Field visits to nationally certified programs on traditional building skills to increase the employability of vulnerable groups in urban deprived and rural areas of Maghreb countries

Marseille, France, 25-27 November 2024. The declaration of the 3^rd Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development (Zagreb, Croatia, 4 May 2023), mandated the UfMS to advance on the promotion and valuation of traditional building skills. In this regard, the UfM Programme on Urban Heritage and Traditional Building Skills in the Southern Mediterranean Countries targeted Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia, and aimed to identify and promote best practices in raising awareness, preserving, and promoting vernacular architecture and traditional construction techniques. The programme sought to strengthen the cultural embeddedness of traditional solutions and their capacity to adapt to climate challenges, promote a sustainable local economy linked to the attractiveness of well-protected urban heritage, and create qualified jobs connected to traditional materials and techniques.

Following the inaugural meeting held on 6 July 2023, in Barcelona, Spain, a series of workshops followed in each participating country, namely in Tunis, Tunisia (5-7 December 2023), Ouarzazate, Morocco (28 February-1 March 2024), Adrar and Timimoun, Algeria (16-18 April 2024), and Nouakchott, Mauritania (9-10 May 2024). The Workshops which benefited from the financial support of GIZ, fostered a collaborative environment for sharing knowledge and innovative solutions. The final meeting of the program targeting Maghreb countries took place in Casa Árabe in Córdoba, Spain, on 5-6 June 2024, with the financial support of AECID, and regional implementation actions for the follow-up were identified.

Among these actions is a support to the set-up of nationally certified programs on traditional building skills. To this end, field visits will be organised in European countries, starting with Marseille, France, from 25 to 27 November 2024 for participants coming from Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. The field visits will provide a deep understanding of the institutional, legal, educational, logistical and financial frameworks that entail setting up nationally certified schools of traditional building skills. The final objective is for participants to identify models of schools of traditional building skills that could be adapted to their national contexts, with a view to increase the employability of vulnerable groups in urban deprived and rural areas of UfM Maghreb Countries, especially women and youth.