and in theMENA Region

• From decentralized cooperation totriangular cooperation: The newSouth-South experience

The

dec

entr

aliz

ed c

oo

per

atio

np

roce

ss a

nd

th

e in

tern

atio

nal

dev

elo

pm

ent

agen

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37

United Cities and Local Govern-

ments (UCLG) defines decentraliza-

tion as the devolution of

responsibility as well as of financial

and political decision-making to

sub-national levels of government.

For our purposes, the term sub-

national government and authority

shall be used interchangeably

to refer to municipalities (cities,

towns, wards, boroughs), provinces

(including the French “départe-

ment”), regions (including federal

states and governorates) and asso-

ciations of each of those.

Properly organized, decentralization

fosters local governance and as

a result, local democracy, which is

important for at least three reasons.

Decentralization:

1. Promotes allocation efficiencies as

a natural consequence of the

proximity between citizens and

public sector decision-makers,

who must account for their ac-

tions;

2. Confers tacit recognition of local

authority and responsibility for

public services entrusted to the

local organization;

3. Allows sub-national governments

to cultivate local autonomy,

including and especially via

decentralized cooperation.

Successful decentralization is a

matter of understanding and

institutionalizing the subsidiarity

implicit in the delegation of authority.

It requires that states ensure

compliance with a number of condi-

tions, most notably, that they adopt:

• A comprehensive national decen-

tralization policy where specific

powers are transferred to sub-

national governments along with

corresponding financial and

technical resources;

• Corresponding measures to

organize state administration at

sub-national levels;

• Fiscal policies that ensure

adequate resources to fund local

and sub-national priorities;

• Measures aimed at reinforcing

civil society organizations as stake

holders in sub-national governance

processes;

• A programme for the develop-

ment of local managerial and

administrative capacities.

The UNDP ART Initiative, established

in 2005 to promote a territorial

approach to human development

and achievement of the MDGs,

supports decentralization and seeks

to help local communities adopt

new technologies in their efforts

to address local and sub-national

challenges in governance and

economic development.

The decentralized cooperation process and the internationaldevelopment agenda

Decentralization: What, Why, and How?


38

The ART-ISI@MED approach is fully

integrated into the matrix process

of cooperative local development,

wherever ART National Framework

Agreements are in place to coordi-

nate situations in which there are

multiple support partners (partners

in development cooperation) and

local development processes driven

by local elected leaders and civil so-

ciety organizations. More than just

a programme, ART-ISI@MED sup-

ports local development through a

learning process which involves the

individuals, organizations and col-

lective practices of an inclusive mul-

tilateralism.

The idea of local autonomy grew

out of the Mediterranean experience

of independent city states, from

Athens and Sparta to Syracuse,

Carthage, Rome, Venice, Marseille

and Barcelona, to name a few.

These city states were eventually

incorporated into national systems

formed to provide collective security

against competing national systems.

These national systems proved very

effective in mobilizing resources for

the colonial enterprise of national

mercantilism.

In the last 20 years, decentralization,

both as a policy and as a model for

administrative organization, has

been widely adopted in the world,

resulting in renewed awareness

of the city as the basic unit of

territorial governance. This new

awareness of local context has

arisen both as an unintended

consequence of globalization and

the hyper-connected environment

of trade and finance, and as a

response to external pressures to

adapt local structures for emergence

of new political leadership at

sub-national levels.

Territorial reform in the MENA

countries reflects a long-standing

belief among European municipalities

and sub-national authorities that

there is a general lack of viable

municipal and sub-national partners

with which to build a shared

Mediterranean region of “peace,

stability and prosperity”. Development

efforts were made to create “inclusive

networks” of partner cities for the

transfer of governance skills.

In 2000, the Eurocities network of

European cities launched what was

to become the Medcities network.

Medcities was instrumental in

obtaining one of the first EU grants

for municipal leadership capacity

building. In 2005, UCLG formed the

Mediterranean Commission which

has played a critical role in lobbying

for the participation of city

networks in a deliberative assembly

for the Union for the Mediterranean.

Decentralization, Local Democracy and Local Governance in the World and inthe MENA Region


39

In 2008, the EU Council of Foreign

Ministers meeting in Marseille

voted to establish the Euromediter-

ranean Assembly of Local and

Regional Authorities, ARLEM.

The assembly is composed of

84 members, of which 10 seats

are reserved for city and territorial

networks.

Numerous capacity-building, de-

centralized cooperation efforts have

been successfully completed in the

past decade, including: constitutional

reforms in Bahrain completed

in 2002, Saudi Arabia’s first local

elections, the creation of popularly

elected regional councils with

attributions for economic and

strategic development in Morocco

and Jordan, restitution of mayoral

elections by universal suffrage in

Jordan and the organization of local

elections in Palestine.


40

Algeria

Egypt

Jordan

Lebanon

Morocco

West Bank& Gaza

Syria

Tunisia

Turkey

Country

48 provinces/wilayas, 160 district/ constituencies(da'iras)

26 governorates, each divided into district

12 governorates

6 governorates (muhafazat), each (except Beirut)divided into district (aq-diya)49 provinces (rural areas) and 1 3 prefectures(urban areas)

14 governorates (9 in the West Bank and 5 inthe Gaza Strip), 2 autonomous provinces

14 départements

24 governorates (wilayat), each divided intodistrict

81 special provincial administrations

Provincial Level

1,541 municipalities (communes)

217 towns + Luxor (with specialstatus) 4,617 villages

99 municipalities

930 municipalities and villages

1,497 municipalities (communes)

74 municipalities (63 in the WestBank and 11 in the Gaza Strip),368 village councils

107 cities, 248 small cities, 207villages

264 municipalities

3,225 municipalities,16 metropolitan municipalities,and 35,000 villages

Local LevelPopulation / Nbr of Regions(pop. for 2007, in millions)

33.9

80.1

5.9 (the creation of 3 regionsannounced in 2006)

4.2

31.2 (organized into 16 regions)

4.0

20.5

10.1

73.0 (organized into 12 regions)

Box 4-1 Territorial Organization of selected Arab Mediterranean Countries

Compiled by Bergh, Sylvia I., “Decentralization and Local Governance in the MENA Region”, in www.iemed.org/anuari/2010/aarticles/Bergh_decentralization_en.pdf.From sources: GOLD World Report 2008 and UCLG country profiles; population data fromUNDP Human Development Report 2009 (http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_Tables_rev.xls) Note: The designation “Local Level” here refers to the lowest tier of sub-national governance and is not the definition usedelsewhere in this manual.


41

Common interests bind the citizens of the North and South – not just around

the Mediterranean but around the world. All citizens of this planet are

concerned about specific thematic issues, such as economic migration or

forced displacement because of armed conflicts or natural disasters, climate

change, and the rational use of water and energy resources -- to mention but

a few examples. These are issues that go beyond municipal, regional, and

national geographic boundaries, with direct repercussion on the day-to-day

of all people, even if they belong to different cultures, religions and ethnic

groups.

It is within this context that the UNDP ART Global Initiative was created.

ART is a programmatic framework conceptualized, designed, implemented

and monitored/evaluated in the concerned country, with various involved ac-

tors and stakeholders in close coordination with representative authorities

to:

• Apply a cross-sectoral territorial approach capable of effectively

supporting the processes of local development (rather than a

centrally-planned top-down solution or one that takes a silo-driven

sectoral approach),

• Encourage complementarities and alliances between the actions of

different actors and cooperation programmes in support of complex

common strategies such as the MDGs,

• Work with local authorities to promote the active engagement of civil

society organizations and networks,

• Work in synergy with the local programming cycles, organized in the

countries by the local stakeholders, to reach a greater complementarity

of actors.

• Ensure the continuity of cooperation, with the processes of

development in the country,

• Optimize the resources, sharing of common services, diagnosis, data,

and technical assistance,

• Offer agile administrative procedures.

The acronym ART officially refers to Articulation of Territorial and The-

matic Cooperation Networks for Human Development and emphasizes the

strategic relationship between subnational levels of government and their

networks both from the North and the South.

HOW THE UNDP ART GLOBAL INITIATIVE ADDS VALUE TO DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMESBY GIOVANNI CAMILLERICoordinator, UNDP ART Global Initiative


42

Effective Development Requires Cooperation, Collaboration and

Communication

To achieve development results, it is essential to facilitate real and

permanent dialogue between local communities, to allow them to act

simultaneously on the causes and effects of these issues of “common

interest”. This is a very different approach to cooperation, contrasted with

the old paradigm of “donors and beneficiaries”, in which the North, suppo-

sedly developed, teaches the South “how to fish” (and by the way, whoever

said that the countries of the North are better at fishing – especially using

techniques for catching fish in northern seas?).

It may be necessary, therefore, to consider, and put at the disposition of the

international community, new instruments of cooperation that allow the ci-

tizens of the North and the South to operate under a framework of alliances,

through a network of “allies and colleagues”, that allows committed part-

ners in the north and in the south to jointly face, in solidarity, the common

challenges ensuring sustainably prosperous livelihoods with expanded

choices for all citizens.

The ART programmatic approach reduces fragmentation and increases the

impact of cooperation actors that operate locally. It enhances the strategic

role of decentralized cooperation and complementarity within the multila-

teral framework to better support sustainable development processes.

The Genesis of the ART Initiative

Development cooperation in the past was often criticized for being too fo-

cused on linear and symptomatic relief – on “band-aid” solutions that did

not take into account the “big picture” by considering systems theory, or the

interconnected, complex and organic nature of societies, To tackle nutrition

we would send food aid, health problems, send medicines, or local develop-

ment, launch projects in a municipality. Rather, the UNDP ART global ap-

proach is about capitalizing on experiences in the field and facilitating wide

respectful and open collaboration that co-creates solutions to development

challenges.

The strategic need for the ART approach emerged from the rapid growth in

the number development actors operating at sub- national levels, each often

focused on conflicting priorities, and often without the

involvement of representative bodies or participatory input from

the local people. In short, the benefits to development of creating,

strengthening and/or expanding an integrated network of alliances,

allies, partners and colleagues are numerous, and include the following:

• It is an effective modality to sensitize public opinion and

local communities in the South and North on various issues of

common interest,

• It establishes channels through which a common dialogue

and discussion on issues of common interest can take place,

generating an exchange of ideas and experiences in a direct and

pragmatic way.


43

• It promotes an environment of mutual trust that even the best

“expert” in international cooperation could not generate on his or her own,

• It promotes south-south and triangular cooperation and encourages

innovation, mobilizing much-needed knowledge resources frequently

forgotten by traditional development cooperation, including good

practices in basic issues of local governance: management of basic

social services, economic local strategies in the environmental, energy, or

gender policies, to mention but a few examples,

• It helps make development cooperation activities more participatory,

transparent, and dynamic.

• It facilitates a paradigm shift from a culture of “how much do you give

me” to the broader question of “how do we work through this together”,

in support of national processes of local development, and poverty

alleviation strategies.

The ART Global Initiative is currently operational in more than

20 countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, and is now being

expanded into the Arab Region. Because of its emphasis on local

planning processes, community empowerment and multi-stakeholder col-

laboration, it offers the perfect institutional home for the Information Society

Initiative for the Mediterranean (ISI@MED), which offers an

approach that further strengthens the core principles of ART.

From decentralized cooperation to triangularcooperation: The new South-South experience

Equal partnerships between local

governments and their institutions

offer an effective platform to

exchange experiences, best practices

and innovations. Both peer-to-peer

exchange and active dialogue

between territorial actors are innovative

means to promote good governance

and local development and to share

tested and successful policies in a

variety of fields. The partnerships

between local governments are

founded on mutual respect, solida-

rity, common interests and joint

responsibilities.

After years of decentralized cooperation

between the northern developed

countries and southern developing

countries on bilateral mode, a new

multilateral approach is starting to

take shape and to show results: the

triangular cooperation. With UNDP’s

support, which handles issues

connected with developing and

strengthening South-South coopera-

tion, local authorities from the North

and the South have entered a new

phase of cooperation by integrating

a third dimension to their classical

partnerships. In addition to their

general scheme of knowledge transfer

from the North to the South, they are

also considering and developing

projects that will also offer a South-

South dimension in a second phase,

capitalizing on the knowhow and the

expertise gained in the first phase.

UNDP is giving special attention to

the transfer of contextually relevant

lessons and experience between

developing countries – particularly

from Middle-Income Countries


44

(MICs) with successful track records

in addressing challenges common to

developing countries. MICs are

playing an increasingly important

role in the international development

architecture, as donors, trading

partners and sources of expertise.

Some MICs are both donors and

recipients of aid, giving them a

unique perspective on the develop-

ment process.

Thus, UNDP’s South-South cooperation

mechanism and approaches involve

countries of the South helping each

other by sharing technical or economic

knowledge and skills to facilitate

development. UNDP’s triangular

cooperation approach is about

facilitating technical cooperation and

knowledge transfer among two or

more developing countries with the

support (technical and financial) from

northern donors, decentralized

cooperation partners, private sector

partners and NGOs partners or by

international organizations.

There are documented good

practices within UNDP programmes

that cover formulation of a strategic

framework in Thailand; institutional

and technical capacity strengthening

in China; systematic data collection

and reporting in Turkey; and

establishment of a Joint Cooperation

Fund by Mexico and Chile. These

cases indicate that increased South-

South cooperation has promoted

country efforts in strengthening their

policy and institutional frameworks.

Key contributing factors for the

successful efforts described in these

cases include:

• enabling policy environment and

commitment at all levels;

• broad participation and partner-

ship, including government

organizations and civil society;

• capacity of the coordinating

organization and capacity develop-

ment of wider stakeholders

through the process;

• and a step-by-step approach to

expand initiatives based upon a

longer-term perspective while

achieving a short-term result to

gain momentum.

