Tanmia Baladia – Municipal Development Support Project in Tunisia

Supporting development and decentralisation in Tunisia

Context of decentralisation in Tunisia

In Tunisia, the “Jasmine Revolution” from 17 December 2010 to 14 January 2011 highlighted regional inequalities in terms of development and gave rise to new demands for more freedom, dignity and social justice.

As a result, Tunisia’s new constitution of 2014 promotes a decentralisation of State action formalised by the creation of fully-fledged local authorities. A number of measures were subsequently adopted in order to support and develop decentralisation, including:

• In 2015, preparation of the first decentralisation roadmap  
• In May 2016, creation of the MALE (Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment)
• In 2018, preparation of the Local Authorities Code and first municipal elections.

It is in this context that Expertise France launched its Tanmia Baladia project to support municipal development in Tunisia.

Improving governance and local development

The main objective of the Tanmia Baladia project is to improve the local governance of Tunisian municipalities and enhance support for the municipal development of local authorities.

It aims to position Tunisian municipalities as central actors in local governance and development.

Financed by AFD for a period of three years, the project will be implemented by Expertise France in partnership with the FNCT (National Federation of Tunisian Municipalities). The signing of the project took place in September 2022 and the project launch is scheduled on 12 October 2022 in Jendouba to mark AFD’s 30th anniversary.

Two main areas of operation

Enhance the FNCT’s support to municipalities for local finances and improve budgetary and fiscal management

Through an assistance-advice mechanism for the professionalisation of budgetary and fiscal management practices in four pilot municipalities, the objective is to understand the configuration of the city and provide phased support for the development and coordination of a range of services by the FNCT for local finance management.

Improve planning and management practices for local development and local services

The public services will be strengthened through the provision of a €1.5 million fund distributed among 12 municipalities. It will be dedicated to financing innovative local development projects and improving local services covering various areas (waste sorting services, education in the fight against pollution…).

Sustainable development and gender mainstreaming

The project takes into account the importance of sustainable development. It will contribute to reducing territorial inequalities and the proportion of the disadvantaged population through various activities, including:

• Creation of tools and training programs for the implementation of budgeting taking territorial inequalities into account

• Development of support and tools to bring municipalities to consider the sustainable development impacts of the investments financed.

The project also includes a strong “gender” dimension and will aim to improve gender equality through two activities:

• Integration of an initial approach to gender-responsive budgeting in the FNCT’s enhanced support to Tunisian municipalities  

• Integration of gender equality issues in the activities to improve local services in the pilot municipalities.