Imagine the Southern Mediterranean and the Western Balkans tomorrow… 255 million people living in urban areas. A huge challenge for these regions of the world.
The Union for the Mediterranean, the European Union, the French Development Agency and the European Investment Bank have joined forces to achieve a successful transition towards sustainable cities in the Mediterranean and Western Balkans.
The Urban Projects Finance Initiative (UPFI) supports project promoters in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean regions as well as in the Western Balkans, helping them to prepare and to finance ambitious urban development projects, which aim to create jobs, to reduce poverty and to upgrade the urban fabric.
PEURL, a multi-city urban development programme in Lebanon, will be launched in 2020 depending on the social, economic and political context. The programme aims to improve economic resilience in nine secondary cities: Aaley, Baablbeck, El Mina, Halba, Jbeil, Nabatiyeh, Saida, Tyre and Zahle. In preparation for the launch, UPFI provided technical assistance designed to contribute to local economic development, foster more balanced territorial development, and improve living conditions and urban environment quality. The capacity of municipal authorities is being strengthened with a “learning-by-doing” process, especially in the areas of project programming, design and management, consultation with civil society, and digital tools.
Focus – Sustainable Cities Agence française de développement
Communiqué de presse: Soutien européen renforcé pour le lancement du second programme de réhabilitation et d’intégration des quartiers populaires (PRIQH 2) Communiqué de presse: PRIQH 2