South-Med Partnership

In May 2011, the Council of Europe adopted a policy towards neighbouring regions, in particular the Southern Mediterranean, which aims to facilitate a democratic political transition, promote good governance and strengthen and broaden regional action in the fight against cross-border threats. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is responsible for the implementation of the local and regional democracy element, the purpose of which is to support the ongoing territorial reforms. On 10 February 2017, the Congress Bureau adopted a co-operation programme entitled “South-Med Partnership”, to meet the objectives of the neighbourhood policy. Although the activities only concern Morocco and Tunisia, the Partnership aims to extend to other neighbouring countries.

South-Med Partnership: a co-operation programme

Co-operation with Morocco

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities’ co-operation programme with Morocco is part of the South-Med Partnership and aims to assist Morocco in its decentralisation reforms by providing a platform for the exchange of experience and expertise between Congress members and their Moroccan counterparts, for example through plurilateral meetings and exchange of good practice.

Co-operation with Tunisia

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities’ co-operation programme with Tunisia is part of the South-Med Partnership and aims to help renforce local governance in Tunisia by providing a platform for the exchange of experience and expertise between Congress members and their Tunisian counterparts, for example through plurilateral meetings and exchange of good practice.

Partner for Local Democracy

The Partner for Local Democracy status of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities enables elected representatives of local authorities of countries in the Council of Europe’s neighbourhood to participate, within the Congress, in strengthening local and regional democracy.

Institutional co-operation

The Congress has conducted its co-operation activities with the North-African authorities in the framework of the Council of Europe new policy towards its immediate neighbourhood. It holds observer status at ARLEM (Euro-Mediterranean Assembly of Local and Regional Elected Representatives) and it is also an institutional stakeholder of the North-South Centre, where it represents the local level.

Reference documents

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Back Strengthening the role of women in local politics in the South Mediterranean

Congress Vice-President and Rapporteur on the South-Med Partnership, Xavier Cadoret (France, SOC/G/PD), welcomed the positive dynamic in Morocco in strengthening women’s political participation as elected representatives, following the September 2021 elections. "Gender equality and women's participation are essential conditions for any democratic, just and peaceful society, and I can only applaud this development, notwithstanding the many challenges that remain," he stressed at the opening of a seminar to support newly elected women in Moroccan territorial councils.

The seminar was held in Casablanca (Morocco) from 18 to 20 February 2022 and was co-organised by the Congress and the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF), in co-operation with the Moroccan Women's Democratic Association (ADFM), the Moroccan associations of local and regional authorities and the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior. It was focused on leadership, advocacy, communication and networking as key factors in strengthening the role of women elected representatives at territorial level, both in Morocco and beyond, and in combating sexist attitudes, as well as gender-based discrimination and violence.

This seminar presented an opportunity to increase the knowledge of newly elected women through expert presentations, peer testimonies and exchanges of experience among some 60 participants from Morocco, Tunisia and European countries.

Among the participants were Zohra Darras (France, SOC/G/PD), Congress member and councillor of the Somme, Soraya Ouldji, Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg (France), Rabeb Hammami and Soumaya Ouerfelli, representatives of the Network of women municipal elected representatives in Tunisia, as well as Simone Susskind, founder of the association “Actions in the Mediterranean” and former member of the Brussels-Capital Regional Parliament (Belgium). Carmen Morte-Gomez, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Rabat, Haoua Acyl, OIF Representative, Fatna El K'hiel, President of the Moroccan chapter of the Network of Local Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) as well as Dalila Loddy, ADFM President also participated in the seminar.

This activity was organised within the framework of the joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe "Regional support for the consolidation of human rights, the rule of law and democracy in the southern Mediterranean" (South Programme IV), co-financed by both organisations and implemented by the latter.

South Programme IV Casablanca, Morocco 24 February 2022