UCLG Africa and ICLEI Africa announce a new strategic partnership to accelerate the localisation and implementation of global and African sustainable development goals and targets at the subnational level

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27th of February 2019 in Rabat, Morocco

United Cities and Local Governments Africa (UCLG AFRICA) and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability-Africa (ICLEI Africa) are very pleased to announce a strengthened collaborative partnership to accelerate the localization and implementation of the global and African development goals and targets at subnational level.

This collaboration builds on and complements the existing formal partnership between UCLG and ICLEI at the global level, as was renewed and strengthened in 2018 through a new global-level MoU. It is particularly important in the framework of the UCLG Africa Climate Task Force, which brings together all interested parties in the strengthening and empowerment of subnational and local governments’ role in the climate change and sustainability agenda.

To ensure full alignment with Agenda 2063 and accelerate access to new and existing financing mechanisms and partnerships for implementation at the subnational level, UCLG Africa and ICLEI Africa have agreed to build on their long-standing cooperative relationship by entering into a new level of intensified collaboration.  This will be facilitated by a more robust and sustained Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to be signed during the upcoming Africa Climate Week in Accra, in March 2019.

General cooperation on urban sustainability

    • UCLG Africa and ICLEI Africa commit to complement each other and seek synergy for the benefit of their shared constituency in the field of sustainable development with a special focus on addressing climate mitigation, adaptation to climate change, resilience, access to energy and climate finance.
    • UCLG Africa and ICLEI Africa confirm the leading political role of UCLG Africa and its associated core advocacy mandate to promote the recognition of subnational governments within the African and global contexts.
    • UCLG Africa and ICLEI Africa confirm the leading technical role of ICLEI Africa in supporting climate and sustainability actions at subnational level within the African and global context.  
    • Other agreed areas of collaboration include the promotion of local and territorial solutions in the fields of circular economy, food security, biodiversity, green and sustainable infrastructure, water and sanitation, sustainable mobility, gender and youth development and private sector partnerships in the field of climate change and sustainability, along with support for the development and implementation of south-south and triangular decentralized cooperation partnerships regarding climate change and sustainability.
    • UCLG Africa and ICLEI Africa remain committed to collaborate within the context provided by the    African Union and its institutional mechanisms, in particular AMCEN and CAHOSC, and commit to jointly approach other key players on the continental landscape, such as the African Development Bank, other regional development banks, as well the Regional Economic Communities and other pan-African bodies within the African Union Governance Architecture, etc.
    • UCLG Africa and ICLEI Africa will cooperate with appropriate stakeholders and participate jointly in the lobbying of national governments and African Union bodies in order that the management of urbanization and the transition to sustainable cities and territories in Africa are considered priority issues on the political agenda of Africa.
    • The Secretary General of UCLG Africa and the Regional Director of ICLEI Africa will meet (in person) at least once a year in a dedicated meeting, to review the progress of relations between the two institutions and prioritize actions for the year ahead, in collaboration with their respective senior staff, complemented by regular online meetings and further opportunities provided through events and platforms.

Cooperation in the field of research

Read more. ..

Watch Kobie Brand interview 

 

UCLG Africa Retreat 2019: Revitalization of the African Municipal Movement

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UCLG Africa held its third institutional retreat during February 18-21, 2019, at the Al Akhawayn University Conference Center in Ifrane, Morocco. The 4 days retreat was attended by sixty participants including: staff from the UCLGA headquarters, three regional offices (West Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa), and partner organizations: UCLG, Metropolis, Cities Alliance, UNECA, World Resources Institute (WRI), CAFRAD; and UCLG Africa Special Advisers:  Mr. Daby Ndiaye, Mr. Gustave Massiah, Mr. Alioune Badiane and Mrs. Claire Mandouze.

“The goal of this retreat is to take stock of the situation. For an organization, it is very important that we take a new impetus. The retreat is held to rebuild a momentum. The organization is the political part of the equation, the members, the Executive Committee, the Pan-African Council, the UCLG Africa presidency, the staff, and the citizens. We expect from this retreat more synergy, a remobilization of our members and our staff and new goals, so that we meet our members’ expectations,” said Secretary General of UCLG Africa, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, who recalled the components of UCLG Africa that stood at the heart of the retreat.

Day 1   : Who are we   ?

The first day was marked by the opening speech of the Secretary General who recalled the history of the organization and the creation of the municipal movement in Africa.

