I have been a Lady Mayoress for half a term now. After the Lord Mayor’s account of the first half of his mayoralty, it is my turn to account for my first entry into the role of Lady Mayoress.
In these first six months, I have had the opportunity to meet with wonderful people and to become familiar and support many projects borne by Corkonians:
Continue reading
Dear guests,
Dear volunteers,
Dear performers,
Dear donors and sponsors,
Dear municipal staff,
Dear family,
Dear friends
Dearest Lord Mayor,
5 years ago, my mother was diagnosed with a cancer. After a second wave of chemotherapy, it became clear she could not cope with the pain at home anymore. We had done not our best to ease her pain, to be the best possible support, but we had also reached out limits. She asked to be transferred to a palliative care centre.
Continue reading
Comment comprendre la collaboration entre autorités publiques et initiatives citoyennes, pour augmenter la résilience des dynamiques locales ?
Dimension 1 : La vie de la collaboration
Une collaboration entre deux acteurs a une vie : elle se prépare, se crée, elle se réalise concrètement à travers divers projets, puis évolue et s’entretient sur les longs et courts termes.
Les dimensions de la collaboration
AVANT
En premier lieu, la collaboration se met en place. Elle est prédisposée par une culture de l’engagement citoyen, qui appartient tant aux citoyens qu’aux autorités publiques. Des initiatives permettent de mettre en place une première prise de connaissance, mais aussi un changement d’attitude et de paradigme pour apprendre à « faire ensemble ». Les pratiques visent pour les autorités publiques à clairement inscrire la participation et la co-création avec des citoyens dans une stratégie claire, voire à établir une unité de participation ou à intégrer clairement le rôle des citoyens dans l’organigramme administratif. Cela s’accompagne aussi de changements de fonctionnements internes (New Ways of Working), ainsi que de stimulation de l’innovation au sein même des fonctionnaires. Ce sont aussi les premiers pas pour aller les uns vers les autres : en organisant des rencontres entre citoyens et responsables politiques et administratifs.
Enfin, c’est à travers le développement d’un écosystème que la culture de la participation se développe : en travaillant avec diverses associations, en s’ancrant dans des réseaux plus larges, en favorisant les espaces de co-working ou co-associating, en organisant des universités urbaines et citoyennes et en partant à la rencontre des projets des uns et des autres.
LANCEMENT
Une fois que les premiers jalons de confiance et connaissance sont installés, la collaboration peut se formaliser à travers des projets ou initiatives concrets. Cela nécessite parfois une signature, par exemple, pour un engagement entre l’autorité publique et les citoyens (sous forme de charte) ou bien pour assurer le suivi du projet en passant d’une majorité à une autre (sous forme de convention), mais pas nécessairement. Il s’agit avant tout de « faire ensemble ».
La collaboration peut s’établir lorsque des processus sont mis en place tant au sein de l’autorité publique que des initiatives citoyennes. Les un.e.s travaillent étroitement avec des acteurs de terrain, déléguer certains de leurs tâches à des acteurs de terrain, mettre en place des postes avec une grande partie du temps sur le terrain, ou voire détacher certains de leurs employé.e.s. En interne, ils cherchent des synergies avec d’autres programmes d’activités (comme les Agendas 21) et favorisent la transversalité ; Tandis que les autres, les citoyens définiront une gouvernance claire, parfois avec la nécessité de se structurer en asbl, pour bénéficier de certaines formes de collaboration.
PENDANT
Une fois que la collaboration est mise en place, des projets peuvent être menés à bien, et des réajustements peuvent avoir lieu. Des apprentissages apparaissent. La collaboration telle qu’établie et vécu au départ évolue au gré du contexte.
Les autorités publiques centralisent la coordination pour faciliter l’interaction avec les citoyens et la rendre plus efficace.
Les citoyens organisent des réunions régulières pour se tenir au courant et agir en collectif. Ils.elles font évoluer leurs modalités de fonctionnement, par exemple en ce qui concerne la gouvernance ou la participation financière.
Des stratégies et politiques sont mises en place pour co-créer des politiques locales, de stratégies locales, des critères de budget participatif ainsi que son évaluation. Des tâches de planification urbaine sont déléguées à des citoyens et l’expérimentation a notamment lieu à l’échelle d’un (nouveau) quartier. En parallèle, l’expertise des citoyens est reconnue, voire monnayée.
La collaboration prend aussi la forme d’un accompagnement de l’autorité publique pour les initiatives citoyennes avec expertise, méthodologie, dans le montage de projets ainsi que de leur mise en œuvre. L’accompagnement peut aussi être proposé par des pairs qui ont reçu une formation.
