The III Communication Workshop "Development begins here" became a participatory exercise, an opportunity to contribute to the design of the Communication Strategy of the Municipal Government of People's Power (GMPP) in Florencia and the campaigns aimed at the Local Development, Food Sovereignty programs and Nutritional Education (SAN).
Representatives of different local organizations advocated a proposal that promotes social communication as a tool to foster dialogue between institutions and the people, an exercise in accountability of decision-makers and a mechanism to increase participation in matters of collective interest.
It advocated the use of communication resources to highlight the synergy established between local development programs, SAN, Advancement of Women and against Racism and Racial Discrimination, as well as highlighting the links and contributions of international projects such as "Connecting Landscapes".
Dr. C Niria Castillo Arzola, social communicator of the GMPP, emphasized that the strategy will promote behaviors, concepts and solutions that contribute to local development, for which it plans to increase the motivation of key actors to search for solutions and initiatives for the benefit of the territory.
Likewise, it is planned to increase the spaces for the creation and socialization of ideas by multiplying the experience and its results in the municipality, defined as a place to innovate, solve problems and promote changes, he added.
Aware of the importance of achieving municipal autonomy, the also university professor considered that in this instance is where the projects of creative people, the management of the representatives, the proposals of the "dreamers" and the will of the entrepreneurs are most required.
Close to the approval of the Food Sovereignty and Food and Nutritional Security Law in Cuba, a campaign is proposed aimed at stimulating, in all forms of economic management, responsible behavior consistent with local public policies of production, transformation, food marketing and consumption.
The local development strategy (EDL) bets on the use of natural beauties and the presence of geo-sites of high tourist value, the existence of the Hydraulic Complex Liberation of Florencia, land and producers for the promotion of agriculture, and facilities and capacities to deploy canning and construction materials industries.
Spaces for recreation, cultural traditions that reaffirm the identity of the region, a considerable number of adults with accumulated knowledge and the presence of a chair of peasant orality are added to this.
In these circumstances, a developed municipality is projected, with equity, less pollution, high quality of life and citizens more committed to actions for local progress, according to EDL documents.
Julio Valentín Santana Cruz, a specialist from the CITMA Capacity Building Center, explained that Florencia is one of the 27 territories in the country benefited from the project "Strengthening Municipal Capacities for Local Development" (PRODEL), promoter and facilitator of actions that have an impact on improving the quality of life, especially of vulnerable segments.
He stressed that this is part of the 2011 - 2016 Strategy of Swiss cooperation in Cuba, which, in accordance with the priorities established in Cuba, is aimed at building capacities to implement the local development strategy, the promotion of agricultural production and the use of renewable energy sources, as well as the reduction of the housing deficit.
In all its actions, Swiss cooperation respects and promotes principles of non-discrimination, seeking to contribute proactively to the elimination of existing gaps between men and women, he said.