“Today, UCLG Africa consists of 47 national associations of local government. We are a unitary organization, not a confederation. We went through years of division whose unity (sic) was consolidated in 2012, in Dakar, during the 6th Africities Summit.’

He also discussed the fragility of this unity, which only subsisted through the commitment of its members and that of the staff of UCLG Africa.

“Our unity is always fragile and it is your duty to fight and keep the unity             of this organization. We need to make members understand that the love of the continent is what will save them and save their children’s future. There is a different level of decentralization on the continent, which implies that specific approaches are needed. The role of regional offices is crucial at this level. The goal is to improve the service rendered to the populations by the implementation of decentralization. Multilateralism is losing ground. There is an inward-oriented identity movement that is extremely damaging for Africa. Tribalism is gaining ground and this is an additional difficulty for the continent. We must make room for youth in the political space and local level is the level of where this is possible. The hope for the continent rests on your shoulders,” he told the young participants at the meeting.

A “fishbowl” which is a round table with 2 or 3 main speakers. When other participants whant to ask questions or made a contribution they rejoin the box where  are the speakers, but they are not allow to stay, only the main speakers are allow to stay in the bowl. This “fishbowl” was a platform of exchange of ideas on how to work in synergy with partner organizations for the implementation of the Global Agendas and of African Union’s Agenda 2063. The moderator was Mr. Sithole Mbanga. Afterfollowed by the construction of a “time line” of the organization, from 2005 to 2019, by UCLG Africa staff.

Exchanges took place in a relaxed atmosphere and staff engaged in a range of group activities, including‘Rock-around-the-Clock,’ which required them to partner with new colleagues to allow them to interact.

Synergy with UCLG and Metropolis

The Deputy Secretary General of UCLG Africa Mr. Sitholé Mbanga moderated a debate with keynote speakers, Mrs. Firdaous Oussidhoum, Special Adviser to the Secretary General of UCLG and Mr. Octavi De La Varga, Secretary General of Metropolis.

Speakers addressed how best to localize the Global Agendas, Agenda 2030 (SDG), the New Urban Agenda, the Paris Climate Agreement, The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Contributions called for synergy in order to localize these agendas on the continent through a territorial approach, a gender-based approach, an appreciation of human capital, a reinvention of local democracy and a revision of statistical systems in Africa.

The construction of the “UCLG Africa (2005- 2019) timeline” highlighted how far the organization had come since 2015, and the implementation of GADDEPA (Program of Governance, Advocacy and Decentralized Development for Africa), as part of UCLG Africa’s strategic vision until 2021.

 

Day 2   : Rebuilding together

Tuesday, February 19, was marked by the Market Place. An exercise where UCLG Africa present his service offerings. Representatives from the different departments and regional offices including members, programs, REFELA, ALGA, the Climate Task Force, Communications, WARO Regional Office, SARO Regional Office and EARO Regional Office, were invited to present their best service offerings and the two main difficulties encountered in the exercising of these functions. The purpose of the activity was to share the role and functions of the different departments and to do this is in a fun way. Participants agreed that this initiative allowed them to have a greater understanding of each other’s work, ‘fine-tune their pitch’, and get to know each other better.

A “fishbowl” debate and exchange of ideas also took place with the partners, Cities Alliance, UNECA and WRI, on the various ways they could collaborate better with UCLG Africa.

 

Ms. Abera Edlam Yemeru, Chief of the Urbanization Section of UNECA commented that, “There is a need to connect the Urban Agenda to other sectors and to build African cities around the importance of planning. Agenda 2063 is an opportunity for collaboration. We operate at the national level and with UCLG Africa we can reach the local level.“

Mr. Leo Horn Phathanothai, Director of International Cooperation at WRI, declared himself open to materializing a partnership in the research sector, particularly through the African Local Government Academy (ALGA).

“We need to ensure that local governments are credible career spaces. The current system of urbanization policies is not adequate in Africa. Youth unemployment is a major challenge for local governments in Africa. UCLG Africa should formalize the partnerships over a period of at least 5 years, said Julian Baskin, Cities Alliance Senior Urban Specialist.

The day ended with a group task on the construction of a new narrative for UCLG Africa and defining the objectives, strengths and weaknesses of the organization. The participants expressed their entire creativity to realise model building (Photos).

Day 3   : Rethinking our actions for the people

Wednesday, February 20, saw participants discuss strategies to determine how best way UCLG Africa could intervene at the global, continental, national, and regional levels and work with the associations of local governments, localities and citizens.

