In the countries of the Mediterranean region, inequalities in access to social services represent a significant challenge, particularly in rural, remote and peripheral areas. Depopulation, an ageing population and difficulties in accessing essential services all contribute to increasing the vulnerability of these areas, making it necessary to identify solutions capable of addressing their needs and making the most of their resources.
Involving communities in decisions affecting their local area means giving a voice to those who live there every day, listening to their needs and working together to find solutions that are more effective, widely supported and sustainable over time.
With this in mind, CLOSER aims to strengthen the capacities of civil society organisations and public authorities to collaborate in defining shared solutions to improve the accessibility and quality of social services. The aim is to foster bottom-up co-design processes, in which communities can contribute to identifying needs and developing responses tailored to the specific characteristics of their local areas.
In Amman, a discussion on participatory practices
Participatory governance was at the heart of the working sessions held in Amman, Jordan, which brought together CLOSER’s partners to explore approaches and methodologies geared towards the active involvement of communities in decision-making processes.
The activities alternated between periods of theoretical reflection, workshops and direct dialogue with representatives of public institutions, providing an opportunity to discuss ways of strengthening collaboration between civil society and public authorities.
The exchange of experiences from different contexts also enabled the sharing of knowledge and good practice, helping to co-design social services that are more closely aligned with the needs of local communities.
Strengthening dialogue between institutions, civil society and local communities is a crucial step towards promoting social services that are more inclusive and responsive to the needs of the population, whilst valuing participation as an integral part of local development.
To receive updates on the next steps follow us on the project’s official Instagram channel or visit interregnextmed.eu/projects/closer.
CLOSER – Connecting LOcal proximity networks Sustaining participatory govERnance is a project funded by the Interreg NEXT MED programme, under Priority 4 – A better cooperation governance for the Mediterranean.
Partners
- Coordinator: Centro per lo Sviluppo Creativo Danilo Dolci – ETS, Italy
- EUROTraining, Greece
- University of Alicante, Spain
- JUHOUD for Community and Rural Development, Palestine
- ARDD – Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development, Jordan
- Moukhtara Municipality, Lebanon
For more information, follow us on the project’s official Instagram channel, visit interregnextmed.eu/projects/closer, or contact Antonella Alessi: antonella.alessi@danilodolci.org.