2009 Annual Report

2009 Middle East and North Africa Grantee Spotlight:
Alternative Citizen Movement (ALCI)

While momentum for constitutional and institutional reforms slowed significantly in Morocco, a new drive for local democracy and governance gained traction following the 2009 municipal elections. With little guidance from the authorities, local councils and civic groups across the country sought to apply new provisions of the Municipal Act that enhance local autonomy and confer a greater role to citizens in policy-making. It is in this context that the Alternative Citizen Movement (ALCI) advocated for the adoption of these new participatory mechanisms and helped stakeholders to implement them in the region of Fès-Boulemane.

ALCI conducts civil society workshops in Morocco. These help empower civil society activists in local governance.

In 2009, ALCI worked with more than 90 civil society activists, municipal councilors and administration officials from the communities of Ribat El Kheir, Adraje and Dar Alhmra to assist them with the establishment of the new participatory mechanisms featured in the Municipal Act. ALCI held three capacity building workshops, three seminars, and a series of individual consultations designed to familiarize all stakeholders with the law’s new provisions, build consensus on policy priorities, and lay the foundation for the elaboration of mandatory communal development plans.

ALCI also built an interactive website and published three inter-communal bulletins to raise awareness about the three communities and the steps they have undertaken to improve governance, and provide a forum for practitioners to share best practices and lessons learned.

ALCI is a leader among Morocco’s civil society organizations promoting local governance, and is fully committed to empowering local actors to gain greater control over their lives and their surroundings. Its keen understanding of the legal environment and its capacity to mobilize competitive constituencies in support of common goals makes ALCI a critical actor in Morocco’s pursuit of decentralization.