2 nd Meeting of Urban Agencies, Human Development and Local Governance

National Meetings Of Urban Agencies

2 nd Meeting of Urban Agencies, Human Development and Local Governance

Assilah : 18-19/12/2006

Morocco, like the emerging countries, is going through a period of profound change characterized by the juxtaposition of a series of sociological, economic, cultural and institutional transitions. In this context, and in the background, there is an urban transformation that is undergoing a sustained rhythm involving all the public authorities, operators and components of civil society

Indeed, and during the five decades of its independence, Morocco has made undeniable progress and structuring achievements, which are manifested on the economic level, by consolidating its system of production of goods and services, the performance of its policy Monetary system and its financial system and the gradual maintenance of macroeconomic balances. The sociological record shows a better control of the demographic variable, a positive evolution of the education system, and a progressive improvement of the health conditions and the living environment of the citizens.

Yet, despite its scope, this transitional dynamic remains relative and does not respond to the aspirations of public authorities and citizens because it suffers from a structural deficit of inclusion, since "Morocco has not always been able to include, In the course of the last 50 years of independence, all the components of its society and territory in the development process "(RDH Steering Committee, 2006," Possible Morocco: A Debate Offer for Collective Ambition "- Maghrebian Editions)

This structural deficit is translated spatially by an irrational extension of urban tissues, accompanied by an endemic crisis in the housing market and its corollary the outbreak and proliferation of unsanitary housing areas, slum and the profusion of peripheral douars .

This dual socio-spatial segregation perfectly expresses the extent of the challenges that Morocco has had and still faces in terms of mastering the urban dynamics and accompanying the needs it generates, especially in the socio-economic context Of an emerging country, modestly resourced. The challenges are all the greater because the fate of the country's economic development, in a context of globalization and territorial competitiveness, will be played out in cities.

It is in this context and aware of the acuteness of these imbalances and the need to confront them collectively on the basis of a "new and resolutely innovative approach that combines ambition, realism and efficiency" (Address by His Majesty King Mohammed VI of May 18, 2005, relating to the INDH) that His Majesty Mohammed VI launched the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) in May 18, 2005, in which he refocused the man and Its blossoming, placing it at the center of strategic concerns and at the heart of any development strategy. This initiative, which resulted in the launching of a major program targeting five million vulnerable people, the majority of them in rural areas, the effective mobilization of various partners (local authorities and elected officials, the public and private sectors and others Components of civil society) with a budget of more than 10 billion Dhs by 2010, expresses the willingness of the Moroccan authorities to be part of the socio-economic and spatial upgrading process at the scale of all National territory in accordance with the principles of good local governance.

Today the principle of governance in general and of local or urban governance in particular occupies a prominent place in the process of sustainable and integrated development taking into consideration the two human and economic dimensions of progress. It is in this spirit that His Majesty the King conditions the success of the INDH by adopting an "action plan based on the principles of good governance, namely accountability and transparency, rules of professionalism, The broad participation of citizens, the integration and streamlining of interventions by public institutions and bodies, and the monitoring and ongoing evaluation of achievements "(Address by His Majesty King Mohammed VI of 18 May 2005, relating to The NHRI).

What is local governance, what is its normative content and the context of its genesis?
Can it be applied to the national context without risk of switching to a transposition process of an inappropriate foreign model?
What is its contribution to the process of sustainable local development?
What does the principle of good governance mean for improving the local management system and reducing the discrepancies between the current urban management model, which seems to be outdated, and the rapid evolution of the real world?
What place should the INDH be given to the various urban development programs, in particular at the level of urban planning documents and at the level of urban projects, town and city projects?
How to make the convergence of sectoral actions a turning point in social action and a consolidation of the urban upgrading project? These are some suggestions for reflection and some questions proposed as an introduction to the work of the second national meeting of Urban Agencies which will be held on 18 and 19 December in Tangier on the theme "Human Development and Local Governance" and during Which it is hoped that the debates will be based on concrete experiences.

National Meetings Of Urban Agencies