Donor and international organizations’

support has helped countries in

developing capacity and networking

among broader stakeholders.17


45

➲ Chart 4-1: Trend in SSC activities and budget

South-South cooperation is becoming

essential. It is showing excellent

results in answering crucial issues in

the field of international cooperation:

how to scale up operational capacities

and how to improve the quality of

capacity building support. Part of the

answer can now be found in the way

international organizations, active in

decentralized cooperation projects,

can encourage local southern

communities to use the knowledge

gained for their own “export-driven”

development to the benefit of their

southern partners. South-South co-

operation is an effective innovative

tool, first to scale-up, but also to

improve aid-effectiveness and

international cooperation partner’s

return on investment.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Number of SSC activities

Substaintial increase Increase No change Decrease Substantial decrease

Budget

Donor funding

Cost-sharing with otherpivotal countries

Cost-sharing from beneficiary countries

Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, UNDP, 2009


46

| UNDP role: facilitating the process

and enabling the knowledge transfer

| Example of 3 different cases of

North – South cooperation in the

same country

| ICT Project No 1: eAdministration

services with the support of Malaga

| ICT Project No 2: L’Oriental Region

webportal with the support of Como

| ICT Project No 3: L’Oriental Region

eMarketing with the support of

Champagne Ardenne

The ART-ISI@MED Initiative is aiming

at facilitating triangular partnerships

between local governments from the

South and the North of the Mediter-

ranean Sea with a third local govern-

ment partner from a southern country

(Mediterranean or Sub-Saharan). Thus,

after successfully running ICT4D

projects in Municipality of Oujda and

L’Oriental Region, Morocco (see chart

4-2), and Municipality of Tripoli,

Lebanon (see chart 4-3), the North-

South and Triangular Cooperation

experience will be replicated in so

many different South-South and

Triangular Cooperation cases; from

municipality to municipality within

the same country (Morocco, see chart

No 4-4 and Lebanon, see chart

No 4-5); between municipalities

of two different Mediterranean

countries (Morocco and Lebanon, see

chart No 4-6); from a Mediterranean

country to two Sub-Saharan countries

(from Morocco to Senegal and

Gabon, see chart No 4-7).

➲ Chart 4-2: North-South & Triangular Cooperation, Case #1

Cooperation in Morocco

UNDPGENEVA ICTProject No 1

Municipality of OUJDA,Morocco

Support of Municipalityof MALAGA, Spain


L’OrientalRegion,Morocco

Support of COMOProvince, Italy


L’OrientalRegion,Morocco

Support ofCHAMPAGNE ARDENNERegion, France


47

| UNDP role: facilitating the process and enabling the knowledge transfer

| Example of North – South cooperation

| Triangular Cooperation with the support of Malaga and a GIS expert

company

| ICT services to be transfered: Urban development and street

management GIS platform

➲ Chart 4-3: North-South & Triangular Cooperation,Case #2

Cooperation in Lebanon

UNDPGENEVA

Municipalityof TRIPOLI,Lebanon

Support ofMunicipality ofMALAGA, Spainand a GIS ex-pert company


48


| Example of South – South cooperation within municipalities of the same

country

| Triangular Cooperation with the support of Malaga

| ICT services to be transfered: eAdministration services

➲ Chart 4-4: South-South & Triangular Cooperation,Case #1

Cooperation within Morocco

UNDPGENEVA

Municipalityof OUJDA,Morocco

Municipalityof CHAOUEN,Morocco


| Example of South – South cooperation within municipalities of the same

country

| Triangular Cooperation with the support of Marseille and PACA region,

as well as Malaga

| ICT services to be transfered: Urban development and street

management GIS platform

➲ Chart 4-5: North-South & Triangular Cooperation,Case #2

Cooperation within Lebanon

Support ofMunicipalityof MALAGA,Spain

UNDPGENEVA

Municipalityof TRIPOLI,Lebanon

Municipalityof TYRE,Lebanon

Support ofMARSEILLE &PACA Region,France andMunicipality ofMALAGA, Spain


49


| Example of South – South cooperation between two Mediterranean

countries

| Triangular Cooperation with the support of Malaga

| ICT services to be transfered: eAdministration services from Oujda to

Tripoli & Urban development and street management GIS platform from

Tripoli to Oujda

| Prospective transfer to Syria and Tunisia


Between two Mediterranean countries

UNDPGENEVA

Municipality ofOUJDA, Morocco

Municipality ofTRIPOLI, Lebanon

Support ofMunicipality ofMALAGA, Spain


50


| Example of South – South cooperation from Mediterranean to Sub-

Saharan countries

| Triangular Cooperation with the support of PACA Region and

Municipality of Malaga

| ICT services to be transfered: eAdministration services


UNDPGENEVA

MOROCCO

Supportof PACARegion,France &Municipalityof MALAGA,Spain

From Mediterranean to Sub-Saharan countries

SENEGAL

GABON


• ICT for strategic urban planning

• ICT for economic development

• ICT for community empowerment

ICT

for

terr

ito

rial

dev

elo

pm

ent


53

With decentralization policies, local

authorities at all levels—regions,

municipal or rural collectivities—

are empowered to plan, fund and

implement regional development

projects on behalf of local populations.

Decentralization empowers local

authorities and enables public

servants at all levels to collaborate

for the planning, funding and

implementation of territorial

development.

Local authorities frequently lack the

capacity and local skills to respond

to service demands. They have little

knowledge of available ICT tools

or how to use these to improve

municipal service delivery. Nor

would it occur to them that a

standardized urban grid is a desira-

ble, even necessary, tool for urban

planning and service delivery,

or that GIS might be used as a

participatory approach in data

collection to supply missing

information.

It is such information, vital for

self-determination but totally

inaccessible without outside

contacts, that is the focus of

ISI@MED. It is not enough to

stimulate demand. Project work

groups and local and cooperation

partners must cultivate and instil

the local, transversal capabilities

to identify a need, organize a

collaborative project to address that

need and learn from outside

sources. In the context of establishing

an urban grid, ICT-based methods

and tools facilitate strategic and

city planning decision-making

processes of a city and are very

welcome by local authorities.

Local decision makers need data

adapted to their own context

to support the development of

modernizing evidence-based

policies for strategic and urban

planning. Such data must be

accurate and regularly updated

especially when talking about cities

in the MENA region. Demographic

growth, spatial disparities, land

management, public transit and

sustainable development are at the

heart of the urban and strategic

planning issues for most of the

region’s cities.

ICT for territorial development

ICT for strategic urban planning


54

Although Malaga is a city, within a region, within a country, it has

established its own network of partnerships to support decentralized deve-

lopment cooperation in the Mediterranean Region. It does this with a mo-

dest budget, while leveraging its specific comparative advantage within the

information and communication technology (ICT) realm.

Malaga is the site of the largest regional technological industrial park, with

500 registered companies, 15,000 employees and 3,000 engineers. One of

the areas of its core competence in Europe is in ICT support and services,

similar to Silicon Valley in California.

The Reasons for Supporting Development Cooperation

Unlike many other European countries, the Spanish constitution allows its

cities and regions to engage directly with development cooperation with part-

ners in the South. In this context, the City of Malaga

identified Morocco as a priority, due to the long shared history and

geographic proximity. In particular, the city has very close relations with

the five cities of northern Morocco where Malaga targets most

of its direct financial and technical assistance: Al Hoceima, Nador,

Tetouan, Tangiers and Chefchaouen.

In 2002 the mayors of Nador and Tetouan asked the City of

Malaga for its support to help them develop software to modernize the ma-

nagement of their city administrations. In response, we audited

our partners’ local requirements and began working with these

communities to build information technology infrastructure and capacity.

In 2005 we started contributing to the Global Digital Solidarity Fund as

founding members. In October 2008, we hosted the first summit of Medi-

terranean Towns and Local Authorities, organized on the theme,

“Innovative Funding for a Digital Area in the Mediterranean”. This meeting

led to the creation of an ICT Secretariat based in Malaga. In May 2009,

Malaga committed itself to supporting the ART-ISI@MED Initiative. In No-

vember of that year, the Second Summit of Mediterranean Towns and Local

Authorities confirmed Malaga as Chair of the ICT working group, thus es-

tablishing Malaga as a reference for information technologies in the Medi-

terranean Region.

Malaga also is active in supporting an important project in

Tripoli, Lebanon to develop a uniform city street grid mapping system to

improve city planning and service delivery. Cities need maps and geoloca-

lized contents (trees, bus stops, fire hydrants, parks and public infrastruc-

WHY IS MALAGA BECOMING THE NEW MECCA FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES? BY ARTURO RODRIGUEZ Director of Information Technologies, ICT Pole/City of Malaga, Spain


55

ture, public and private improvements and buildings).

Without this information it is very difficult to manage public services, whe-

ther public transit, property and tax records, waste management, water

districts, etc. Most cities already have basic mapping but what is missing is

a uniform reference system.

We at the City of Malaga believe development cooperation in

information technologies and support for programmes like ISI@MED and

ART are the way to fulfil our responsibilities as global citizens while leve-

raging our comparative advantages to support the achievement of the Mil-

lennium Development Goals.

Although we are the fifth largest city in Spain, our budgets are constrained. But

we know from experience working with UNDP and with various European

grant programmes that we can leverage our modest local

resources together with our skills, in solidarity with our neighbours to the

south, to solve urban poverty challenges. This is what we are doing when we

support ISI@MED in Tripoli, Lebanon, and in northern

Morocco.


56

The potential benefit of ICT to

SMEs is well known. ICT enhances

productivity by improving output

and reducing costs. This productivity

dynamic has driven globalization

and transformed the relations of

production both in society generally

and among the countries of the

world. A vibrant business sector is

critical for local capacity development,

promoting entrepreneurial skills

and energizing local communities.

According to a survey in April 2007,

Youth in the MENA: Demographic

Opportunity or Challenge, Population

Reference Bureau, "nearly one

in five people living in the MENA

region is between the ages of

15 and 24 (95 millions youth in

2005)". However, the rising

population is driving unemployment

in MENA: the unemployment rate

among the MENA youth is the

highest in the world: 25.1% for

Middle East and 23.6% for North

Africa – nearly double the global

average of 12.6% in 2010.

According to a survey on Arab

youth conducted by ASDA’A, the

three biggest challenges for the

Middle East are the rise in the cost

of living, unemployment and

human rights (see chart 5-1).

Undoubtedly, the political turmoil in

the region that led and is still

leading to Arab Springs, is ascribed

to issues such as high inflation,

demand for democracy, large

disparity in incomes, corruption,

and, last but not least, high

unemployment.

ICT for economic development ➲ Chart 5-1: Arab youth survey: Biggest challenges

Source: ASDA’A 2010 Arab Youth Survey

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Rising cost of living

Unemployment

Human rights

Inequality

Dangers of drugs

Corruption

Loss of traditional values

Opportunity for women

Personal debt

Quality of education

Middle East conflicts

48%

34%

26%

24%

20%

20%

17%

17%

16%

15%

13%


Creating jobs to accommodate new

entrants in the labour market forms

the core agenda of most governments

in the MENA region. A World Bank

report released in 2003 mentioned

that countries in the region need to

create some 100 million new jobs

during 2000–2020 to overcome

unemployment. MENA governments

are seeking both long-term as well

as quick fix solutions to avoid

facing the wrath of citizens.

However, creating millions of new

jobs each year is not an easy task.

Some suggestions for solving

the unemployment dilemma can be:

assisting self-employment/entre-

preneurship, encouraging investments

from the private sector, continuing

to give greater emphasis to education,

nationalization employment policies,

and economic diversification.18

What should be highlighted is

the great opportunity that lies in

developing a vibrant and innovative

ICT sector, as a way to answer to

the crucial needs for job creation in

the MENA region. As governments

in the region undergo a series of

transformations, upcoming policy

measures and investment applied

to the ICT sector will be paramount

in spurring innovation and securing

consistent growth for the future.

“To strengthen their ICT sectors and

foster innovation, governments in

the MENA region must act on five

core elements: identifying key focus

areas, establishing innovation-

friendly policies and regulations,

e.g. patent filings, making funding

more widely available, improving

ICT infrastructure, and developing

the local talent pool”. Some focus

areas with strong local potential

can be “Arabic and Islamic services

and applications, IT services and

smart devices for the energy and

utilities sectors, e-education and

e-health systems, and devices

and systems for urban and

infrastructure management.”19

MENA governments must signifi-

cantly increase their research and

development (R&D) spending and

provide financing for entrepreneurs

to tap benefits that lie in ICT

innovation. In light of this, the

burden does not have to be placed

entirely upon government expenditure,

as private sector investment could

complement such policy initiative.

The end result would be a stronger

innovation environment, not only

for the ICT sector but for the national

economy as a whole, as well as a

maximization of the gain that lies

in the domestic workforce.

In this respect, it is worthwhile

to mention the good practice of

Jordan,20 where the ICT sector:

• Is the fastest growing sector in

Jordan's economy (avg. 25%

growth);

• Has created more than 80,000

jobs in total (direct/indirect/

induced);

• Comprises more than 14% of

the country’s GDP (10% direct,

4% indirect);

57


58

• Has attracted many international

companies on the ground (Cisco,

Microsoft, Oracle, HP, Yahoo,

Intel, Motorola, Ericsson);

• Brings an average annual telecom

local spending of more than

US$500 million into the economy

(Orange, Zain, Umniah, etc.);

• Contributes more than US$500

million to the treasury;

• Exports to more than 45 countries

with major export markets: USA

$48 million (22%), Saudi Arabia

$47 million (21%), Iraq $29

million (13%), UAE $16 million

(7%), Palestine $9 million (4%).

➲ Chart 5-2: ICT trade in selected MENA & sub-Saharan countries

World ICT s

ervice

exports

World ICT g

oods imports

World ICT g

oods exports

Syria I

CT serv

ice ex

ports

Syria I

CT goods im

ports

Syria I

CT goods e

xports

Senegal

ICT serv

ice ex

ports

Senegal

ICT goods im

ports

Senegal

ICT goods e

xports

Morocco IC

T serv

ice ex

ports

Morocco IC

T goods im

ports

Morocco IC

T goods e

xports

Lebanon IC

T serv

ice ex

ports

Lebanon IC

T goods im

ports

Lebanon IC

T goods e

xports

Jordan ICT s

ervice

exports

Jordan ICT g

oods imports

Jordan ICT g

oods exports

5,5

9,1

17,7

3,9

18

13

0 00,2

4,4

1,41,3

13,5

15,6

3,2

4,5

0,20,4

3,7

7,56,9

6

7,4

4,6

1,4

2,9

4,5

3,5

1,6

3

0 0

5,95,4

3,73,1

Chart 5-2 showcases the ICTtrade in the world and selectedMENA & sub-Saharan countries(Syria, Senegal, Morocco, Lebanon,Jordan), as percentage (%) of totalservice exports, goods imports andgoods exports respectively.