The main messages were:

  • UCLG Africa’s core interest are Africa’s citizens
  • The role of the organization is to help build local governments
  • UCLG Africa’s Agenda should be updated in accordance with GADDEPA
  • Priorities for the organization include empowering young people and regional offices, repositioning the organization and promoting a gender-based approach
  • UCLG Africa must write its own history and proceed to Communication 2.0.

 

  • Participants voted for 7 priorities on which the organization should be rebuilt.
    • Human Resources Management, Training and Development
    • Financial Viability and Sustainability
    • Good Governance
    • Vision and Strategic Orientation
    • Clear Communication Strategy Plan
    • Learning and Knowledge Sharing Organization
    • Africities

 

Day 4   : New Roadmap

The retreat closed with the design of a new roadmap for 2019 based on the various proposals presented over the 4 days and covering the following key stages:

  • Activity Matrix
  • Political Executive Committee Meeting in April 2019
  • Meetings with Regions and Partners (May-July)
  • Meeting with the financial partners (June or September)
  • Mobilization meeting of national associations on the sidelines of the UCLG World congress, planned to take place in Durban, South Africa in November 2019
  • UCLG World Congress
  • Annual UCLG Africa Retreat (February 2020).

The Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Sithole Mbanga, expressed his commitment to closely monitor its implementation.

In his closing message, the Secretary General of UCLG Africa, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, thanked the President of the Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane, for hosting the retreat.

“It is important to love what you do. I would like to thank our facilitators and the entire UCLG Africa team. We are part of a fantastic journey and we must be militants. The only fight that must be waged is that of the dignity of this continent. Dignity begins with knowing one’s strengths. Only Africans will develop Africa. It is time to rediscover the culture and history of our continent. Be proud of your continent, dear young people, you have the capacity to do it. Let’s be humble, we are a political organization. A 5-kilometer journey begins with a step in the right direction… During this retreat, we took the first step in the right direction (sic).”

 

Watch the videos of the retreat here.

Watch the interviews of the retreat here .

Retirement photo album.

 

 

 

 

The Truth About Migration

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“Can Development Co-operation Provide Solutions” Between the 4th and 5th of February the European Commission hosted the 6th edition of the forum “Cities and Regions for Development Co-operation.” Cities and Regions from across the globe are at the heart of sustainable development and there are many lessons and practices that can be shared with peers to address some of the critical issues ranging from poverty and food security to gender equality and climate change. What is Development Co-operation? Often described as development assistance offered by one region to another, usually a developed one to a developing one, and is a broad description for international action between two cities or regions that can be about

-Financial Support – traditionally what we recognise as “Aid”

-Capacity Support– human or organisational capacity building, technical support and sharing policy experience.

-Policy Change – of which decentralisation is a major component.

The Forum addressed sustainable urban development through twinning, pairing and matchmaking of Local and Regional Authorities from EU and Partner countries which included Cities and Regions from Africa. The 2-Day event not only initiated discussion and debate on cooperation and development it also highlighted successful partnership initiatives including the Platforma Awards which aims to reward the best town-to-town and region-to-region development projects, promoting decentralised cooperation. The towns of Roeselare (Belgium) and Dogbo (Benin) received the first prize for their joint birth registration programme and after six years, Dogbo has become a reference in the field of civil registration in Benin, a country where more than 40% of births are not registered.

The Mayor of Dogbo, Vincent Codjo Akakpo spoke of the benefits of development co-operation and Cities and Regions across Africa are encouraged to explore the possibilities of such partnerships to drive sustainable development.

Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi Secretary General of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa lead a delegation from Africa to participate in a number of discussions on topics of interest including that of Migration.

As one of the hot topics between the EU and Africa UCLG Africa hosted a side event “Co-operate Around Migration” to provide a platform to interact and generate insights and recommendations directed to the European institutions on this important issue. Migration today is discussed as if it were a new phenomenon but this has been going on since the dawn of time from the “incredible human journey” when humans first ventured out of Africa some 60,000 years ago, and here we are talking about it in 2019 as if it were something new.

Read more …

Read the report of the Side Event.

UCLG Africa Annual Retreat (18 -21 February 2019)

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Initiated in 2017, the third edition of UCLG Africa’s annual retreat will be held from 18 to 21 February 2019 in Ifrane, at the Conference Center of the University of Al Akhawayne (Morocco).

This retreat provides a space for dialogue to reflect on how best the organization can help its members grow and how to strengthen their organizational capacities and abilities.

