On 19 June the city of Tripoli (Libya) hosted the workshop launching the programme ‘Small-Scale Initiatives for Civil Society Organizations in North Africa' (PPI-OSCAN). This workshop, which was attended by 50 participants, marked the official opening of this new initiative involving both NGOs and governments. The Libyan administration is to be congratulated on its involvement from the beginning, particularly through the support provided by the Environment General Authority (EGA).

The next workshop was organized straight away in Tunis (Tunisia) on 24 June, with the support of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development (Ministère de l'Équipement, de l'Aménagement du Territoire et du Développement Durable). More than 60 participants attended and the event attracted considerable attention from the Tunisian media.

PPI-OSCAN's objective is to strengthen the administrative, technical and financial capacities of civil society organizations in four North African countries: Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. This initiative is part of the IUCN North Africa Programme coordinated by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, with the financial support of the MAVA Foundation and the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM).

The coming weeks will see the launch of this programme in Morocco and Algeria, followed by a simultaneous public call for the submission of projects that could be eligible for funding within this programme.

For further information, please contact: Maher Mahjoub