Source of data: The Little Data Book on Information and Communication Technology 2011,World Bank - Data analysis & presentation: UNDP, Geneva Office, ART-ISI@MED Initiative

2000 2009


59

Most people would not see an obvious link between champagne and

development, unless when making a celebratory toast to a great

achievement. However, the Regional Council of Champagne-

Ardenne, which manages the region whence champagne originates, is ful-

lycommitted to connecting with partners in the South to

advance their cause of development and to bring livelihoods in

development countries in line with those in Europe.

Supporting the development priorities of and partnering with

developing countries is not new to Champagne-Ardenne, which has a his-

tory of continuous development cooperation going back more than 24 years

in the Central Region in Togo.

Our cooperative relations with the Oriental Region of Morocco came about

in part because the Regional Council wished to explore cooperative projects

in Algeria. In the early 1990s, the Regional Council sent

an exploratory mission to North Africa to evaluate cooperation

opportunities.

In Oujda, the delegation visited with municipal authorities of an

administrative capital of a region the size of Portugal. Our delegation was

warmly received in Oujda; it was obvious our help would be

welcome. Finally, and perhaps just as importantly, there was at the

time and there continues to be in Oujda, a French language institute. The

institute offered us a Franco-centric network which was very

helpful in integrating our efforts with community needs.

The spirit of cooperation in Champagne-Ardenne has always been

motivated by a sense of solidarity. While it might sound strange today, back

in the early 90s our development assistance was basic and there was much

to do. Today, our activities are more sophisticated and we are helping Oujda

to take its place among the cities of the Mediterranean.

How does the Regional Council of Champagne-Ardenne organize

for cooperative development?

Our work for decentralized cooperation is mainly focused on

institutional cooperation between the Champagne-Ardenne Region and sub-

national governments in three African countries: the Central Region Togo, the

Bourgou and Alibori Administrative Districts in Benin and

the Oriental Region in Morocco. We also have on-going cooperation pro-

grammes with four East European countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia,

Hungary and Russia. From time to time, we support activities in other parts

of the world, as we have in China, Mexico or Argentina.

We directly support our European operations from the Regional

Council in Châlons-en-Champagne. Our African operations however, are

overseen by a wholly owned non-profit agency, the Champagne-Ardenne

THE LINK BETWEEN CHAMPAGNE AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATIONBY ABDERRAHIM EL KHANTOURDirector of International Relations and Cooperation Champagne-Ardenne Regional Council


60

Regional Agency for Cooperation and Development (ARCOD-CA in

French). ARCOD implements our cooperation policies in Africa and the va-

rious areas where we have programmes, and ensures project

management through permanent local staff. The agency employs eight full

time staff and has an operating budget of 230,000 euro. Over the course of

a year, the agency will oversee work in these three countries totalling ap-

proximately 500,000 euro.

The novelty is that we have chosen to work through an operator. Regional ad-

ministrations have resources, but these are under great pressure. The deta-

ched agency arrangement offers several important advantages: first, the

independent structure is ideal to support partnerships with civil

society actors. Then, the independent structure allows for independent pro-

ject accountability.

The fact that we operate directly offers a number of advantages. First, we

have an unrivalled capacity for cooperative work. Our delegations are

French organizational structures. They depend on the Regional Council and

are recognized by local authorities as such. Finally, our employees enjoy

good working conditions and are covered by French law.

In return, we benefit from the cross-cultural quality of employees who serve

as cultural mediators if only for the interpreting, contact

management and local custom. Our people in the field have genuine local

roots. They are able to mobilise people for our projects and have extensive

networks, frequently even at the national level.

The link between information technology and economic develop-

ment

Given the profusion of projects and actors for cooperation in

Morocco, the Regional Council of Champagne-Ardenne has been

campaigning since 2006 for the creation of some means to coordinate and

share information of decentralized cooperation activities. We have succee-

ded in organizing a Euro-Moroccan Forum for local French and Belgian


61

authorities working in the Oriental Region. As a result of

various contacts between ourselves and the UNDP Office in Geneva, we

became aware of the ART Initiative and the various advantages of the ART

Framework Programme. In 2009, we decided to work through the ART Fra-

mework Programme for implementation of several ISI@MED ICT4D pro-

jects.

The decision led to a series of consultations with local, regional and natio-

nal authorities in Morocco to understand what was expected of these ini-

tiatives. Following a long process, three of us managed to

identify four projects which will be coordinated locally by the UNDP/ART

Morocco team. These projects include two smart-city

projects led by Malaga to mprove Oujda city services, the development of

an Oriental web portal led by the Province of Como in Italy. The third pro-

ject consists in expanding our on-going work on tourism, heritage, local

crafts and products to create a comprehensive database of

regional attractiveness, essentially, produce the content for the web portal.

One important objective of our project is to complement tourism

services by offering visitors an opportunity to explore the landscapes and

rural heritage of northern Morocco. This work is necessary to

complement the massive resort project now taking shape in the town of Saï-

dia where the government of Morocco is financing the development of

20,000 hotel rooms and a vast seaside tourism destination. Experts from

Champagne-Ardenne are already working on itineraries and

lodging alternatives that will help integrate such development into the local

fabric.


62

ICT for community empowerment

Empowering diaspora involvement.

ICT enhances the engagement of

the people most affected in making

decisions about issues on which

they are concerned. Technology

enables meetings that can be held

in virtual space and with the

addition of video, a face-to-face

meeting can take place in virtual

space. Simple technologies inclu-

ding instant messaging and instant

quick polls and surveys, allied with

direct submission facilities, provide

easy ways to get input and discuss

options. Through such mechanisms,

ICT serve the essential require-

ments for effective development –

the people most affected by deve-

lopment issues can get involved in

making the decisions that influence

their circumstances and prospects.

Over the last decade Internet has

developed rapidly. Today it is used

not only for correspondence and

self-expression, it is also providing

space for multiple party engage-

ment and networking, especially

through web-based communities

and services such as social networ-

king sites (Facebook, MySpace, Lin-

kedIn, Viadeo), twitter, wikis and

blogs focused on creativity, collabo-

ration and sharing. Expatriates may

no longer be physically located in

their communities of origin but they

remain very much a part of

that community, contributing to

development through remittances,

the sharing of information and

acting as relays for other community

members who wish to open

themselves to the world. By defying


63

physical distances, ICT allow

expatriates all over the world to

cultivate home community relations.

ICT for youth empowerment.

Increasingly sophisticated web

applications integrated with

databases and deployed as “plat-

forms” have combined to unleash

the “social media” phenomenon.

Social media are a medium that

because of the very rich transaction

set (indexed and cross-referenced

identity profiles, file exchange and

instant messaging) have become an

extension of the self, interacting and

exchanging with other extensions-

of-self in a social environment.

Nearly one person in five living

in the MENA region in 2005 is

between the ages of 15 and 24

(95 million). The Mediterranean

population is young and drives local

society to adopt these community-

centric social platforms. It is this

young population who has adopted

ICT as a powerful new tool for

social leverage, using it to connect,

communicate, innovate and take ac-

tion on issues that matter to them

on a scale that transcends their lo-

cation, making them active players

at a global level. The events of the

first quarter of 2011,

progressively acknowledged as Arab

Spring, are an illustration of the

wildfire effects of instant

communications and crowd sour-

cing, where mobilization and politi-

cal change were in large part made

possible by the use of social media.

During the mass uprisings and revolutions which recently swept the Arab

world, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia, both the usage and utility of digital

communications were pushed to new frontiers. Arab protesters pioneered

innovative ways of using the Internet, turning it into a powerful medium

for crowd mobilization, political campaigning and incitation to rebellion.

The Arab Spring clearly highlighted the potential which ICT holds for enabling

direct communications at a massive scale.

The events of the past months demonstrate the power of digital technologies

to challenge and in some cases, overthrow, territorial authority. It is these

technologies that transformed ordinary users into ad hoc reporters fanning

the flames of conflagration in an outbreak of public outrage,

catalyzing new waves of action with each “tweet”. Such empowerment,

added to common purpose, enabled faceless and nameless individuals to act

directly in their social, economic and political environments.

When Internet access was available and undisrupted, tools such as social

media gave voice to citizens to speak their minds. Social networking sites

like Facebook and Twitter were used effectively to connect large numbers of

people. Twitter’s limitation of text messages to 140 characters reinforced the

Box 5-1 The “Arab spring”, a case study for social media and community empowerment


64

telegraphed urgency of communications. Every action causes a reaction:

the process snowballed to the point where the euphoria took on a

dimension of its own. This dynamic interactive process was succinctly

summed up by Wael Ghonim, who compared the Egyptian revolution to

Wikipedia, an open platform where anonymous people steadily contribute

to build content.

When authorities blocked the social

networking sites, alternatives were found

to sustain communication and information

sharing. When Facebook was shut down in

Egypt following the announcement of the

locations for some of the protests on the

Facebook page, “We Are All Khaled Said”,

Google Groups was used to inform people

of the locations through mass mailings. At

the same time, communications and postings continued in a variety

of ways, most notably via blogs and YouTube but also via cell phone

messages and the uploading of videos and photos to widely-viewed news

channels.

24/7 news channels like Al-Jazeera played a crucial role in relaying social

media by scrolling cell phone text messages across the bottom of their

screen. This was especially effective in the case of Egypt, where only 21.2%

of the population have access or use the Internet. In Tunisia where

Internet penetration is relatively higher, 34% in 2010,21 Al Jazeera

similarly fanned public opinion by broadcasting videos that had originally

been posted on the Internet.

Of course social media do not cause revolution; they facilitate revolution

and they propagate rebellions. The true causes of a revolution lie in the

objective reality and living conditions of the

people and the ability and capacity of

local authorities to redress the people’s

legitimate grievances. In the always

connected world of cell phones and

the 24/7 news cycle, people are no longer

so easily fooled.

ICT and social media have been critical

enablers for the emergence and development

of the Arab Spring. It is important to note

however, that the impact of ICT has not been uniform.

In Tunisia and Egypt, ICT played a decisive role in fanning the revolutionary

flame; in Syria and Libya, the impact of ICT has been less clear. In these

countries, ICT was used by state agents to distribute information to their

security agents, to track down activists, organize counter demonstrations

and otherwise sow confusion and polarize the protest movement. As

Amnesty International so justly highlighted, the Internet, and especially

social media, worked as a double-edged sword in the Arab revolts.22


• ART-ISI@MED pilot project 1 – Lebanon

• ART-ISI@MED pilots projects 2 & 3– Morocco

ICT4

D B

est

Prac

tice

s:C

ase

stu

die

s &

Ch

alle

ng

es


67

It is certain that ICTs are of strategic importance, not only because of

their economic weight and their growth, but also because of the role

played by improving governance and service delivery at the municipal

level. In Tripoli, Lebanon, the Spanish city of

Malaga is supporting local authorities to

develop a GIS to improve a large number of

services. This project is being implemented

through ISI@MED technical support and

facilitated by the ART-UNDP programme in

Lebanon.

The project, launched in February 2011, is

setting up a GIS system for managing street

names and postal addresses that will provide

the City of Tripoli with a powerful, flexible and

technologically advanced system for creating

and maintaining a directory of the municipa-

lity’s streets and postal addresses. The City of

Malaga is providing the GIS software to the

municipality of Tripoli, and is training those

responsible for managing the system at the municipality.

The project involves the active participation of two experts from

Malaga, one from the public sector (Malaga Municipality) and the

other one from the private sector (a GIS company), to aid in the

planning, training as well as execution of the

project. Following intensive discussions between

the experts and personnel at the Tripoli

Municipality, an urban neighbourhood within

Tripoli city covering an area of 2 sq. km. has been

selected as a pilot area for the GIS project – to be

replicated later to cover the entire city of Tripoli.

The project is expected to contribute to the

modernization and improved efficiency of Tripoli

municipality, the second biggest city in Lebanon

with a total population of 250,000. As part of the

project, the municipality will erect street signs

showing, in addition to the official street name,

the street number.

The Tripoli Municipality will benefit greatly from

the GIS database, managing the city more

ICT4D Best Practices: Case studies & Challenges ART-ISI@MED PILOT PROJECT 1 – LEBANON

PROJECT 1PROJECT 1

The added value of

Decentralized Cooperation

The partnership between the municipalities

of Malaga and Tripoli underscores

the significant role of decentralized

cooperation in linking communities

together, fostering social dialogue

among them and promoting development

within their regions.

The experience of Malaga municipality

has been entirely disclosed and lessons

learned shared with their Lebanese

counterparts in Tripoli, fostering an

intrinsic sense of collaboration and

solidarity between the two cities.


68

efficiently. For example, if an underground pipe gets damaged,

the municipality will be able to identify the street number and dig at

the exact location of the pipe to repair, resulting in better services

to the community. “The municipality, aided by GIS, will address

governance issues including taxes, zoning, and water supplies more

effectively”, said Mrs. Dima Hosri, head of technical and engineering

department of Al-Fayhaa Urban community. “This will undoubtedly

enhance the service delivery to the citizens.”

“The City of Malaga integrated ICTs into its urban management

systems and was able to yield significant results in terms of improved

service delivery and more efficient planning,” said Arturo Rodríguez

Menéndez, head of the city’s ICT department. He now hopes this

experience will benefit his colleagues at the other end of the

Mediterranean in Tripoli, Lebanon. “The technological support we are

providing should have a dual benefit,” he said. “At the level of

internal management, the technology should offer enormous solutions

for human resource management including management system

control registers and computerized document tracking files, as well as

mapping of fiscal management and inspection plan for municipal

works. In terms of external management, they should serve as an

exceptional opportunity to link and directly interact with citizens.”

