Training and recommendations

UNDP Ukraine : 200 local governments and civil society empowered in Eastern Ukraine Local authorities (2021)

Contribution to the design and delivery of training for local governments and civil society groups from the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in July and September 2021. Topics : innovation in local governments, digital communication for local governments, participatory planning processes, transparency. The training was based on the European Charter on Local Self Government of the Council of Europe, the Code of Good Practices for civil society of the Conference of the INGOs of the Council of Europe and the principles of ELOGE, of the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance of the Council of Europe. Training for more than 200 local governments in 6 areas of empowerment for their mission. On the field mission, in Russian (supported by Ukrainian languages). Excellent evaluation of the trainees.

U LEAD, supporting exchanges of best practices between Ukrainian local authorities and European counterparts (2021)

Development of a strategy for international cooperation of municipalities from Ukraine together with EU counterparts, support to mentorship for local development empowerment and for job shadowing. The programme is included in the programme U Lead (key programme supporting decentralisation in Ukraine supported by the European Commission), supervised by GIZ. (interrupted because of the war).

UNDP Turkiye : oriented local governance reform in Turkiye (2020/21) and contributed to training local governments (2011)

Development of analytical research for Local Administration Reform Phase III, consultancy for a comparative assessment and recommendations, as for municipal councils and local electoral system in Turkiye and use of protocols and honours as well as international municipal cooperation. The focus is development and recommendations for local electoral reforms in Turkiye and empowerment of the role of councillors and neighbourhood institutions. LARS III is a programme among EU and Turkiye within those of the Accession Agreement.

Programme LARS II, senior expert training, support to decentralisation snd implementation of administrative reform in Turkiye, trainer on peer to peer learning process for local governments. The training took place in Antalya and attended by 100 local authorities representatives from the whole country

European Commission DG INTPA : oriented the selection of choice of the Framework Strategic Partnership agreement with the global association of local authorities in the world

Analysis on the monopoly position of networks of national and continental associations of local authorities, for DEVCO European Commission in order to orient the decisions on the Framework Partnership Agreements with key associations. Identifications of key elements of their monopoly position. The monopoly position was studied from the de facto and de jure position, by analysing the work of the associations of local authorities like the CEMR, UCLG, its other continental sections and other global actors.The paper recommended a few of them that could be recognised as having a monopoly and so that can receive funding from the EC without competition. Selected, as key expert knowing the European and international scene of the associations of local governments, their assets and difficulties, as well as the UN system and the work of UN Habitat on the matter. Cooperated with the DG Civil Society and Local authorities of DEVCO, now INTPA.

European Commission : oriented the work of the EUD for Libya in empowering local governance and selecting future projects (2020)

Funded by the European Commission, elaboration of the Integrated Territorial Analysis for Development in Libya for the European Commission and development of the Territorial Approach to local Governance, Drafting recommendations for enhancing EU intervention in Libya as for local governance and local development. The study (realised with interviews and meeting with local authorities representatives and civil society, from Libya, Tunisia and EU) identified the difficulties and opportunities of decentralisation as a key for democracy, stability and develpment in the country. For years, the local elected representatives were the only elected representatives in the country, contrary to the national bodies (appointed by International community). The study was done for and in cooperation with the European Union Delegation (EUD) for Libya, based in Tunis. The results of the study were the basis for the future calls for proposals and tenders issued by the EUD on that matter. I cooperated closely with the Nicosia Initiative of the Committee of the Regions and with several European local authorities and regions engaged in Libya

Support to local governance in Tunisia with recommendation for the participatory mechanisms at the local level, in particular for the new municipalities

Development and tender writing, training and mechanisms for participatory processes for new local governance in Tunisia (appui institutionnel à la decentralisation et décencentration en Tunisie. As ALDA expert, successful drafting of the shortlisted tender for GOPA to KFW, supporting new municipalities in Tunisia (training and capacity building activities). The programme oriented the "Caisse des Depots" and modernise its activities in order to be reliable and strong support for local authorities, especially those recently created (after the "communalisation" of the whole territory of Tunisia). The tender oriented the trainings and capacity building of local governance, supporting the national institutions. It also described the needs of participatory principles enshrined in the Code of local authorities

