Relations with associations fighting against AIDS in North Africa were built around the “Cap Prevention” project run by volunteers and permanent staff of AIDES PACA between 1996 and 2002 (awareness-raising campaigns amongst migrants during the summer period on boats and in ports linking the North African countries to France and Spain).

Since 1996, the project has helped to forge close ties between the partner associations in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia

The various meetings, the actions carried out during sea crossings by French and North African volunteers and the time spent by French and North African volunteers between two crossings in the host country created strong interpersonal relationships and helped to establish common methods of intervention.

Over the years, the fact that associations fighting against AIDS on both sides of the Mediterranean grouped together over a single project led to the beginnings of a network. A number of factors led to this:

- obvious cultural affinities between, on the one hand, each country in North Africa working on the project and, on the other, these North African countries and a city like Marseille.

- the grouping together of people who, irrespective of national ties,  had an empathy for each other’s approach to the components of the fight against AIDS: prevention, support for people living with HIV, the fight against discrimination and the fight for human rights.

- a transnational method of working based on bringing associative structures together and going beyond state-controlled strategies.

Of course, many obstacles remained. A North African network based on the fight against AIDS still had to be built. This would be achieved mainly by reinforcing and structuring partner associations. Hence the birth of AMEDIS : Action between North Africa and Europe for Screening, Information and Support.

Based on this experience, and at the request of all the partners, it appeared necessary to reinforce local efforts to fight against AIDS through partnership with the AIDS associations in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria and to gradually encourage South/South cooperation through the sharing of experience on courses, training sessions and meetings between associations.

The overall aim of the project was therefore to reinforce and support the efforts of associations fighting AIDS in North Africa.

The Concerted Programme for Morocco was born out of the “Temps du Maroc en France” festival organised in 1999, when the need to introduce a “global partnership” between the two countries was ratified by the two governments and, as part of this partnership, the importance was emphasised of developing and consolidating cooperation between organisations operating within the civil society of the two countries. The search for better ways of coordinating bilateral programmes and the many multilateral initiatives was a major concern for the institutional and non-government organisations involved in Morocco as part of the reforms set in motion by the !kingdom. All these concerns gave rise to a multi-organisation Concerted Programme between France and Morocco, which came within the framework of new contractual arrangements between the French government and non-government organisations. The Concerted Programme for Morocco (PCM) was launched, containing 19 French organisations including AIDES, thirty-six Moroccan organisations and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2002 to 2005.

When the PCM was launched, AIDES and ALCS seized on the programme as a means of continuing to work together as part of a concerted programme. It was an opportunity for AIDES to work directly (through transverse meetings within the programme) and indirectly with other Moroccan NGOs.

This was the first time, in this type of programme focusing on development, that a health association (AIDES) was chosen.

In 2006, a new phase of the programme (PCM II) was launched to continue the strategy of inter-associative work between France and Morocco.  AIDES is now on the programme’s steering committee. For further details: www.pcm.ma

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