NEEDS ANALYSIS

Some streets in Tripoli have been given

completely new names by the local

community. This has the effect of confusing local

visitors and especially tourists, who find it difficult

to match the names commonly used by the people with the

official names of streets.

What is more, if an underground pipe gets damaged, the municipality

is not able to identify immediately the street where it is to intervene

and fix the problem. The same situation is repeated with governance

issues including taxes, zoning, and water supplies.

There is a great need for modernization and improved efficiency of

the municipality of Tripoli, a need for more efficient management of

the neighborhoods, better management of the municipality and bet-

ter planning of the municipality needs as a whole.


PROJECT 1PROJECT 1

69

ICT4D PROJECT SHORT DESCRIPTION

1. Installation of the GIS software base for street name management.

2. Installation, customization and configuration of the application for

managing street names.

3. Configuration and adaptation to the specific local infrastructure

(local network, local system, Internet access, etc.).

4. The system is to be installed in a local network allowing access from

various points within the municipal offices with the necessary access

controls to ensure that the application is only used by authorized

persons, and with different levels of authorization.

5. Provision of training for the administrators of the application, who

must have experience of networking, databases and GIS.

6. Provision of training for the various user’s groups so that they use

the application properly. They need to have experience of networking,

databases and GIS.

7. Users’ support and backstopping during one year by telematic means.

8. Documentation to be delivered in English: comprehensive user’s

manual, system administration manual, source of the programs for

the application (detailed description of the mechanisms for restoring

databases).

THE ICT4D PROJECT IMPLEMENTED ISIN ALIGNMENT WITH:

The project falls within the ICT4D initiatives of the municipality of Tri-

poli itself and the ART- ISI@MED Initiative, as well as within the ini-

tiatives of all partners involved.

CHALLENGES

1. Capacity building of human resources in ICT to

ensure that the ICT4D projects are part of the daily routine of the

Municipality’s employees/users.

2. Maintenance cost must be put in Municipality’s regular planning to

ensure the project’s financial sustainability.

3. Ensure the projects’ implementation beyond the current political

team by incorporating the applications as part of the Municipality’s

daily routine.

4. Ownership of software applications not only by administrators, but

most importantly, by users through training and use of the applications.


70

INNOVATIVE FEATURES

1. Use of ICT4D in strategic urban planning as a means to support

governance and bring more efficient and quality service delivery to

the citizens in the municipality of Tripoli in Lebanon.

2. The development of the ICT4D project shall be done on the Gvsig

desktop platform. This platform, based on open software, has been

chosen so that the project will not be bound by economic restrictions

resulting from subscribing to licenses for commercial products for

each potential simultaneous user of the project, which can in some

cases increase the overall cost by a considerable amount. Similarly,

roll out will be achieved by not being bound to any specific

operating system, and the product may be reused and adapted to

other similar projects without any of the licenses cost.

3. The ICT4D project of the Municipality of Tripoli is implemented

with a view to becoming a point of reference that will transfer its

knowledge to other cities in Lebanon, notably Tyre, and other countries

in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, by using the model of

South-South and triangular cooperation.


71

Recognizing the strategic importance of ICTs in fostering economic

prosperity and improving governance, Morocco’s Ministry of Industry

and Commerce prioritized their use as a tool for social transformation

in 2008. The first steps involved making the

administration more user-oriented and

increasing the productive capacity of SMEs.

The Government also formulated a National

Strategy for Information Society and Digital

Economy (Digital Plan 2013), recognizing

at the highest level that ICTs can be effective

instruments of citizens’ empowerment. As part

of its effort to expand the benefits of ICTs to

the regions, the Government engaged

ISI@MED technical support through the

ART-UNDP programme in Morocco, to design

and implement a programme to improve public

administration.

This initiative is supported by the Municipality

of Malaga, Spain, which brought its expertise

in the provision of government services in the Municipalities of Oujda

and Chefchaouen. These initiatives have already facilitated the coordi-

nation and consolidation of information-improved productivity and

contributed to the streamlining of internal government administration

procedures (procurement, human resources,

budgeting, planning, evaluation), with

encouraging results in increased efficiency and

promising prospects in fostering accountability. In

addition, expanding the use of ICTs in running

local governments are making the offices

paper-free, thus reducing their carbon footprint.

Also in Morocco, the French region of Champagne-

Ardenne is working on the development of a

database of all material and immaterial assets of

the Oriental Region and subsequent promotion of

local products through ICT. Champagne-Ardenne

is working together with a multiplicity of local

partners.

Last, but not least, the Italian Province of Como

will support the creation of a portal for the Oriental

Region, Morocco, to promote greater citizen empowerment and

The added value of North-

South-South Triangular Cooperation

The support offered by the Municipality ofMalaga focuses on building local capacitiesand fostering the role that local partnersplay as determinant development actors. Once the ICT knowledge of the Municipalityof Oujda is reinforced as part of thispartnership, it will be transferred throughthese newly-strengthened capacities tothe Municipality of Chefchaouen. In this way, decentralized cooperationpartners not only support a particularstrategy for the benefit of a specificMoroccan community, but also buildcapacities so that the expertise can then bepassed along to other areas in the country

ART-ISI@MED pilots projects 2 & 3– Morocco

PROJECT 2PROJECT 2


72

improve intra-citizen and citizen-government relationships. Working

through the Wilaya Regional Investment Centre, CRI, this ISI@MED

initiative will go beyond furnishing the necessary computer equipment

by building the capacities of the local administration to ensure the

appropriate and sustainable functioning of the platform. The ICT

support will include an effort to improve the productivity and

competitiveness of SMEs through access to new technology.

More information is provided below on ART-ISI@MED project 2 and

the challenges in the use of ICT4D as a tool for improved productivity,

streamlining of internal government administration and as a result

improved services offered to citizens in the municipalities of Oujda

and Chefchaouen in Morocco.

PILOT PROJECT 2: STREAMLINING INTERNAL GOVERN-MENT ADMINISTRATION

NEEDS ANALYSIS

The Department of Human Resources Management of the Municipality

of Oujda is not computerized, so handling routine personnel issues

(recruitment, leave, payroll, retirement, etc.) can be burdensome.

The Accounting Department is already computerized. There is a dysfunc-

tion between the two Departments, which need to cooperate closely

and function quickly and efficiently.

The Municipality of Oujda has 2,400

employees. This number is so high that

human resources management is very

complicated as it continues to be paper-based.


1. Setting-up of servers, computers, printers, scanners, etc., and all

necessary peripherals as well as installation of cabinets and

communications wiring. All applications are installed in these

servers and connected with the managing departments.

2. Design and implementation of a human resources management

system that allows the integration of all information available in a

single database. The application will take into account all events of

the life cycle of an employee from recruitment to retirement.

3. Installation of the human resources management system in a local

network allowing access from various points within the municipal

offices with the necessary access controls to ensure that the

application is only used by authorized persons, and with different

levels of authorization.

4. Installation of a registry and records management system that will

allow document register and tracking and thus control of all

documents entering and leaving the Municipality. The application


PROJECT 2PROJECT 2

73

will provide a standard "workflow" philosophy to all personnel

dealing with document/folder management.

5. Provision of training for all administrators and users of the

applications to ensure that they use the application properly.

Especially in the case of users, training will be focused to explain all

functions of the application and conduct process with real data.

6. Deliverable material: user manual, technical manual and sources of

programs that make up the applications.

THE ICT4D PROJECT IMPLEMENTED IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH:

CHALLENGES

1. Capacity building of human resources in ICT to ensure that the

ICT4D projects are part of the daily routine of the Municipality’s

employees/users.

2. Maintenance cost must be put in Municipality’s regular planning

to ensure the project’s financial sustainability.

3. Ensure the projects’ implementation beyond the current political

team by incorporating the applications as part of the Municipality’s

daily routine.

4. Alignment of the services of the two departments, namely of human

resources management and accounting.

5. Ownership of software applications not only for administrators,

but most importantly for users through training and use of the

applications.

6. Reduce environmental impact through significant paper reduction.

Morocco National

Strategy

The ICT4D project falls within

Morocco’s National Strategy for

the Information Society and Di-

gital Economy (Digital Plan

2013) and the ICT Strategy of

the Ministry of Interior, Directo-

rate General of Local Govern-

ments, in full concert with the

decentralization process under-

way in Morocco.

Art Global

Initiative

The ICT4D project falls within

priority “Governance and De-

centralization of the regional

guidelines: Support the moder-

nization of public administra-

tion through computerization”.


74

INNOVATIVE FEATURES

1. Use of ICT in public administration as a means to support governance

and bring government closer to the needs of the citizens in terms of

efficiency, quality and transparency.

2. The ICT4D project of the Municipality of Oujda is implemented with

a view to becoming a point of reference that will be transferred to

other cities within Morocco, notably Chefchaouen, and other countries

in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, by using the model of

South-South and triangular cooperation.


PROJECT 3PROJECT 3

PILOT PROJECT 3: MARKETING AND PROMOTION OFECOTOURISM

NEEDS ANALYSIS

The Oriental Region is the second major region in

Morocco, but amongst the most disadvantaged

areas of the country.

The region has significant potential: a significant

historical and cultural heritage, native crafts, an

infrastructure potential as the port of Nador and

tourism in the process of development, particu-

larly in Saïdia.

There is a wealth of local natural products of

high quality and culinary know-how, as well as

cultural heritage which, if saved and promoted

using all modern means, can be used as a tool

for territorial marketing and promotion of eco-

tourism.


1. Development, maintenance and update of a database inventorying

the material and immaterial assets of the Oriental Region. These

assets are the following:

• Local natural products with special characteristics

of reputation, high quality and originality, such

as aromatic and medicinal plants, particular

types of honey, varieties of dates, medlars,

pomegranates, figs, truffles of the highlands, etc.,

• Simple and innovative food preparation based

on the natural products specific to the region,

• Cultural heritage, such as traditions, songs,

riddles, oral traditions, dances, etc.

2.Migration of the database to the Portal of the

Oriental Region with a view to promoting all

these local natural products, culinary know-how

and cultural heritage, of this "Route of the

Flavours and terroir products" of the Oriental

Region, through the use of ICTs (e-marketing).

3.Organization of campaigns for farmers and

producers’ awareness through the use of

cultural practices, packing, packaging, marketing,

environmental aspects of quality, etc.

75


THE ICT4D PROJECT IMPLEMENTED IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH:

The project falls within the ICT4D initiatives of the Oriental Region

itself and the ART-ISI@MED Initiative, as well as within the initiatives

of all partners involved, namely the Development Agency for the

Oriental Region, the University of Oujda “Mohammed I”, the Regio-

nal Council, the Wilaya and OFPPT (Office of Vocational Training and

Work Promotion).

CHALLENGES

1. Data on material and immaterial assets are not always available.

2. Many different public institutions are involved in the data collection.

3. Foster natural and cultural conservation, as well as community

development through the use of ICT4D and Internet with their

significant potential for the promotion of knowledge creation,

acquisition and sharing.

INNOVATIVE FEATURES

Use ICT to develop a database on material and immaterial assets

of the Oriental Region and promote local natural products in view of

developing and promoting ecotourism.

76


• Articulation through the ART- ISI@MEDInitiative: How to proceed?

• Templates: Project Sheet, Annual WorkPlan, Budget Breakdown

Imp

lem

enti

ng

th

e A

RT-

ISI@

MED

Init

iati

ve: P

ract

ical

Fra

mew

ork


79

Implementing the ART-ISI@MED Initiative: Practical Framework

ARTICULATION THROUGH THE ART INITIATIVE - ISI@MED: HOW TO PROCEED?

To establish a technical and/or financial partnership with the ART

Global Initiative in support of its Country Framework Programmes, dif-

ferent procedures will have to be followed

depending on the specific context and the

nature of the intended collaboration. The

following section outlines the main steps that

need to be taken to set-up, initiate, formulate,

implement, monitor and complete an ISI@MED

project within the ART Global Initiative.

A.YOU ARE A DEVELOPMENT PARTNER WISHING TO INCLUDE AN ISI@MEDCOMPONENT IN AN ART FRAME-WORK PROGRAMME

1. CONTACT THE ART-ISI@MED INITIATIVE

Send a letter of intent to the UNDP ART

Coordination Office in Geneva via post or

email addressed to the following contacts:

Lurdes Gomez, ART Programme Specialist:

[email protected] and Kelly Papadaki,

Programme Analyst, ISI@MED Focal Point:

[email protected].

This letter or email of intent should contain the Partner’s basic information,

project background, and objectives, without exceeding one page. If

deemed appropriate, additional information can

also be attached.

The UNDP ART Coordination Office in Geneva will

then communicate the collaboration intention

to the respective partners, i.e. national and

subnational governments, through the relevant

UNDP Country Office and ART Framework

Programme.

2. PROJECT INITIATION, PLANNING AND

JOINT-FORMULATION MISSION(S)

If all requirements are met and project approval

is granted, a common planning phase, including

one or more formulation missions, is initiated

based on national and subnational development

priorities (development plans, development

guidelines for DPs, etc.).

The formulation mission(s) is/are jointly organized

with the government (national and subnational

Strategic Guidelines forInternational Cooperation

The formulation process is based on the

Strategic Guidelines that help align

international cooperation interventions

to local development needs and plans.

The Guidelines state the international

cooperation priorities for a given territory

and thus, channel efforts towards the

support of national policies for local

development. These Guidelines contribute

to mobilize international cooperation’s

technical and financial resources via the

establishment of horizontal, interde-

pendent, knowledge-based and

mutually reinforcing partnerships.


level), the UNDP Country Office, the ART Programme and other

relevant development stakeholders to plan a joint intervention that

supports local development priorities.

3. PROJECT DOCUMENT FORMULATION

The Project Document is jointly formulated by relevant partners and

contains basic information about the project, such as background, ob-

jectives and expected results, budget, duration, partners involved, etc.

