The project seeks to improve the living conditions of all groups of society through a better access to social and economic opportunities in sustainable and equitable conditions. This project responds to the municipality of Chefchaouen’s engagement for a green and socially inclusive city, and to its commitment for promoting the employability of young people.

The city council of Chefchaouen, in Morocco, is strongly committed to support and promote the green and strategic sectors of the local economy with a particular interest on empowering and training the youth. As part of the REFGOLMED project (“Strengthening the role of local authorities in the Mediterranean in favor of good governance and social cohesion”), financed by the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation and led by MedCités, the municipality of Chefchaouen aims to promote the green transition and social responsability of its touristic, handcrafts and agro-food sector.

Through this project, the city council has set up a 3-modules training program with a group of hoteliers, restaurateurs, artisans and small agro-food cooperatives to strengthen their environmental and social responsibility. Moreover, a specific training has been conducted targeting young students and trainers of Electricity at the Chefchaouen Center for Occupational Training about renewable energy production and management. The experimentation with the installation of a solar panel system on the roof of the city council Eco Center has proved useful for the students to understand how this technology works.

As a final activity, the city council of Chefchaouen will exchange with the municipalities of Olor, Saldes and the local development agency of El Berguedà about sustainable tourism strategies at the occasion of an online exchange initiative taking place 26th May 2021. The topics of interest of this exchange concern the promotion of the environmental responsibility of the sector, the role of municipalities in the creation and implementation of local strategies, awareness and visibility programs, among others.

MedCities is especially keen in engaging our member city, Chefchaouen.

Objectives:

The project REFGOLMED in Chefchaouen aims to :

• Raise citizens’ awareness, specially of the youth, about the key drivers and solutions for innovation and sustainability and to foster the compromise of the local economic agents and entrepreneurs of the city touristic sector, including artisanal and agro-food producers.
• Promote access to the labour market for vulnerable groups, specially the youth, through capacity building programs and empowering initiatives so as to make them full part and contributors to the local economy.
• Promote the exchange of knowledge with other entities and municipalities active in the sustainable economy promotion with the involvement of the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.

 Beneficiaries:

City council of Chefchaouen, young students and trainers of the Chefchaouen Center for Occupational Training, the local cooperative CODIBER working on renewable energy (installation of solar panels)

Main SDGs addressed:

4 – Quality Education – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

7 – Affordable and clean energy – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

11 – Sustainable cities and communities – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

13 – Climate action – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.