Organised at the initiative of the Polydisciplinary Faculty of Martil under the Abdelmalek Essaadi University, in cooperation with the "Governance and Policy of Territorial Collectivities" master's programme and the Malaga municipality, this meeting aims to debate ways to improve the management of local affairs, based on academic and scientific approaches.
The work of the first Moroccan-Spanish meeting on territorial governance between border regions began on Wednesday in Tétouan, with the participation of a panel of experts, elected officials, academics, and Moroccan and Spanish university students. Speaking on this occasion, the Dean of the Polydisciplinary Faculty of Martil, Fares Hamza, indicated that this meeting was taking place within the framework of the advanced regionalisation process which requires strategic partnerships to take advantage of pioneering and advanced experiences in this field, highlighting the "rich" experience of Spain, particularly in the field of sectoral planning.
Morocco, which attaches growing interest to the requirements of territorial governance, has implemented major projects based on integrated sectoral policies aimed at achieving human development in its economic and social dimensions, he stressed, citing as an example the Programme for the development of Moroccan border regions aimed at qualifying these territories in order to manage local affairs on the basis of good governance integrating development objectives and according to an integrated approach that takes into account the specificities of each region. This programme also aims to organise and structure Moroccan border regions through the strengthening of strategic partnerships based on the exchange of experiences in the field of territory administration, with the actors concerned in the region, he added.
For his part, the coordinator of the "Governance and Policy of Territorial Collectivities" master's programme, Hamid Aboulass, made it known that the organisation of this seminar, which is part of the partnership relations between Morocco and Spain, in particular with the province of Malaga, aimed to examine important subjects related to territorial governance, especially since the Kingdom is committed today to the process of advanced regionalisation and the implementation of organic laws relating to regions, provinces, prefectures, and communes. And to note that this university meeting will allow for opening up to partners on the other side of the Mediterranean for the exchange of experiences and good practices, through the organisation of several workshops that will be led by Spanish experts for the benefit of students, elected officials, and representatives of local collectivities to improve the management of local affairs. This two-day seminar, which is intended to be an opportunity to exchange experiences in terms of managing local affairs and to probe the needs of civil society in the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma region, aims to serve as a scientific and academic space that should contribute to the strengthening of mechanisms for managing local affairs.
