Description
The project aims to create a platform for inter-institutional cooperation on sustainable territorial development, engaging NGOs, public bodies, the business sector and civil society gathered for consultation, debate and the issuing of recommendations and tools for intervention. Considering the need for setting concerted goals, strategies and targets for sustainable territorial development between public and private stakeholders, the promoter intends to undertake a comprehensive and participated survey of the current practices, their potential and constraints, properly assed by Focus Groups, will result in the issuing of a report. Subsequent dissemination and capacity building actions will serve as a basis for two experimental processes, in urban and rural areas, resulting in an orientation and support document for a legislative initiative. The four participating NGOs have extensive experience working in different geographical environments and will involve around 90 organizations in the project, nationwide and locally.
Summary of project results
Citizen’s participation in public life and political decisions is very low in Portugal, even at the local level. Local powers do not stimulate participation neither promote popular auditions in order to know what the population want or need to guide their decisions. It is therefore crucial to empower the communities to have more intervention in local political decisions. Civil society must organize itself and create fora of discussion and formulation of collective opinions as a means to influence local decisions, to advocate more participation from municipal powers, to create a sustainable dialogue between local, regional and central level actors and to promote a more strategic approach to local and regional development. The project has helped to empower various local populations in the regions of Centro, Alentejo and Algarve (3 of the 5 regions of the Portuguese mainland) in each of them setting an experimental process leading to identification of significant practices i.e. those creating solutions for problems, new opportunities or having a positive impact on local government. Participative methodologies, local economy and short circuits of trading were areas of discussion in all those 4 processes. The project included several activities to mobilise and involve citizens in formulating positions and identifying significant practices that might be replicated in other areas of Portugal. This included 3 seminars, 6 national meetings of Forum Citizenship and Territory, 34 meetings with participants of the experimental processes involving 436 people, the setting up of a Platform for institutional collaboration, report on significant practices, a recommendation document on “Participative territorial public policies”, a newsletter and a Facebook page. There was a strong focus on dissemination, as this was expected to be one of the main outcomes of the project. The project has surpassed its ambitions: 5 political practices have been improved as a result of the NGO work, 12 cooperation activities with local governments have been initiated or developed, 436 people have been empowered, 5 cooperation networks have been established and 4 processes of shared governance (planning, management and evaluation of public policies) have been implemented. There was also learned lessons to be incorporated in future projects, concerning the management of project partnerships and the necessary capacity and resources for running a project.
Summary of bilateral results