L’ENTRETIEN
La collaboration évolue au fur et à mesure du temps. Elle est dépendante des personnes la composant, mais aussi du contexte économique, social, culturel, environnementale, … Elle s’adapte et s’ajuste. Sur le long terme elle peut rester dans un format similaire. Elle peut aussi grandir ou rétrécir (en ambition, types de projets, acteurs). Certaines activités de citoyens peuvent devenir salariées. Elle peut aussi changer complètement : se scinder en de nouvelles dynamiques ou fusionner avec d’autres. Elle peut enfin se transformer en changeant d’activité ou se transposer et se répliquer ailleurs.
Pour soutenir cette évolution, des plateformes en ligne sont mises place pour stimuler l’échange entre citoyens et autorités publiques. L’autorité publique organise aussi l’entremise entre parties prenantes, tout en reconnaissant la contribution citoyenne pour le bon fonctionnement de la ville. Cette reconnaissance peut être individuelle tout autant que collective à travers expositions ou journaux. L’autorité publique soutien aussi l’entretien de la collaboration avec un soutien diffus aux projets après leurs fins.
Dimension 2 : Les conditions de la collaboration
Afin d’évoluer dans un projet de collaboration commun, de nombreuses conditions peuvent agir à diverses étapes de la vie de la collaboration. Comme dans un couple dans lequel, par exemple, chacun des membres doit être bien en lui-même avant d’être bien avec l’autre, la collaboration nécessite que chaque acteur.rice fasse un travail interne avant de pouvoir travailler efficacement ensemble. Ce travail a lieu en amont, avant de mettre en place une collaboration, mais aussi à au lancement et pendant, par exemple, afin que les services adéquates d’une autorité publique travaillent de manière transversale pour répondre au mieux aux besoins des citoyens avec lesquels ils collaborent.
7 conditions se dégagent pour une bonne collaboration entre autorités publiques et initiatives citoyennes :
On 23 June 2023 I became the Lady Mayoress of Cork. I accessed this position through the nomination of my partner, Kieran McCarthy, to the Lord Mayoralty of the second city of Ireland.
The role, functions and responsibilities of a Lord Mayor are clear. But what about those of a Lady Mayoress?
Continue reading
Discover how cities have taken on the challenge to push for more organic, local and sustainable food systems.
URBACT cities and networks have been very active in the development of innovative approaches and solutions when it comes to public procurement and gender-sensitive responses. Their practical insights and experience are told in the different modules of the Strategic Public Procurement Online Course. Some municipalities have also taken advantage of it to re-think the ways we produce, distribute and consume food. Read on to see how cities are taking matters into their own hands.
Food procurement relates to the provisioning of food, via catering services (with or without supply), canteens, and vending machines. It targets the public sector and sectors managed by public authorities: school and childcare centres, health and welfare centres (including hospitals), senior or retirement homes, and public administrations.
Paying attention to the way this food is purchased by public authorities is crucial. The overall environmental impact of the food system is undeniable: it contributes to 1/3 of GHG emissions globally and drive up socio-economic and health inequalities. In addition, within the agricultural sector in Europe, livestock farming is responsible for 78% of biodiversity loss and 81% of global warming. Food waste of the catering sector is also estimated to account for 14% of all EU waste, accounting for almost 12.5 million tonnes. Energy produced effectively by the catering sector could, for example, achieve savings of more than 20% leading to a saving of EUR 95 million (80 million GBP) per year and reducing national energy consumption by over 4 000 million kWh per year.
In terms of economic impact, the current food system sustains unfair working conditions practices for farmers and their respective difficult to access land and to sustainable production. Not to mention the working conditions of migrant workers. With regards to the fact that, on average, 85 million meals are catered every day in the EU (over 50% through contract catering), and that there are about 3.7 million vending machines in Europe that are run by around 10 000 different companies (mostly SMEs and family businesses that employ directly more than 85 000 people and many more in supportive industries), sustainable food procurement in public institutions provides an enormous potential to push market demand for greener products.
In terms of social and health-related impact, the current mainstream food system has led to a higher risk for disease and mortality in Europe: unhealthy diets are responsible for 49% of cardiovascular diseases, with an estimated annual cost of EUR102 billion for health systems and society; and with 16-22% of EU school-age children are overweight, 1/4 of them are obese. Last but not least, 36.2 million people, including children, cannot afford a quality meal every second day, which could be compensated by healthy school meals to a certain extent.