A template of the ISI@MED Project Document/ project sheet as well

as annual work plan and project budget breakdown templates can be

found at the end of this section.

Always bear in mind that the Project Document should be based on

one of the three ISI@MED areas of intervention.

4. AGREEMENT FINALIZATION

A standard legal agreement is signed

between UNDP and the DP with the Project

Document attached.

5. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND

REPORTING

Included in the partner country’s UN Framework, the project is

implemented with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Project

monitoring and evaluation is carried out following UN standards and

following all necessary rules and regulations.

ISI@MED areas of intervention

ICT for strategic urban planning : (i) using ICTs, information systems in general and Geographical Information System (GIS) in

particular, for strategic urban planning, land and resource management and monitoring of local services and local resources, and (ii)

offering computerized public administration and improved service delivery to citizens

ICT for economic development: Targeting youth employability and access to labour markets, job creation, income generation, and local

Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in poor areas to better seize market opportunities

ICT for community empowerment: Fostering diaspora and migrants’ engagement, social inclusion and cross-cultural and -boundaries

youth involvement using social media

80


81

B. YOU ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF A SUBNATIONAL GOVERN-MENT AND/OR OTHER LOCAL ENTITY FROM A COUNTRY WHERE AN ART FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME IS IN PLACE AND WISH TO INCLUDE AN ISI@MED COMPONENT:

1. CONTACT THE ART-ISI@MED INITIATIVE

Territorial actors express their interest in this component through the

respective Working Groups that will channel such interest through

the National Coordination Committee to the line ministry of the ART

Framework Programme and UNDP Country Office.

The UNDP CO channels the request to the following contacts at the

UNDP ART Coordination Office in Geneva: Lurdes Gomez, ART

Programme Specialist: [email protected] and Kelly Papadaki,

rogramme Analyst, ISI@MED Focal Point: [email protected].

The ART-ISI@MED Initiative starts then to raise interest among its

partners and seeks those who better match the profile of the respective

partner country. Once the partners are identified, the ART-ISI@MED

Initiative follows the steps described above, namely:

2. PROJECT INITIATION, PLANNING AND JOINT FORMULATION

MISSION(S)

3. PROJECT DOCUMENT FORMULATION

4. AGREEMENT FINALIZATION

5. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND REPORTING

To be successful, the formulation of specificICT4D ART-ISI@MED

projects has to address the following challenges:

Developing users’ capacities by fostering the adoption, use and

integration of the new information and communications technologies

for development

Building needed infrastructures (e.g. lack of electricity can hamper

ICT4D projects)

Designing feasible and realistic project deliverables

Assuring project viability after initial funding allocations (e.g. by

including the maintenance costs in regular planning)

Foreseeing project sustainability (e.g. beyond the current political

administration)

Offering constant follow-up to monitor whether the project has

been successfully implemented and is being meaningfully used

Using ICT4D cannot be done by implementing one-shot projects. It

is a complex process, being continuously enhanced. Projects evolve

to respond as local technological capacities are developed and ICTs

adapted to the local context.


82

TEMPLATES: PROJECT SHEET, ANNUAL WORK PLAN, BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Project title

Province / Region

Implementing partner at the local level

Local partners

National partners

International partners

Start date

End date

Total budget

ART-ISI@MED

Local contribution

National contribution

Mobilized Resources

(if any from other sources)

Include exchange rate of USD and date

Local currency USD % of total budget

ART-ISI@MED Initiative ICT4D PROJECT Document / project SHEET template


83

Project title

Province / Region / Municipality

Partnership strategy & management arrangements

Description of country & context at the local level

Justification / Needs assessment

Objectives

Implementation strategy,

activities & expected results

Duration

Targeted groups / Beneficiaries

What is the title of the ICT4D project

Mention Province / Region / Municipality where the project is going to be realized

Explain role and input to be provided by each partner in the project

Mention Steering Committee of the project

Mention financial and administrative management

Mention Strategic Guidelines and their connection with ICT

Mention outcomes of possible exchange mission(s)

Mention the partner(s) related expertise

Why do we need this project?

What are the region’s / municipality’s demands?

Which are the major development challenges identified?

What are the groups most adversely affected?

Which are the critical areas of capacity constraints?

Mention general and specific objectives to be accomplished

Breakdown all activities and mention connection with expected results / outcomes

Mention indicators and deliverables

Attach Annual Work Plan

Mention duration (in months), start date and end date

Mention targeted groups / beneficiaries (population, institutions, etc.)Mention the impact of the project to these targeted groups / beneficiaries

ART-ISI@MED Initiative analysis of ICT4D PROJECT Document / project SHEET


84

Contribution to gender issues /

capacity development / other

Environmental impact

Monitoring framework & evaluation

Sustainability & local ownership

Innovative effects of the project

Possible multiplier effects of the project

Exchange Missions

ICT Training / Deliverables

Budget

Annexes

Are we adequately capturing the problems facing both men and

women, as well as marginalized populations? Are we addressing

problems that relate to key issues of capacity development?`

Consider the potential of ICT to reduce environmental impact

Mention technical and financial reports to be compiled on a quarterly basis

Mention final technical and financial report to be compiled

Mention impact analysis at the completion of the project

Attach lessons learned analysis

Viability and sustainability of the project are critical challenges that need to be addressed

Local ownership of the project must be pursued, as the implementation and progress of

each project evolves around the local education for, and adaptability of, the technology.

Mention innovative effects of the project in the community, municipality, region

Mention possible multiplier effects e.g. in case of possible replication pf the projectswithin the framework of South – South Cooperation and Triangular Cooperation

Attach list of exchange missions

Mention ICT training to be provided administrators and users of the ICT4D platforms /applications

Mention deliverables, such as manuals, etc.

Attach budget breakdown

Mention infrastructure, cabling, network, etc.

Mention material needed and technical specifications, etc.

Note: The above is only illustrative. It may be adapted for practical use as required.


85

EXPECTED OUTPUTS PLANNED ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME RESPONSABLEPARTY

PLANNED BUDGETAnd baseline, associated

indicators and annualtargets

OUTPUT 1Baseline:

Indicators:

Targets:

Related CP outcome:

1. Activity Result

- Action

- Action

2. Activity Result

- Action

- Action

3. Activity Result

- Action

- Action

OUTPUT 2Baseline:

Indicators:

Targets:

Related CP outcome:

1. Activity Result

- Action

- Action

2. Activity Result

- Action

- Action

3. Activity Result

- Action

- Action

List activity results andassociated actions

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4FundingSource

BudgetDescription

Amount

ICT4D Project Annual Work Plan

Year:


86

EXPECTED OUTPUTS PLANNED ACTIVITIES TIMEFRAME RESPONSABLEPARTY

PLANNED BUDGETAnd baseline, associated

indicators and annualtargets

OUTPUT 3Baseline:

Indicators:

Targets:

Related CP outcome:

1. Activity Result

- Action

- Action

2. Activity Result

- Action

- Action

3. Activity Result

- Action

- Action

List activity results andassociated actions

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4FundingSource

BudgetDescription

Amount

TOTAL



87


88

Description Analytical Unit Quantity Budget Total cost USDdescription cost USD Unit Direct Financing

UNDPOther

contribution (DC)Local

contribution

Personnel

Sub Total

CapacityDevelopment

Sub Total

Project activities

Sub Total

Equipment

Sub Total

Other

Sub Total

TOTAl USD

ICT4D Project Budget Breakdown



Prac

tica

l co

ncl

usi

on


591

As seen throughout this handbook,

Mediterranean local decision

makers can take large benefits

from the use of information and

communication technologies to

initiate and support their local

development policy plans. To take

full advantages of the knowledge

shared in this handbook, let us

conclude by recalling the five

lessons learned from the seven

main chapters.

Each chapter was developed either

to provide the reader (i) with key

information to understand the

specific context of the ICT4D field

within the decentralized cooperation

scheme and/or (ii) with very practical

knowledge on how to develop and

implement local development

projects in one of the three main

thematic of the ART-ISI@MED

initiative. From each chapter, there

is a clear lesson to be learned

that is apt to be used as a final

recommendation.

These recommendations, combined

with the priorities imposed by local

specific realities should help local

governments build their strategies

and advance at their own pace

towards sustainable development

policy plans.

THE FIVE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE SEVEN CHAPTERS OF THEHANDBOOK

Lesson 1 - ICT is an unprecedented and valuable tool to support the

fight against poverty

Lesson 2 - Local governments: from their new responsibilities to their

growing role as a key actor in the international development

agenda.

Lesson 3 - ICT is at the heart of economic and social territorial development

Lesson 4 - From case studies to best practices or how to provide evidence

for better public policy choice

Lesson 5 - ICT4D projects within decentralized cooperation schemes:

a framework built on available and proven tools ready for

you. Use it!

Practical conclusion


92

CHAPTER 2 & 3- First lessonlearned

The ART-ISI@MED was designed to

facilitate and accelerate the improve-

ment of livelihoods and the creation

of development opportunities in

the MENA region through the

integration of ICTs into local policy

plans.

Such an initiative is a direct contri-

bution to achieve MDGs. ICT4D

projects are considered as unprece-

dented leapfrogging to improve

public service delivery as well as

to connect local communities to

the global market and to the

knowledge economy.

CHAPTER 4- Second lesson learned

The growing role of the decentralized cooperation process in the international development agenda is showing

the efficiency of local governance in addressing development issues. More than ever, since the Arab spring, the

responsibilities of local governments tend to extend thanks to the ongoing decentralization process in several

countries of the MENA region. Decentralization transfers to local communities operational authority in various

policy areas including health, education, resource management, social and cultural affairs, economic development

and land-use management. To respond to this challenge towards democracy, decentralized cooperation partners

(on a North/South or South/South basis) can rely on ICT to fulfil their new role and conduct bottom up, concrete,

transparent and sustainable approach for their development policy plans.

CHAPTER 5- Third lesson learned

A long consultation process among decentralized cooperation partners, multilateral and bilateral institutions,

civil society and ICT4D organizations was at the heart of the conceptualization of the ART-ISI@MED until the

initiative was launched early in 2010.This process led to identify the three main thematic where ICT appeared

as a concrete tool to support specific local development issues.

• ICT for strategic urban planning

• ICT for economic development

• ICT for community empowerment

Working and implementing local projects using ICT for strategic urban planning, economic development or

community empowerment is not only addressing social and economic needs but is also building the capacities

of local communities, providing them with the knowledge to design and conduct long term local development

policy planning.


93

CHAPTER 6- Fourth lessonlearned

The best practices highlighted in

Chapter 6 show the broad develop-

ment opportunities induced by

ICT4D local approaches in the

specific context of decentralized

cooperation projects in Morocco

and in Lebanon, the two pilot

countries of the ART-ISI@MED. By

showcasing these case studies, the

handbook demonstrates how a

bottom-up approach, developed

through field consultation pro-

cesses, together with local pilot

project implementation can lead to

evidence for better policy choice.

Such an approach would be very

useful in replicating best practices

from territorial to national level

as well as within South/South

decentralization cooperation schemes.

CHAPTER 7- Fifth lessonlearned

As a practical document, this handbook

was designed to provide Mediterranean

decision makers with concrete

information on the high-level interest

for them to design and conduct their

local policy plans by integrating ICT

tools into their development strategies.

To do so, a framework built on

available and proven tools was

developed to offer a ready to use

“kit” where the project process from

the first consultation meeting to the

implementation of an initiative is

detailed.

The lesson to be learned here is very

simple: there is a framework to

support the major steps that need to

be undertaken to initiate, formulate,

finalize, implement and monitor an

ISI@MED project within the ART Global

Initiative: take it, use it, discuss it and

adapt it to your local specificities.


94

As stressed in the first sections of

this handbook, this does not aim at

presenting ICT as a panacea to all

ongoing issues in the developing

world. On the contrary, it shows that

ICT is only a means to support well-

prepared development strategies. The

best practices showcased in Chap-

ter 6 excel in demonstrating how

powerful ICT can be as a tool to sup-

port local development policy plans

combined with decentralized co-

operation projects.

We are living in a changing world

and a changing environment. The

work on this handbook was started

early in 2011, almost at the same

time as the events that led a few

months later to what is now called

the Arab Spring.

Rather than accomplishing miracles,

in this unprecedented situation in

the Arab world, ICT (particularly

social media here) played a crucial

role in being, on one hand, the voice

of young people who decided to

change their political environment

into a democratic one, and on the

other hand, the eyes of the global

world that had to face and take a

position on a situation they were

not meant to be aware of.

In that sense, ICT is providing

innovative ways to tackle development

issues, whether political, social or

economic.

In the strategy to address territorial

approach, and the very specific need

at the local level, ICT4D is

becoming relevant not only in any

kind of local project to be developed

from the design and implementation

of specific strategic urban planning

tool (i.e., GIS), but also to the

opportunity for communities to be

connected to the global world and

benefit from the large gains of the

knowledge economy. The challenge

then is to scale up local initiatives

from territorial to national or

regional level to spread the benefits

of local best practices. Capacity

building, online communities of

practices, and training are the key

words for the next steps and

the challenges ahead of the

ART-ISI@MED initiatives.


Glo

ssar

yR

efer

ence

s, N

ote

s an

d o

ther

sA

cro

nym

s


97

Capacity development

The process through which individuals, organizations and societies ob-

tain, strengthen and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their

own development objectives.

Decentralization

The transfer of powers from the State to local authorities (municipalities,

departments, regions), as well as the transfer of corresponding financial,

fiscal and administrative means.

Decentralized cooperation

The systematic cooperation links between local communities in donor

countries and local communities in countries that need support, aiming

to create and/or consolidate long-term cultural, technical and economic

partnerships between the two.

