Can Europe’s towns & regions help Libyan cities?
7 September 2016
Libyan local authorities are painstakingly trying to mend what five years of conflict across the country have shattered. And to do this, they desperately need technical expertise from Europe’s towns and regions. This is where decentralised cooperation must show its added value, and this is exactly why PLATFORMA joined the Libya initiative set up within the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) and on the initiative of Nicosia municipality.
In short, PLATFORMA secretariat would like to hear from Europe’s cities and regions willing to host small delegations of Libyan mayors and civil servants, a few days at a time, for capacity-building and exchange of expertise tours focussing on three fields:
- Cooperatives in the fishery sector: Libyan coastal towns and cities need training in a holistic approach, including environmental protection, functioning of cooperatives…
- Supporting the oil and gas industry: South-Western Libya has an important petroleum sector but lacks skilled people to manage them.
- Sustainable agriculture in (semi-)desert regions: agriculture is a crucial activity in Southern Libya (water melons, garlic, tomatoes, onions…).
Training should focus on how to use innovative and sustainable irrigation techniques.
Training would consist mainly of field visits by representatives of Libyan local authorities to relevant regions or cities in Europe to get a first-hand grasp on best practices with potential to be replicated.
Our Libyan counterparts have made it plain that they do not seek roundtables, conferences or purely protocol visits; their experts seek Europe’s local and regional experts’ support on the above-mentioned issues. Do not hesitate to relay this call around!
For more information, please contact Jon Martin Cullell at PLATFORMA Jon.MartinCullell@ccre-cemr.org
