Following the initiative of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, the meeting “Territorial Partnerships: the Call for Local Authorities working for sustainable development” was held today, Thursday 28 March, at the Farnesina.
The event was opened by the Deputy Minister, Edmondo Cirielli, and attended by the President of the Lazio Region, Francesco Rocca, the President of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Stefano Bonaccini, the Undersecretary of the Lombardy Region, Raffaele Cattaneo, and the President of the Province of Terni, Laura Pernazza.
The meeting made it possible to highlight the strategic scope of the call for proposals issued by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) for the allocation of funds to initiatives promoted by local authorities and civil society organisations, with a total budget of EUR 180 million – 85% of which will be allocated for interventions on the African continent, in the spirit of the Mattei Plan, and EUR 60 million for local authorities. Never before has such a high amount been allocated to these authorities.
“The Agency’s evaluation of the initiatives of local authorities will look at the construction of partnerships as an essential but not sufficient element. The intervention strategy, the project logic, based on the results approach will be fundamental,” was the intervention of Director Marco Riccardo Rusconi. “The Agency’s effort is to guarantee the quality of the projects that will be carried out: every project must contribute to the development, in quantity and quality, of the communities of the partner countries, the improvement of living conditions depends on what we do of people and because successful projects will strengthen Italy’s image and prestige in the field of development cooperation.”
The Call for Proposals acknowledges the role, the commitment and the experiences of Regions, Provinces and Municipalities in promoting sustainable development in the partner countries and encourages coordination between them and the Italian excellences present in the territories, such as universities, civil society organisations and enterprises.
The Call for Proposals, published in the Official Journal of the Italian Republic on 19 January and expiring on 6 May, is available at: https://www.aics.gov.it/news/bando-2023-per-enti-territoriali-e-osc/.