Digital divide

The gap between people with effective access to digital and information

technology and those with very limited or no access at all. It includes the

imbalance both in physical access to technology and the resources

and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen and, for this

reason, do not have the same opportunities for social and economic

development.

e-Administration

The use of information technologies and communication technologies and

strategies in political and governance processes. Democratic actors and

sectors in this context include governments, elected officials, the media,

political organizations, and citizens/voters.

e-Commerce

The buying and selling of information, products and services on the

Internet. It is the use of electronic communications and digital information

processing technology in business transactions to create, transform, and

redefine relationships for value creation between or among organizations,

and between organizations and individuals.

e-Democracy

Aims for broader and more active citizen participation enabled by the

Internet, mobile communications, and other technologies in today's

representative democracy, as well as through more participatory or direct

forms of citizen involvement in addressing public challenges.

e-Education

Broadly defined as the use of ICT for pedagogy, from the creation of

content to interactive exercises. An ICT strategy for education is especially

important in developing countries to preserve cultural diversity in public

Glossary


98

education systems which are all too frequently characterized as low

quality, low quantity and high cost. Knowledge creation, transmission and

storage are at the heart of the Information Society, while education is at

the centre of social and economic development.

e-Government web measure index

Measures the level of sophistication of a government’s online presence

based on four stages of e-government evolution: emerging presence,

enhanced presence, transactional presence, and connected presence.

A value of 0 indicates the lowest presence, a value of 1 the highest.

e-Health

The use of ICT in support of health and health-related fields (European

Information Society). European and international health practitioners have

been unanimous in recognizing the value of ICT applications in the area

of health services specifically to address interactions between and among

patients, health-service providers and third-party insurers. Such interac-

tions include data transmission, peer-to-peer communications and remote

consultations, to name only a few of the major applications in the field.

e-Tourism

A service export activity. It is particular in that services are usually reserved

and paid for before they are consumed. This “information application”

par excellence has strong justification for the use of multiple media types

(photography, video, text, geolocation) greatly enhancing the diversity of

cultural production in the destination territory and e-Commerce (see infra).

ICT is used in e-Tourism to: present a destination’s attractiveness; offer

destination services (accommodation, transport and schedules, local

activities); or manage service availability (inventory) by requiring poten-

tial visitors to guarantee their reservation with a credit card deposit. e-

Tourism initiatives that are essentially consumer-driven include Web

portals and are usually cooperative efforts organized by local authorities

(a tourism marketing board, for instance) to provide inclusive access to

local tour and travel suppliers.


99

Fixed broadband Internet subscribers

Broadband subscribers with a digital subscriber line, cable modem, or

other high-speed technology. (International Telecommunication Union)

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)

An important instrument in delivering development-appropriate solutions.

FOSS is the software that is liberally licensed to grant the right of users to

use, study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its

source code. "Free" refers to the freedom to copy and re-use the software,

rather than to the price of the software. This means that the programme's

users have the four essential freedoms:

• The freedom to run the programme, for any purpose;

• The freedom to study how the programme works and change it so

it does your computing as you wish. Access to the source code is a

precondition for this;

• The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour;

• The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others.

By doing this, you can give the whole community a chance to benefit

from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and

present all types of geographically referenced data. GIS is the merging of

cartography, statistical analysis, and database technology.

Green ICT (smart ICT or sustainable IT)

An umbrella term for ICT that affects the natural environment on one or

more of three levels. As identified by the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development, these comprise:

• Direct impacts: ICT products are designed in such a way as to reduce

the negative direct impact that the production, use and disposal of

non-green ICT can have on the environment;

• Enabling impacts: ICT change the manner in which other products are

"designed, produced, consumed, used and disposed of" in a way that

reduces those products' negative impact on the environment;

• Systemic impacts: ICT that intentionally or unintentionally lead to

behavioural change in favour of "greener" habits and practices.


100

Human development

A process of enlarging people's choices. The most critical choices are

commonly a long and healthy life, acquiring knowledge and enjoying

a decent standard of living. Other choices include political freedom,

guarantee of human rights and self-respect.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

An umbrella term that includes any communication device or system

encompassing radio, television, mobile phones, computer and networking

hardware and software, satellite systems, as well as the services and

applications associated with them.

Information and Communication Technologies for Development

(ICT4D)

Focuses on using digital technology to deliver specific development goals

(most notably the MDGs). It concerns itself with directly applying

information technology approaches to poverty reduction. ICTs can be

applied either in the direct sense, where their use directly benefits the

disadvantaged population, or in an indirect sense, where the ICTs assist aid

organizations or NGOs or governments or businesses to improve general

socio-economic conditions.

Internet users

People who pay for Internet access (dialup, leased line, and fixed

broadband) and people with access to the worldwide computer network

who do not directly pay (for example, people who are a member of a

household with access and people who access the Internet from work or

school). (International Telecommunication Union)

Local Economic Development (LED)

A transformation process of the way economic and political decisions

are made at the local level, with the objective of improving the living

conditions of the local society in an inclusive manner. It is a process by

which public, business and nongovernmental sector partners work

collectively to create better conditions for economic growth and employment

generation. It offers local government, the private and not-for-profit

sectors, and local communities the opportunity to work together to im-

prove the local economy. It focuses on enhancing competitiveness, in-

creasing sustainable growth and ensuring that growth is inclusive.

m-Government

Includes government-to-citizen information delivery via SMS, such as

emergency alerts to registered citizens. Enhanced civic participation

through interactive m-Government applications can help promote citizen

involvement through ICT, encouraging broader and more active citizen

participation by making existing institutions more representative (e.g.,


101

by using SMS to contact legislators, to promote voter registration or to

campaign more effectively), and, by enhancing the role of civil society

(e.g. use of SMS messaging to mobilise voters on polling day). However,

mobile phones are not the be-all and end-all of e-governance. Indeed,

access to timely information, election campaigns and mobilization are

greatly enhanced by social media tools. Social media, including chat rooms

and online fora are likely better platforms for serious political discussions

than the limited SMS format.

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

The MDGs are eight international development goals that 192 United

Nations member-states and at least 23 international organizations have

agreed to achieve by the year 2015. These are:

• eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,

• achieving universal primary education,

• promoting gender equality and empowering women,

• reducing child mortality rates,

• improving maternal health,

• fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS/HIV, malaria and other diseases,

• ensuring environmental sustainability and

• developing a global partnership for development.

Mobile cellular subscriptions

Subscriptions—including postpaid and prepaid—to a public mobile tele-

phone service using cellular technology that provides access to the public

switched telephone network. (International Telecommunication Union)

Personal computers

Self-contained computers designed to be used by a single individual. (In-

ternational Telecommunication Union)

South-South Cooperation (SSC)

The exchange of resources, knowledge and technology between developing

countries (the majority of which are located in the Southern hemisphere).

Telephone lines

Lines that connect a subscriber’s terminal equipment to the public

switched telephone network and that have a port on a telephone

exchange. Integrated services digital network channels and fixed wireless

subscribers are included. (International Telecommunication Union)

Territorial approach to development

Characterized by the development of one territory, at the same time on

multiple sectors, implemented by multiple stakeholders and structured by

multi-level governance. It does not strictly define the ideal level and

the best actor who should lead the development efforts, but it clearly

positions multilevel governance at the heart of this development model.


102

Triangular cooperation

Provides joint assistance to third party countries to foster their development,

with the coordinate use of human, technological and financial resources

from the parties involved. This new concept of cooperation involves i) new

providers; ii) recipient countries; iii) traditional donor countries and

international organizations. Considering the Accra Declaration and the

Heiligendamm process, triangular cooperation initiatives must be

planned, funded and executed by a partnership that must include, at least,

one traditional donor, one new provider active in South-South cooperation,

and a third recipient country.

Web Portal

Or links page is a website that functions as a point of access to informa-

tion in the world wide web (www). A portal presents information from di-

verse sources in a unified way. Apart from the standard search engine

feature, web portals offer other services such as e-mail, news, stock prices,

information, databases and entertainment.

There are many types of web portals, such as personal portals, news por-

tals, government web portals, national tourism portals, travel and tourism

web portals (see supra), corporate web portals, stock portals, health &

medical web portal, search portals, tender's portals, etc.


103

1. Whether referring to the plural or singular modes, the acronyms ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and ICTs (Information and

Communications Technologies) are used throughout this manual interchangeably.

2. Bell, Daniel. The Coming of Post-Industrial Society. New York: Harper Colophon Books, 1974.

3. Information access for good governance, economic and social development moved to the centre of the globalization debate.

4. The phrase “inclusive productivity” is used in the UNDP sense of motivating all sectors of society, including the traditional poor, to engagement.

5. Building Knowledge Economies: Advanced strategies for development, World Bank Publications, June 27, 2007.

6. ITU adapted from The significance of information and communication technologies for reducing poverty, Department for International

Development (DFID - United Kingdom), www.dfid.gov.uk.

7. infoDev is a technology and innovation-led development finance programme in the Financial and Private Sector Development (FPD) Vice

Presidency of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group. infoDev supports global

information sharing on ICT4D and helps to reduce duplication of effort and investment. infoDev creates partnerships with private-sector

organizations that are leaders in the field of technology, innovation and ICT4D. More information is available at www.infodev.org.

8. S. Batchelor, S. Evangelista, S.Hearn, M. Pierce, S. Sugden, M. Webb (November 2003). ICT for Development Contributing to the Millennium

Development Goals: Lessons Learned from Seventeen infoDev Projects, World Bank.

9. The Information Economy Report 2010, UNCTAD/IER, 2010.

10. The ICT4D 2.0 Manifesto: Where Next for ICTs and International Development?, Development Informatics, Working Paper Series, Paper No. 42,

Richard Heeks, 2009.

11. See box 3-2 on Prerequisites for capturing ICT-induced benefits.

12. Chief Executive of The Work Foundation.

References and Notes


104

13. The Information Economy Report 2010, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD/IER, 2010.

14. Will Hutton , paper on “Building successful cities in the knowledge economy: the role of soft policy instruments”.

15. Ghyasi, F. and Kushchu, I., 2004.

16. Can the digital divide be contained? International Labour Organization, 2001.

17. Enhancing South-South and triangular cooperation, Study of the Current Situation and Existing Good Practices in Policy, Institutions, and

Operation of South-South and Triangular Cooperation, UNDP, 2009.

18. MENA: The Great Job Rush Report, The ‘unemployment’ ticking time bomb and how to fix it, 2011, Al Masah Capital Management Ltd.

19. Stimulating Innovation Building the Digital Advantage for MENA Countries, Perspective, Booz & Company, global management consulting firm,

2011, http://www.booz.com.

20. Information Technology Association of Jordan (int@j), non-profit, private organization representing, promoting and advancing the Jordanian

software and IT services industry in the global market, http://www.intaj.net.

21. Internet World Stats. 2010.

22. Amnesty International's, Annual Report on World Human Rights, 2011.

23. Development Partners (DPs) comprise diverse entities such as regional or local governments and their associations,

Decentralized Cooperation partners, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), NGOs, Universities, private sector, etc.

24. More information on Working Groups is available in Annex 1, How UNDP ART multidonor Framework Programme

works at the local level.

25. Zapata Garesché, Eugene D. 2007.

26. Chichowlaz, Philippe, 2006.

27. UN-HABITAT Seville Best Practices Centre for City-to-City Cooperation.

28. CUF, "Qu’est-ce que la coopération décentralisée?"


105

Decentralization

• Decentralization and Local Democracy in the World: "GOLD Report", UCLG, Barcelona, 2008

• Decentralisation and Local Governance in the MENA Region. Dr. Sylvia I. Bergh (in Med.2010 (IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook), Barcelona, 2010

• UCLG Country Profiles available for most of the Mediterranean countries

Decentralized cooperation

• Practical Manual for the Internationalisation of Cities. Eugène ZAPATA GARESCHE, for the Observatory for Decentralised Cooperation between

the European Union and Latin America Montevideo, 2007

• Aid Extended by Local and State Governments, OECD, Paris, 2005

• Survey on European local government international cooperation. UN-Habitat Best Practices Office for City-to-City Cooperation Barcelona, 2007

• Local governments and international development cooperation: a European survey on strategies and policies UN-Habitat Best Practices Seville

Centre for City-to-City Cooperation, Seville, 2006

• Foundations, Priorities and Future Outlook of German Development Policy Regarding the Middle East and North Africa Region. BMZ (Federal

Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), Bonn, Berlin, 2008

Other resources


106

ICT for Development and City-to-City Cooperation

• Development Outreach Special Report: The Power of Innovation. World Bank Institut, Washington D.C.2010

• Public/Private ICT Services Cooperation and Benchmarking, Towards Economic Development Radwan Habli (Lebanese Ministry of Economy and

Trade), for ESCWA, Beirut, 2004

• Monitoring the WSIS Targets: A mid-term review International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Geneva, 2010

• ICT for Development: Contributing to the Millennium Development Goals- Lessons learnt from Seventeen infoDev Projects Information for

Development Program (infoDev). The World Bank, Washington D.C. 2003

• Stratégie de Développement des TIC dans le Monde Islamique. Organisation islamique pour l'Education, les Sciences et la Culture (ISESCO),

Rabat 2009

• Knowledge Society and Human Development in the Arab World, Ibrahim A. Tayfour (Al Hasseb, Dubai). Barcelona, 2007

• Knowledge Economies in the Middle East and North Africa: Toward New Development Strategies. World Bank Institute, Washington D.C. 2003

• Planifier et gérer un technopôle en Méditerranée : Guide d’aide aux décideurs . Banque Européenne d'Investissement (BEI), Luxembourg /

Marseille, 2010

• Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Youth in MENA: Policies to Promote Employment Opportunities Gloria La Cava, Carlo

Maria Rossotto, and Cecilia Paradi-Guilford (World Bank). Washington D.C., 2011

• The E-Government Handbook for Developing Countries "Center for Democracy & Technology, with funding support from InfoDev". Washington

D.C. 2002

• World e-Government Rankings, in United Nations E-Government Survey 2010: Leveraging e-government at a time of financial and economic

crisis. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, New York, 2010

• Towards Green ICT European Research Consortium for Information and Mathematics (ERCIM) Sophia Antipolis, 2009

• ITU Symposium on ICTs and the Environment & Climate Change International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Cairo 2010


107

ART Articulation of Territorial and Thematic Networks of Cooperation for Human Development

BOP consumers Bottom of the pyramid consumers

CMI Centre for Mediterranean Integration

DC partners Decentralized cooperation partners

EIB European Investment Bank

FOSS Free and open source software

GIS Geographical information system

ICT / ICTs Information and communication technologies

ICT4D Information and communication technologies for development

ILO International Labour Organization

InfoDev World Bank’s Information for Development Program

ISI@MED Information Society Initiative for the Mediterranean

ITU International Telecommunications Union

LED Local economic development

LWGs Local working groups

MDGs Millennium Development Goals

MedCities Mediterranean network of cities

MENA region Middle East North Africa region

Acronyms


108

MIC Middle-income country

NCC National Coordination Committee

NGO Non-governmental organization

ODA Official development assistance / aid

PACA Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

PPP Public-private partnerships

R&D Research & development

RWGs Regional working groups

SDI Spatial data infrastructure

SMEs Small- and medium-sized enterprises

SMS Short message service

SSC South-South Cooperation

UCLG United Cities and Local Governments

UN United Nations

UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

WSIS World Summit on the Information Society


109

Decentralized cooperation: definition, actors, benefits, modalities,

multilateral frameworks

DEFINITION

In this handbook, we use decentralized cooperation to refer to international

cooperation initiatives undertaken or promoted by sub-national governments.

