The Association of Palestinian Local Authorities "APLA", represented by its President, Abdelkarim Al-Zubeidi, conducted a meeting with the AFD delegation, represented by the Country Director, Martin Barnt, and the Director of Local Governance Sector Projects, Hani Balatah, at the Municipality of Salfit. The aim was to discuss a set of issues related to the role of APLA and potential areas of cooperation to enhance the role of Palestinian local authorities as well as APLA's vision concerning the partnership system between the public and private sectors along with the mechanisms of supporting to the implementation of such partnerships.
Al-Zubeidi expressed his appreciation of the efforts and interest of the AFD in the decentralized cooperation projects with the Palestinian local authorities, as it provides opportunities for local authorities to exchange experiences, knowledge and expertise, implement inclusive and sustainable development projects. He called for enhancing cooperation between APLA and AFD through the implementation of decentralized international cooperation activities and networking between the Palestinian municipalities and their French counterparts, while enhancing the work in the areas of sustainable local development and regional cooperation of interest.