Brussels, 23/04/2008 (Agence Europe) -The Region of Tangiers-Tétouan, with the support of the Region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, FOGAR, the CPMR and the UNDP, will host the second International Convention towards an territorial approach to development, in Tangiers (Morocco), from 12 to 14 May 2008. This meeting follows the first convention, which was held in Marseille in March 2007, during which the Regions expressed their willingness to contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Objectives (EUROPE 9385).
This convention, which will be attended by Danuta Hübner, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, will provide an opportunity to take stock of the progress made since March 2007, taking as a basis, amongst other things, the results obtained to date in Morocco. The participants will also continue to make progress, as concretely as possible, with reflections on the definition and implementation of cohesion policies at national, continental and global level, and of a territorial approach to development. The objective of the convention is to balance out the effects of globalisation in order that the benefits of it can be divided fairly between the territories, and in such a way as to safeguard the possibilities of sustainable development in the context of an environment which has already suffered much harm, explained Enrico Mayrhofer, Director of Communications of the CPMR (the Conference of the Peripheral Maritime Regions).
The convention will be opened by the Moroccan authorities on Monday 12 May: the President of the Regional Council of Tangiers-Tétouan, Abdelhadi Benallal, and the Director General of the Local Authorities of Morocco, Nour-Eddine Boutayeb. The President of the CMPR and of FOGAR, Claudio Martini, and the UNDP administrator, Kemal Dervis, will be speaking on the subject of "From Marseille to Tangiers: the Stakes". Then, Danuta Hübner will take the floor on the subject "European Territories, Cohesion Policy and Globalisation". She will chair an initial work session on the subject "Regions, Growth and Cohesion: Stakes and Prospects against a backdrop of Globalisation". This will be followed by two round tables on a new multi-level approach within a multilateral cooperation framework, with the participation of, amongst others, the Commission Director-General (DG Development) Stefano Manservisi, and the Senegalese Minister for Decentralised Cooperation and Regional Planning, Abdourahim Agne. The day of Tuesday 13 May will be divided into four thematic and geographical workshops on the role of the regions in the development of the territories.
On Wednesday 14 May, Xavier Gizard, Secretary General of the CPMR and of FOGAR, and Christophe Nuttallu, Director of the Hub for Innovative Partnerships (PNUD), will present a summary of the workshops. The final round table, entitled "Towards Territorial Cohesion Policies at Global Level" will be chaired by Nour-Eddine Boutayeb. Claudio Martini will conclude the work at the closing session on the subject "Towards Equitable Globalisation", which will be attended by the European Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. (G. B.)