In decentralized cooperation, the design and planning of a cooperative

effort is typically the responsibility of sub-national government. The

sub-national government then decides on the implementation process.

Implementation may be handled internally, that is, using national staff

delegated to a support committee or local beneficiary group, or delegated

to agents working on behalf of the cooperation partner.

Within the ART context, the preferred strategy for decentralized cooperation

is to establish and support inclusive horizontal partnerships with and

among sub-national actors, elected officials and technicians, civil society

and non-government organizations, the private sector and academia.

Whenever possible, decentralized cooperation partners are drawn from

communities that have established problem-solving networks.

ACTORS

Sub-national governments, including regions, provinces and municipalities

are the exclusive partners for decentralized cooperation. They are gene-

rally and by default the project leaders and they may choose with whom

they wish to collaborate in the interest of project effectiveness. In this

way, territorial authorities may invite representatives of civil society (non-

profit groups, universities, NGOs), other public administrations or mem-

bers of the private sector to offer financing, skills or in-kind support for

any given project.

BENEFITS

Decentralized cooperation initiatives focus on supporting territorial

development and improving public services through inclusive work

processes which contribute to capacity building among local staff,

elected officials and local stakeholders.

Successful decentralized cooperation efforts provide a number of

benefits, including:25

- Improved public services to citizens;

- Development of project management skills;

- Improved social cohesion among diverse stakeholders;

- Economic development through local investment and trade;

- Enhanced professional networking;

- An opening to the world;

- Diversification of financial and technical cooperation resources;

- Promotion of intercultural tolerance and understanding.

ANNEX 1


110

MODALITIES

The many forms of decentralized cooperation may be broadly categorized

into four groups:

Bilateral cooperation is generally long-term (such as a longstanding

city-to-city relationship) or short-term, organized by sub-national

governments to support a specific project;

Joint projects are generally of fixed-duration and involve a number of

sub-national governments;

Network projects link various sub-national governments for long-term

and permanent relations. For example, the Global Cities Dialogue

(a worldwide network of cities for organized dialogue on the information

society);

Programme projects are projects commonly coordinated by national

governments, international organizations, or associations of municipalities

which aim to promote relations within a given framework

MULTILATERAL FRAMEWORKS

The UNDP ART Global Initiative offers a powerful example of decentralized

cooperation within a multilateral framework.

UNDP acknowledges the key importance of all new cooperation actors

active at the local level (such as regional and local governments, the

private sector, universities and civil society organisations) in achieving

the MDGs, reinforcing governance, and promoting decentralization and

de-concentration processes. As a result, in 2005 UNDP established at its

Liaison Office in Geneva, an innovative global programme conceived as

a multilateral framework to enhance concertation and harmonization

between these new development actors: the ART Global Initiative -

Articulation of Territorial and Thematic Cooperation Networks for

Human Development.

ART is an entry point for International Cooperation actors interested in

harmonising and aligning their interventions with national and local

development strategies. ART’s territorial and multilevel governance

approach to development appraises the role of local actors and promotes

complementarities in the field. This in turn leads to increased development

effectiveness and efficiency at local level, in consonance with national

policies for human development.


111

• Actor coordination mechanisms (TWGs)

• Strengthening decentralization and

de-concentration processes

• Articulation of thematic and territorial

networks with local development plans

• Strategic guidelines on cooperation priorities

• Strengthening capacities and institutional

structures

• Inter-agency and multi-donor framework

• Decentralized Cooperation

• South-South Cooperation

• Exchange and transfer of innovative practices

• Actor coordination mechanisms (NCC)

• Strengthening capacities and institutional strucutures

• Decentralized planning and international cooperation

management


112

ART MULTI-DONOR FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES

The ART Multi-donor Framework Programmes promote complementarities

and links between local, national and international development

actors at the national and sub-national levels, at the request of partner

countries. Such linkages are instrumental in stimulating demand-driven

human development processes and improving aid effectiveness at local

level.

The ART Multi-donor Framework Programmes provide Development

Partners with a tested mechanism effective in aligning and harmonizing

development interventions with national and local priorities and strategies,

thereby contributing to achieve the MDGs at the local level and to

implement the principles of the Paris declaration. These framework

programmes allow Development Partners to move from project-driven

initiatives to longer term development processes focussed on consen-

sus-based demands made by local development actors. ART thereby

increases effectiveness where it matters most - the local level. Through

ART, cooperation actors and their counterparts can rely on a proven

instrument that increases the sustainability and impact of their

interventions without sacrificing their identity and/or visibility. UNDP

subsequently carefully phases out its direct support to the local

frameworks as national and sub-national governments gradually

institutionalise the approach and mechanism.

NCC

Coherence betweennational and local

policies

Harmonisation Process monitoring

Co-financing Inter-sectorialcoordination


113

LOCAL LEVEL

At the local level, ART promotes inclusive ownership through the creation

and consolidation of Regional and Local Working Groups, while

simultaneously strengthening existing concertation mechanisms.

Working Groups (WG) are headed by a representative of the sub-national

governments and composed of members of decentralised and de-concen-

trated governmental structures, civil society and the private sector.

Local governments hence become entry and reference points for

international and decentralised cooperation actors interested in aligning

their initiatives with territorial demands and priorities. Participative

territorial planning cycles are initiated or, in the case they already exist,

strengthened by the WGs. This process leads to integrated local

development plans and becomes a guiding tool, also known as International

Cooperation Guidelines, for international cooperation actors. These are

important instruments to facilitate the harmonisation and alignment of

international development actions with local and national development

strategies.

➤

➤

➤

CapacityStrengthening

Demand-drivenCooperation

Actorcomplementarity

in the field

Working Groups

Guidelines-LocalDevelopment Plans

LocalProgramming

Cycles


114

NATIONAL LEVEL

The National Coordination Committee (NCC) provides strategic guidance

and ensures quality-control of all interventions. As a multi stakeholder

instrument under the joint leadership of the National Government and

UNDP, it promotes articulation and linkages between local development

processes and national policies. The NCC brings together representatives

from line ministries, local governments, UN agencies and international

cooperation actors (bilateral and decentralised).

The NCC also channels donors and partners towards the Framework Pro-

grammes and promotes the programmes’ inclusive ownership principles;

this can only be achieved when the active participation of all relevant in-

ternational, national and local stakeholders is ensured. The NCC is des-

igned as a flexible governance structure and a platform for dialogue,

where proposals can be discussed with local governments. It can also

promote the dissemination and replication of best practices to other re-

gions in the country.

INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

The ART initiative facilitates the internationalisation of local develop-

ment through the systematic exchange of best practices and innovative

solutions between development partners and all relevant local stake-

holders. ART promotes mutually enriching international partnerships

(North-South, South-South and triangulation) to boost innovation mains-

treaming, capacity development and knowledge management.

The main objectives of the ART Programme in Morocco are the

promotion of democratic governance at the decentralised level,

through the implementation of a participatory approach in local

development programming and the management of resources from

the international cooperation. It also aims at strengthening the

capacities of local governments by means of training in local

development planning, project formulation, territorial marketing,

monitoring and evaluation.


115

A GLIMPSE OF ART’S COMPONENTS AND PARTNER INITIATIVES

ART works closely with several international thematic initiatives and

centres of excellence to promote comprehensive and innovative

solutions that tackle development challenges in areas such as Local

Economic Development (LED). The ART LED component links relevant

actors and networks, from Associations of Local Economic Development

Agencies to Local Governments, Universities, Research Institutes and

United Nations programmes. This enables ART to offer a comprehensive

technical support to requesting partner countries in the field of LED.

ART’s Strengthening and Capacity Development component facilitates

the involvement of internationally reputed universities and research/

training centres from the North and the South in the creation and

dissemination of MDG-related knowledge, support local development

and offer cooperation management skills and expertise.

SECTORAL INTEGRATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

ART facilitates the integration of different thematic areas within a

common platform at the local level, often through the Municipal or

Regional plans for development in fields such as:

• Decentralisation and Local Governance;

• Capacity Development for territorial actors;

• Local Economic Development;

• Territorial Planning and Management;

• Environment;

• Mechanisms for Local Level Aid Effectiveness;

• Social services.

The objective of such a multidisciplinary approach is to provide an

integrated response to the territory’s demands while reducing the cost

of international aid, by inverting the ‘traditional’ logic of formulating a

specific project for each development priority as it leads to much higher

operational costs.

ART Programmes around the world

ART works in 75 regions and 325 municipalities in more than 20 countries:

Africa: Gabon, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal;

Asia: Indonesia and Sri Lanka;

Balkans: Albania and Kosovo;

Latin America: Bolivia, Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua),

Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador and Uruguay;

Mediterranean: Lebanon, Morocco and Syria.

ART is supported by: 8 major donors and more than 600 decentralized

cooperation actors.


116

It is worthwhile mentioning the successful course of LOCAL ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES (LEDAS) for planning and delivering local

economic development strategies within the framework of the ART

Initiative. The Local Economic Development (LED) component is

supporting and providing specialized services in the field of economic de-

velopment to the LEDAs active in many countries and to the different ART

Programmes. Since LEDAs inception, the number of agencies has

increased from 13 to 60.

The LEDAs are non-profit and sustainable organizations that belong to

the local public and private actors and support small and medium

enterprises, promote employment without discrimination, develop

regional marketing strategies and encourage the creation of international

alliances. It is worthwhile mentioning that the LEDAs have already

incorporated the development of ICT projects in their activities and are

planning to do even more so due to multiplying positive effect of ICT in

other sectors of national economy.

Among LED successful results the following can be mentioned:

Support to national territorial economic development projects, policies

and strategies (integration of LED in local development plans and

national strategic guidelines),

Promotion of local (LWGs) and regional (RWGs) working groups and

networks,

Consolidation of the territorial approach by strengthening the role of

territorial communities and harmonizing their respective actions in

support to national strategies for local development,

Creation and consolidation of Local Economic Development Agencies

(LEDAs),

International promotion of the LEDAs (a network of 60 LEDAs currently

exists),

Reactivation of local development potential and effective use of local

resources to generate endogenous local development,

Internationalization of local economies,

Capacity development through training of economic development

agents, etc.,

Job creation for young people, the most disadvantaged, women, etc.,

Inclusion, economic integration of vulnerable groups traditionally

excluded, socioeconomic empowerment of women,

Knowledge sharing, experience exchange and peer learning through

the development of specific tools (operational guides, personalized

assistance, virtual library, fast learning courses, etc.),

Establishment and promotion of international territorial partnerships:

North–South, South–South (Latin America LEDAs Network founded in

2010) and Triangular Cooperation, PPP.


117

OTHER MULTILATERAL CHANNELS FOR DECENTRALIZED

COOPERATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN26:

The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (or Barcelona Process), initiated in

1995 following the Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Barcelona, is the

general framework of relations (economic, political and social) between

the European Union’s member states and Southern Mediterranean countries;

The Mediterranean network of cities (MedCities), established in

Barcelona in 1991, this network of coastal cities aims to enhance

municipalities’ environmental and sustainable development management

capabilities;

The Euromed Commission of the EuroCities network was formed in 2000

to promote city-to-city technical cooperation in urban management.

Euromed was instrumental in obtaining European Union endorsement

for decentralized cooperation and relaunching the Barcelona Process

through MED’ACT, Mediterranean-European Development Action for

Cities and Towns;

The Mediterranean Commission of United Cities and Local Governments

(UCLG) based in Marseille was established in 2005 to assemble the very

large number of Mediterranean cities who are direct members of UCLG.

The Mediterranean Commission of UCLG promotes programme

exchanges and partnerships for local development;

The Latin Arc includes the Spanish, French and Italian cities and regions

of the West Mediterranean spanning the north shore of the Mediterranean,

from the Algarve to Sicily. It was officially constituted as an association

in 2002 to build relations with the Southern and Eastern shores of the

Mediterranean;

Inter-Mediterranean Commission of the Conference of Peripheral

Maritime Regions (CPMR) of Europe, established in Andalusia in 1990,

aims to “express the shared interests of the Mediterranean regions in

important European negotiations”.


118

Common Schemes within which decentralized cooperation

initiatives take place

Several legal, financial and logistical considerations should be considered

before embarking on a cooperative development project. The following

section presents examples of common schemes for organizing community

participation in decentralized cooperation, including the institutional and

legal contexts for decentralized cooperation in France, Germany, Italy

and Spain. Also presented is background information for a selection of

multilateral frameworks valuable to understanding the parties in a multilateral

framework agreement.

National frameworks: France, Germany, Italy and Spain Among the four

examples presented, we may distinguish three distinct models for decentra-

lization of international cooperative efforts: the federalist model (Germany);

the autonomous region model (Italy and Spain) and the decentralized

national model (France).

The ability of one territorial authority to contract relations with another

territorial authority varies according to national context. In a federal context,

the degree to which sub-national governments may engage in external

relations will vary from one state to another. In other decentralized jurisdictions

the extent of empowerment tends to be uniform.

