ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida was invited for the second time to Lomé, Togo by the Minister of territorial reform, of decentralization and of local power. She attended as a keynote speaker on decentralisation.
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The seminar on decentralisation builds up on the achievements of the Annual General Assembly of the Union of Municipalities of Togo held in September, and on the on-going efforts to decentralise the country.
“Why bother the state with a problem in a local school garden?” asked Mrs. Valmorbida, explaining the rationale behind decentralisation in a nutshell.
She pointed out that democracy and especially local democracy are not theoretical concepts. Fostering local democracy means improving local governance and decreasing centralisation.
Following her argumentation, several conditions are needed for a fruitful and balanced development of local structures:
- Political will to change at all levels
- A programme all can agree on, open to change
- The involvement of citizens, as the backbone of change and acceptance
- International support
- A spark initiating a driving force of decentralisation
“The challenge is that they are all priorities and must develop in parallel – reinforcing each other”, she added. “Decentralisation can be a big change. It is important to take away the fear and to show its benefits.” This could easily be made possible through participation, by developing shared solutions for shared problems.
Mrs. Valmorbida concluded her speech by emphasising that decentralisation is not a western concept – it is rather a choice to find the best solutions together, locally and together with civil society. “ALDA is there to help you, to find your initiating spark” reaffirmed Mrs. Valmorbida, well aware of the needed and long path of decentralisation.
Mrs. Valmorbida had been in Togo already in September 2016 to talk about challenges and opportunities of decentralization, on the invitation of the Union of Municipalities of Togo and the Delegation of the European Union.
Liens utiles:
Read about her participation at the Annual General Assembly of the Union of Municipalities of Togo held in September 2016
ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida was invited for the second time to Lomé, Togo by the Minister of territorial reform, of decentralization and of local power. She attended as a keynote speaker on decentralisation.
***
The seminar on decentralisation builds up on the achievements of the Annual General Assembly of the Union of Municipalities of Togo held in September, and on the on-going efforts to decentralise the country.
“Why bother the state with a problem in a local school garden?” asked Mrs. Valmorbida, explaining the rationale behind decentralisation in a nutshell.
She pointed out that democracy and especially local democracy are not theoretical concepts. Fostering local democracy means improving local governance and decreasing centralisation.
Following her argumentation, several conditions are needed for a fruitful and balanced development of local structures:
- Political will to change at all levels
- A programme all can agree on, open to change
- The involvement of citizens, as the backbone of change and acceptance
- International support
- A spark initiating a driving force of decentralisation
“The challenge is that they are all priorities and must develop in parallel – reinforcing each other”, she added. “Decentralisation can be a big change. It is important to take away the fear and to show its benefits.” This could easily be made possible through participation, by developing shared solutions for shared problems.
Mrs. Valmorbida concluded her speech by emphasising that decentralisation is not a western concept – it is rather a choice to find the best solutions together, locally and together with civil society. “ALDA is there to help you, to find your initiating spark” reaffirmed Mrs. Valmorbida, well aware of the needed and long path of decentralisation.
Mrs. Valmorbida had been in Togo already in September 2016 to talk about challenges and opportunities of decentralization, on the invitation of the Union of Municipalities of Togo and the Delegation of the European Union.
Liens utiles:
Read about her participation at the Annual General Assembly of the Union of Municipalities of Togo held in September 2016