European Commission/MInistry of Interiors and local authorities of Algeria, trained 225 mayors of Algeria, 90 key civil servants and now 225 heads of daira on participatory democracy. Drafted the Algerian code on participatory democracy for all local authorities. (2017 till now)

Training for EU staff and international community in Algeria on Participative Democracy at the local level as well as participatory budgeting planning, Support to the Ministry of Interiors and Local authorities of Algeria, in cooperation with the European Union Delegation in Algiers, for the implementation of participative local democracy, within the Association Agreement Algeria/EU, Elaboration of training and delivering to 225 mayors (President of APC) in all Algeria for a whole year. The work was based on the successful activity run before for civil servants and civil society. It used the manual produced for all Algerian local authorities. The training was implemented in French. The colleagues were a Tunisian and an Algerian expert. As ALDA expert, support to the Ministry of Interiors and Local Authorities for the implementation of participative local democracy introduced by the constitutional revision in 2016. The programme was part of the European Union Delegation support to the Algeria/EU Association Agreement. It included the design and organisation of training of trainers for 40 days for 180 civil servants and local authorities' representatives and drafting of the national Guide on Participative Democracy at the Local Level The expert team was composed of myself, a Tunisian expert and an Algerian one. The results were presented to the Minster and the European Union delegation. The programme, very successful, was then followed by a second round of activities (described above) and run under the contract with Sofreco. The whole programme was held in French

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, assessed and supported local democracy and participatory democracy in Moldova (Cimislia and Comrat) and in Ukraine (Dnipro and Mariupol) (2019 - 2020)

Development of a two year programme for assessing and empowering capacity building, training, coaching for problem solving at the local in 2 cities in Ukraine (Dnipo and Mariupol) and 2 in Moldova (Cimislia and Comrat). The assessment evaluated the legislation and the practices existing. The capacity building focused on how to improve the existing practices and add some new elements. The local authorities and civil society were engaged, with local staff and ALDA's tutors. The programme supported some local initiatives to improve local governance and citizens engagement. The whole report was then the basis for a book issued in English and in Russian (see in my publications ), published by Susil Editore

UNDP NORTHERN Macedonia : recommended empowerment solutions for municipal councils, within the framework of decentralization and local governance support (2017)

Drafting of comparative review on the empowerment and role of municipal councillors in North Macedonia and other European Countries. Supporting UNDP and other National stakeholders. The comparative review studied 5 local governance systems of countries from the Council of Europe (Slovenia, Serbia, Denmark, France and Albania). The work was implemented by interviewing the associations of local governments of those countries (the benchmarks of particular interest were the motivation of local councillors, the trainings provided, the fees or remunerations, the inter-municipalities, the way councillors represented citizens and also ethnic minorities). The report was then used for the follow up work of UNDP Northern Macedonia, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development, for the empowerment of municipal councillors in North Macedonia

With the British Council, training local authorities in Azerbaijan (Baku) 2012

Training on citizens' participation, local authorities and civil society.

Expert of the EESC rapport Carmelo Cedrone on the role of Civil society in the MED area (2012)

Empowerment of local authorities in Northern Italy (1999-2000)

Trainer for management for non profit organisations, trainer for local governments in conflict management and participatory planning processes, technical assistance to local goverment in european programmes

Journalism at the beginning of my career

I worked as a journalist at the very early stage of my career in Italy and followed the development of new parties after the end of the parties from the second world war. I met a lot of local authorities and citizens. I have a journalist record in the Veneto list of journalists. I was local contributer of IL GAZZETTINO.
I worked the ANCI Veneto (Association of Local authorities of Veneto) as a press officer and drafter of documents. I was also press officer of the city of Schio (Veneto), Italy