Local organization

26 regions, each administered by a Regional Council headed by a Council

President. Each region also has a prefect representing the state;

100 ‘départements’, each administered by a Council and Executive elected

by the Council. Each department also has a prefect representing the state;

36,779 municipalities, each administered by a Municipal Council presided

by a Mayor.

Legal framework for decentralized cooperation: Principal Legislation

General Principles Law of 1992: stipulates that “sub-national governments

and the amalgamations thereof may undertake decentralized cooperation

actions in areas within their remit and in accordance with France’s

international commitments.” The Law also created a National Decentralized

Cooperation Commission to coordinate local initiatives, maintain an

updated list of decentralized cooperation practices and organize training

and seminars;27

ANNEX 2FRANCEFRANCE


119

Thiollière Law of 2007: completes the Law of 1992 rendering “international

action” a full attribution of sub-national governments and allowing greater

freedom of initiative, for example, by allowing sub-national territorial

authorities to put in place or finance actions of a humanitarian nature in

cases of emergency;

Sub-national authority development assistance programmes may be

supplemented by state funding (e.g. from ministerial sources or the French

Development Agency) or by external sources (e.g. from the European Union).

Local organization

16 Federal states (Länder, of which three are city-states), each having a

parliament, a government headed by a Prime Minister and a constitution;

439 District (Landkreise) each with a legislative assembly headed by a

President.

12,500 Municipalities (städte or gemeinde) each with a Municipal Council

and Mayor.

Legal framework for decentralized cooperation

The German Constitution (Basic Law Article 28.2) guarantees local autonomy

and provides that Länder may be authorized by the Federal Government

to enter into agreements with foreign regions or states to the limit of their

legislative attributions. Municipalities and district may do so “providing they

take full responsibility, in accordance with the law and within the limit of

their attributions.” It should be noted that sister-city relations have been the

Länders’ preferred approach although the Länder are relative newcomers to

decentralized development cooperation.

Coordination mechanisms: Development cooperation is coordinated through

annual meetings of the Federal Länder Committee on Development

Cooperation (BLA Z), chaired by the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and

Development.

Financing of decentralized cooperation activities

The Länder finance their decentralized cooperation activities from their own

budgets;

Municipalities finance most of their decentralized cooperation activities, but

may also receive funds from the Länder or the EU.

GERMANYGERMANY


120

Local organization

20 regions, all organized according to the following structure: Regional

Council and Executive elected by the Council. Five regions enjoy special status,

103 provinces each with a Provincial Council and Executive elected by the

Council;

8,103 municipalities each with a Municipal Council and Mayor elected by the

Municipal Council.


Act 49/87 of 1987: Municipalities, provinces and regions may partake in

decentralized cooperation;

Constitutional Act of 2001: Providing they have authorization from the

national government, regions may sign agreements with their foreign

counterparts and states on matters for which they have competent attribution.

Consultation procedures for national authorization are outlined in the

Loggia Law of 2003. Municipalities and provinces may also contract with

their international counterparts for development assistance under state

supervision;

The Constitution does not explicitly mention development cooperation but

12 Regions have adopted related legislation.

Also note that:

The Observatory for Interregional Development Cooperation, OICS, of which

all regions are members, promotes and coordinates regional development

cooperation policies;

The Directorate-General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs collaborates with the National Association of Italian

Municipalities,ANCI, and the Union of Italian Provinces, UPI.


Provinces and municipalities may allocate up to 0.8% of the first three items

of the provisional budget to development cooperation;

In recent years, provinces have increasingly participated in co-financing

programmes initiated by third party organizations;

Between 2000 and 2004, the Directorate-General for Development

Cooperation co-financed regions’ initiatives for an overall amount of

8.5 million euros.

ITALYITALY


121

Local organization

17 Autonomous Communities (plus 2 autonomous cities), each having a

Legislative Assembly elected by universal suffrage and an Executive elected

by the parliament. The President appoints a Regional Government Council.

A representative of central government oversees the State’s administration

within the autonomous community;

50 provinces, each having a Provincial Council and President elected by the

Provincial Council;

8,092 municipalities, each having a Municipal Council and presiding Mayor.

Municipalities with populations greater than 5,000 also having a Local Go-

vernment Council.


1978 Constitution recognizes that development cooperation is an essential

element of democratic states’ foreign action. Autonomous communities are

entitled to engage in international relations that fall within the limits of their

attributions;

The 1998 Law of International Cooperation for Development authorizes

sub-national governments to conduct decentralized co-operation activities

consistent with the international cooperation instituted by the Spanish State.

Furthermore, development cooperation actions are based on the principles

of budget autonomy and self-responsibility;

Regional legislation. Some autonomous regions, notably Andalusia, Catalo-

nia, Madrid and Navarra have passed specific laws regarding international

development cooperation, all of which recognize the role of local govern-

ments as well as municipality-established “cooperation funds” intended for

underwriting regional cooperation;

Regional coordination occurs through a network of sub-national councils for

development cooperation who share information on their activities. Coordi-

nation of central government aid is ensured through the Inter-territorial Com-

mission of Development Co-operation composed of 19 representatives of

the autonomous cities and 19 provincial delegates appointed by the Spa-

nish Federation of Town Councils and Provinces and the Municipal Coope-

ration and Solidarity Funds.


In 5 autonomous communities (and in some municipalities), budget affec-

tations have been as high as 0.7%;

In some autonomous communities, special funds have been created to

facilitate community participation in cooperative development initiatives.

SPAINSPAIN


122

Decentralized cooperation in the Mediterranean region: Focus on the most active decentralized cooperation links

of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the ART Initiative

FRANCE-MOROCCO:

According to the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE), 86 French sub-national governments are engaged in DC activities in Morocco, with

251 projects underway. The Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Morocco for 2009 (in the framework of DC) amounted to 2’903’570 euros. In 2010, this

amounted to 989’124 euros.

Specific fields in which DC is carried out include: culture, social policy, environment, urban planning, user services (transport, water and sanitation), and

issuance of vital records (actes d’état civil).

FRANCE-PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES:

According to the MAEE, 58 French sub-national governments are engaged in DC activities in Palestine, with 159 projects underway. The ODA to the

Palestinian Territories for 2009 amounted to 2’334’600 euros.

FRANCE-ALGERIA:

According to the MAEE, 45 French sub-national governments are engaged in DC activities in Algeria, with 156 projects underway. The ODA to Algeria for 2009

amounted to 1’519’197 euros.

FRANCE-TUNISIA:

According to the MAEE, 32 French sub-national governments are engaged in DC activities in Tunisia, with 86 projects underway. The ODA to Tunisia for 2009

amounted to 1’674’492 euros.

FRANCE-LEBANON:

According to the MAEE, 22 French sub-national governments are engaged in DC activities in Lebanon, with 68 projects underway. The ODA to Lebanon

for 2009 amounted to 1’645’726 euros.

Specific fields in which DC is carried out include: support to the productive sector, water and sanitation, infrastructure development, the development of

francophonie, reform of Lebanese administrations to improve governance and strengthen the rule of law.

ANNEX 3

FRANCEFRANCE


123

GERMANY-TUNISIA

8 German municipalities have official twinnings with Tunisian ones. 1 commune (Stuttgart) has engaged in a DC project in Tunisia, financed by the German GIZ.

GERMANY-PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

2 German municipalities have official twinnings with Palestinian ones.

GERMANY-EGYPT

2 German municipalities have official twinnings with Egyptian ones. 1 commune (Hildesheim) has engaged in a DC project in Egypt.

GERMANY-SYRIA

1 German municipality has an official twinning with a Syrian one.

GERMANYGERMANY


124

ITALY-EGYPT

Within the “Support Programme for Regional Cooperation in the Mediterranean Basin- APQ”, 17 Italian sub-national governments (16 regions and 1 pro-

vince) are engaged in DC projects, with projects underway in 5 of the programme’s sectors of intervention. This is financed for an overall amount of 3’991’709

euros.

ITALY-MOROCCO

Within the “Support Programme for Regional Cooperation in the Mediterranean Basin- APQ”, 17 Italian sub-national governments (16 regions and 1 pro-

vince) are engaged in DC projects, with projects underway in 4 of the programme’s sectors of intervention. This is financed for an overall approximate amount

of 3’447’861 euros.

ITALY-ALGERIA

Within the “Support Programme for Regional Cooperation in the Mediterranean Basin- APQ”, 3 Italian Regions are engaged in DC projects, with 1 project

underway. This is financed for an overall approximate amount of 1’000’000 euros.

ITALY-JORDAN

Within the “Support Programme for Regional Cooperation in the Mediterranean Basin- APQ”, 2 Italian Regions are engaged in DC projects, with 1 project

underway. This is financed for an overall approximate amount of 259’467 euros.

ITALY-TUNISIA

Within the “Support Programme for Regional Cooperation in the Mediterranean Basin- APQ”, 8 Italian Regions are engaged in DC projects, with 2 projects

underway. This is financed for an overall approximate amount of 2’353’137 euros.

ITALYITALY


125

In 2009, 12.73% of Spanish municipalities and provinces’ Official Development Aid (ODA) was provided to the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa

and the Middle East). In that year, in total, 144 municipalities and provinces contributed in ODA to 527 projects in countries of the MENA region (specifically

including Morocco, the Saharawi people, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia, Syria).

SPAIN-MOROCCO

Between 2005 and 2009, 3 Spanish municipalities made twinnings with Moroccan sub-national authorities.

Spanish municipalities and provinces contributed 4’066’040 euros in ODA to Morocco in 2009. These were focused mostly on: Social Infrastructure and Ser-

vices (especially Education, Government and Civil Society), and Productive Sectors.

In 2009, 13 Autonomous Communities (ACs) contributed a total of 16’361’673 euros in ODA to Morocco.

SPAIN-PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Between 2005 and 2009, 6 Spanish municipalities and 1 province made twinnings with Palestinian sub-national authorities. Spanish municipalities and pro-

vinces contributed 2’642’410 euros in ODA to the Palestinian Territories in 2009. These were focused mostly on: Social Infrastructure and Services (especially

Government and Civil Society), Productive Sectors, and Emergency Aid.

In 2009, 14 ACs contributed a total of 16’271’727 euros in ODA to the Palestinian Territories.

SPAIN-SENEGAL

Between 2005 and 2009, 2 Spanish municipalities made twinnings with Senegal. Spanish municipalities and provinces contributed 2’390’827 euros in ODA

to Senegal in 2009. These were focused mostly on: Social Infrastructure and Services (especially Education), Multisectorial and the Productive Sectors.

In 2009, 14 ACs contributed a total of 10’771’065 euros in ODA to Senegal.

SPAIN-MAURITANIA

Spanish municipalities and provinces contributed 3’829’290 euros in ODA to Mauritania in 2009.

In 2009, 9 ACs contributed a total of 583’100 euros in ODA to Mauritania.

SPAINSPAIN


126

SPAIN-ALGERIA

Spanish municipalities and provinces contributed 914’200 euros in ODA to Mauritania in 2009.

In 2009, 3 ACs contributed a total of 97’157 euros in ODA to Mauritania.

ART Programmes have been implemented in the Mediterranean countries of Lebanon (ART Lebanon Programme), Morocco (ART Morocco Programme) andSyria (ART Syria Programme).

BELGIUM- ART LEBANON PROGRAMME

DC is undertaken by: Municipality of Saint-Truiden (Belgium).

FRANCE- ART MOROCCO PROGRAMME

DC is undertaken by: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region (PACA); International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM – Ile

de France).

ITALY- ART LEBANON PROGRAMME

DC is undertaken by: Regions of Sicilia, Puglia, Veneto, Toscana, Campania and Friuli-Venzia-Giulia; University Rovira i Virgili; Coordination of Local Entities

for Peace and Human Rights (some 40 local administrations with the direct involvement of the Municipalities of Padua and Torino, the Provinces of Ferrara,

Milano, Cremora and Gorizia, and CRELP); Province of Naples; Municipalities of Arezzo, Milan, Siena, Torino, Livorno, Grosseto, Mazara del Vallo and Cosenza;

Umbrian Fund of Local Entities for the Decentralised Cooperation and Sustainable Human Development (FELCOS); Coordination Committee of the Com-

munes of Piedmont for Peace (COCOPA), University of Florence.

ART INITIATIVEART INITIATIVE


127

ITALY- ART MOROCCO PROGRAMME

DC is undertaken by: Tuscany Region; Umbrian Fund of Local Entities for the Decentralised Cooperation and Sustainable Human Development (FELCOS);

Marche Region; Provinces of Florence, Sicilia, and Rome; Municipalities of Como, Florence, Foligno and Spoleto; Universities of Perugia, Siena, Pisa, Florence

and Urbino.

SPAIN- ART MOROCCO PROGRAMME

DC is undertaken by: Andalusia Municipalities Fund for the International Solidarity (FAMSI); Catalan Fund for Development Cooperation (FCCD); Catalan

Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD); Government of Valencia; Government of Murcia; Provinces of Huelva, Jaen, Cordoba and Seville; Employment

and Technological Development Institute of the Province of Cadiz (IEDT); Andalusia Foundation Training and Employment Fund (FAFFE); ESAN Foundation; Uni-

versities of Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada and Malaga; Medicos Mundi; Solidarity Project IAT (Innovation and Technology); Municipality of Barcelona, Terrassa, and

Sabadell; Centre for European Initiatives and Research in the Mediterranean (CIREM); European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMED); Centre for Research

on the Economies of the Mediterranean (CREMed); UNESCO Centre of Catalonia (UNESCOCAT); CIFAL Barcelona; Labein Tecnalia Foundation; Extremadura

Agency for International Development Cooperation (AEXCID); Government of the Balearic Islands; Federation of Valencian Social Economy Businesses (FEVES).

SPAIN- ART LEBANON PROGRAMME

DC is undertaken by: Andalusia Municipalities Fund for the International Solidarity (FAMSI); Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD);

Municipalities of Tarragona, Barcelona


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