[27 November 2012] -- A new set of strategic guidelines outline a common vision for France’s approach to urban governance.
The guidelines were published by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the French Alliance for Cities and Territorial Development (PFVT), a platform that brings together France’s various urban development actors engaging on urban issues.
Titled Orientations of French Cooperation in Support of Urban Governance, the document was prepared with the input of all of France’s various urban development actors through a broad-based consultation process that included representatives from the national authorities, local governments, NGOs and academia. It provides a framework for them to act coherently and in coordination at the international level and ultimately aims to guide French development policy.
The guidelines focus on strengthening individual as well as institutional capacities, and fostering multi-stakeholder dialogue and debate. They also highlight the importance of supporting strategic urban planning, access to basic services for all, security of land tenure, and economic development to proactively and efficiently manage urban development.
Launched in 2011, the French Alliance for Cities and Territorial Development is a multi-actor platform for exchange and development of French urban expertise that aims to enhance the coherence and effectiveness of France’s urban cooperation. It also seeks to develop French urban expertise in liaison with local expertise in order to offer partners in the South better coordinated and better integrated responses.
In addition to the Orientations of French Cooperation in Support of Urban Governance, the French Alliance has also set up a working group on strategic planning for the international urban development community in advance of Habitat III.