As such, using food procurement strategically can impact the whole society directly. First by promoting the purchase of certified (ideally organic) products, seasonal products, reducing the called “food miles”, and reducing packaging and food waste. Procurement can lower pesticides and antibiotic residues in food air and water pollution and greenhouse emissions. Then by promoting the purchase of certified (ideally fair trade) local products. Procurement can support the fair retribution of producers, boost local economy and employment, supporting local entrepreneurship and innovation, increase or convert organic production. And finally, by promoting the purchase of sustainable products and healthy meals and raising awareness. Procurement can contribute to the reduction of obesity, health problems, boast local communities’ prosperity and wellbeing.
When addressing food procurement, the first strategic frameworks which come to mind are those related to the EU (green) Public Procurement: the EU public procurement directive, the EU Green Public Procurement criteria, the Communication on public procurement for a better environment, Public Procurement for a Circular Economy. Good practice and guidance, and the Food & catering – GPP Product Sheet.
Yet, Food Procurement can also rely on a range of other EU initiatives, to further develop innovative solutions:
Some URBACT cities have been exemplary in seeking to identify practical solutions for the transition of their food procurement processes. Below some city cases:
The city of Liège (BE), partner in the BIOCANTEENS#2 Transfer Network developed a strong knowledge of their local producers, while adapting the needs of their local canteens to their local offer. The city starts all its tendering processes by an analysis of the needs with the food users, such as canteens managers and cooks: products used, their quantities, frequencies and other relevant factors. The research then focuses on local producers and enterprises that could potentially respond to these needs, leading to drafting specifications corresponding to both needs and offer.
Market engagement also enables the city to build the capacity of the market to meet their requirement(s), inform on the design of the procurement and contract, and help suppliers to submit quality bids. This process also tests the maturity of the market, the feasibility of the procurement, the level of technical and product innovation, the type of exiting composition and the concern about sustainability. Once the city is certain that producers can deliver healthy and diversified meals, the tenders integrate a new selection criteria.
It is important to note that market engagement is legally possible under Article 40 of Directive 2014/24/EU, provided that legal consideration are taken into consideration, as transparent and non-discriminatory process, not providing unfair advantage, keeping a record of all market engagement activities, giving equal access to all suppliers and treat all suppliers equally.
The Region of Brussels-Capital (BE), was the Lead Partner of the URBACT II Sustainable Food in Urban Communities Network, which designed a complete training and support for school canteens and caterers: awareness-raising for future catering professionals, pilot projects with catering companies, training schemes, support with communication tools and equipment, and access to a help desk. This scheme is linked to the Good Food labelling of canteens, part of the Region Sustainable Food Strategy – the Good Food Strategy that is now in its second version.
The Region also published detailed Guidelines for canteens which stress the importance of control and monitoring, in order to ensure that the contractor commitments are respected in the delivery of contracts. It can take the form of an administrative monitoring (e.g. on a trimester basis), as well as -surprise (bi-)monthly check at the place of production (in case of on-site production). A third check is only necessary if there is any doubt about a possible problem. The guidelines also distinguish canteens with food prepared on the spot or delivered, describing criteria in concrete details and technical clauses.
As part of its Sustainable School Food Programme, which aims to provide healthy school meals in a social, ecological and sustainable way, the city of Torres Vedras (PT) a partner of the BioCanteens original Transfer Network looks out at food procurement concerns for its municipal kitchens, which prepare 1 400 meals per day. The city seeks to purchases raw food material exclusively and directly from local producers and suppliers, with the following combined solutions:
Indeed, the 2014 Directives allow contracting authorities to both: exclude companies from tendering for not meeting certain conditions (exclusion criteria); and select the most suitable companies to bid based on technical ability and previous experience in relation to the subject matter of the contract (selection criteria).
Mouans-Sartoux (FR), is a flagship URBACT city that has achieved and shared its secret recipe for years now, especially as the Lead Partner of both editions of the BioCanteens Transfer Networks. As part of its overall transition, it has used procurement as a main tool to ensure the coherence of its entire food ecosystem. By combining lots, market engagement, use of labels, weights and criteria, in its tenders it has sought the pave the way and leading role cities can play. Yet, procurement is only one of the tools used to this end, and the dynamics go beyond food itself (see the image below). The experience of this city has been told using different formats (kitchen micro-good practices, Education Micro-good practices, set-up of a Maison de l’Alimentation Durable, among many others) and stories.
Then above-mentioned examples are all accessible for interested readers to consult. And the cities that were used as examples for this article will undoubtedly be happy to share more about their experience. Other material can be found as part of the StratKit Interreg Baltic Sea project, the EU Food Policy Coalition paper on sustainable public procurement of food, and, the Manifesto for establishing minimum standards for public canteens across the EU.
Last but not, least, URBACT will carry on the debate and reflections on the subject of food procurement in the course of this year. So, stay tuned and be sure to check the URBACT Knowledge Hub!
Reposted from the URBACT website