FAMSI promotes dialogue between local governments and European Union delegations

The Andalusian Fund of Municipalities for International Solidarity (FAMSI) is holding a series of seminars on decentralised cooperation and territorial approach to promote dialogue between local and regional governments and the European Union delegations in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. The first one was held in the city of Sucre (Bolivia) on 16 September.

The seminar was held in a hybrid format allowing the participation of a multiplicity of actors. FAMSI, the Bolivian local governments and their most representative municipal associations, as well as the EU Delegation (EUD) in Bolivia and PLATFORMA played an important role.

Rodrigo Puerta, Executive Director of FAM (Federation of Municipal Associations), Ariel Galarza, President of AGAMDECH (Association of Autonomous Municipal Governments of Chuquisaca) and Josefina Velásques, President of ACOBOL (Association of Councillors and Mayors), among others, contributed with their perspectives on the situation of decentralisation and municipalism in Bolivia.

On the European side: Francisco Reyes and Emilio Rabasco, respectively President and Director of FAMSI, accompanied by Isabel Francisca Medina, Isabel Albás and Carlos García,  Mónica Rodrígues, project manager at the EUD in Bolivia and Marlène Siméon director of PLATFORMA, Juan Pita director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Sergio Blanco, Coordinator of the UN Habitat programme in Bolivia or Carlos García, director of the GAM programme of Helvetas Swiss Cooperation. They were accompanied by mayors and technical staff from Andalusian and Bolivian local governments.

Learning about the EU’s strategic planning for the period 2021-2027 in the country and disseminating it was the starting point for a working day that revolved around the challenges faced by decentralised cooperation actors and municipalities in Bolivia.

In this context, the importance of consolidating the work in alliances was debated, and a roadmap was worked on to strengthen Bolivian local governments as actors of decentralised cooperation while promoting the strengthening of the connection between the national, regional and local levels, the territorial approach and the development of stable channels of communication between all actors involved.

Further information:

• Article: The seminar «Decentralised cooperation and territorial approach» proposes a government-cooperation dialogue to identify shared support processes
• Article: Francisco Reyes inaugurates the Seminar ‘Decentralised Cooperation and Territorial Approach’ that FAMSI is organising in Sucre, Bolivia
• Programme