Tunisia Showcases Kerkennah Archipelago's Resilience at World Urban Forum 13
In the Margins of World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13) Held in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Kerkennah Archipelago Took Center Stage at the "Voices from Cities" Session, Focusing on Local Urban Experiences in the Face of Global Challenges.
Through the SOUMOUD project and the RISA program led by UN-Habitat, Tunisia presented an integrated approach to the resilience of island territories. In an interview with La Presse, Mariem Rekik, coordinator of the project, reflects on the results achieved and the prospects for implementation.
What was the context for your participation in WUF13 in Baku?
I am here in Baku with the Tunisian delegation to participate in World Urban Forum 13. We have taken advantage of this international platform to present several ongoing projects implemented by the UN-Habitat Tunisia office.
My participation is primarily within the framework of the RISA program, which is currently being deployed in Tunisia, specifically in the municipality of Kerkennah.
This program is a flagship initiative of UN-Habitat, also implemented in four other countries: Jordan, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Bolivia. RISA aims to develop diagnostic and strategic planning tools to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable territories.
What concrete results have been achieved within the RISA program in Kerkennah?
We have already produced two major reports within the framework of this program. The first is a diagnostic report that identifies the main "hotspots" of vulnerability in the Kerkennah municipality. This diagnosis analyzes the territory according to three essential dimensions: urban, biodiversity, and climate risks.
This work is based on existing studies, but it deepens them thanks to the use of geographic information systems (GIS) tools, which allows for a much more precise and up-to-date reading of the territory.
The second report is an action plan for urban resilience in the archipelago. It proposes a strategic vision for the future of Kerkennah and defines four major strategic objectives. From these objectives, we have identified a list of 33 concrete projects.
Among these projects, 14 have been developed in the form of detailed action sheets, which specify the budgets, objectives, and potential partners necessary for their implementation.
Where are we today in the implementation of these projects?
These two reports are already available online on the UN-Habitat platform, as well as the associated GIS data sets. We are now in a phase of mobilizing partners to move from planning to action.
We are counting on the partners we met here in Baku, as well as those mobilized in Tunisia, to support the implementation of these resilience projects, which are essential for protecting and strengthening the Kerkennah municipality.
What is the main lesson you draw from presenting Kerkennah at WUF13?
The main message is that resilience is built locally. The experience of Kerkennah, presented through the SOUMOUD project during the "Voices from Cities" session, shows that an island territory can transform its vulnerability into an opportunity for sustainable development.
This involves integrated approaches that combine nature-based solutions, blue economy, sustainable infrastructure, but also strong local leadership.
We have also addressed key issues such as access to climate finance and the need to strengthen partnerships to move from planning to implementation.
Kerkennah shows today that with the right tools and partners, it is possible to build concrete and sustainable resilience trajectories.