The meeting will be attended by all UCLG Africa staff (headquarters , regional offices: West Africa region, East Africa Region,  Southern Africa region and ALGA Ouagadougou) and some partners.

The retreat has four main objectives:

– Develop a deeper understanding of the continental context;

– Refine the collective understanding of the purpose of UCLG Africa;

– Collectively assess the current state of the organization with a view to ongoing   improvement;

– Clarify the roles, functions, skills and capacities that UCLG Africa will need to thrive.

The program includes workshop work, round tables and plenary sessions.

Watch the video of Day 1 ! 

 

Africities 8 Summit : Summary of sessions and recommendations

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The general theme for the Summit is “The transition to sustainable cities and territories, the role of African local and regional authorities”. This theme reconciles the need to provide concrete responses to the demands of the populations for the improvement of their conditions and living environment, with the need to adapt to an environment marked by climate change and the growing divorce between expansive growth models and the impossibility of continuing to borrow from natural resources at the rate that such models do impose, under threat of jeopardizing the lives of future generations. Africa will become the world’s largest home to humans in just less than two generations. The continent can and must take the path of sustainable development now, especially in its cities and territories, because it is the region of the world that is the least entrenched in the globalized economy, and therefore most likely to branch off to a more sober economy in terms of borrowing and discharges into the natural environment, an economy that is fairer and more socially inclusive.

Read more here. 

Africities 2018: Find out the climate day program !

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Cities and territories members of UCLG Africa committed to the fight againstt Climate Change

Cities and territories of Africa represent a significant share of the continent’s GHG emissions (about 70 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa) and they host millions of people in areas that are sometimes very vulnerable to the effects of climate change. They also concentrate the bulk of economic activity in Africa and the bulk of investment (infrastructure, business buildings, equipment, etc.). These realities reinforce the importance of the cities and territories of Africa in the implementation of the policies of fight against climate change.

UCLG Africa intends to make of the 8th edition of the Africities Summit a strong political moment in the service of the achievement of a common goal of the cities and local governments in response to the major challenges of climate change and of the transition towards sustainable development.

This general objectives aims specifically to strengthen the actions of the cities and territories in support of states for the implementation of their Nationally Determined Planned Contributions (NDPCs) or their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

This moment should lead to the adoption of a joint Declaration on the commitment to a broader partnership between national governments and local and regional governments in Africa for the implementation of the NDCs.

Goals and objectives of the Africities Climate Day

The Africities Climate Day is held five years earlier to the deadline of 2023 for elevating the ambitions of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This Climate Day Aims to bring together all the stakeholders mobilized for the fighr against global warming and the effects of Climate change. For its first edition, the Africities Climate Day will focus its reflections on the creation of the NDCs of the African countries concerning the seven key components of the Paris Agreement, namely :

  1. Adaptation ;
  2. Mitigation ;
  3. South-South cooperation ;
  4. Territorialization of the NDCs ;
  5. Financing ;
  6. Capacity building ;
  7. The transparency framework

The Africities “Climate Day” sets five strategic & operational goals :

  1. Identifying best practices ;
  2. Setting the priorities and goals to be achieved by 2023, starting date of the binding period of the Paris Agreement ;
  3. Developing the 2030 Agenda of the cities and territories of Africa for Climate ;
  4. Evaluating the Declaration the Africities “Climate Day” to be presented at COP 24 in Poland in December.

This Desclaration aims to have UNFC recognize the centrality of cities and territories of African in the resilience to Climate Change and the need for these cities and territories, to receive more attention and involvement in implementation of the NDCs, on the one hand, and to be represented in the international climate proceedings, on the other hand.

The program is available here 

Africities Summit 2018: 20 years of Pan-Africanism of Cities and Regions Celebrated in Morocco

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“For an  Africa of all Transitions, for Cities and Regions as Drivers of Changes  Strategies”

Press Release 

Rabat, on 24 October 2018,

The flagship pan-African event of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA Africa) will celebrate its 20th anniversary. It will bring together the 5,000 expected participants for creating a shared vision of the «Africa We Want».

By hosting the Summit for the second time in 10 years, the Kingdom of Morocco and all the Moroccan stakeholders, mobilized under the aegis of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Communal Councils (AMPCC), support this event which amplifies «the Voice of Territorial Africa».

Press Notice 

Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco hosts the Africities Summit for the second time, addressing the theme: «The Transition to Sustainable Cities and Territories: the Role of Territorial Communities of Africa.»

Indeed, it is a decisive role, as more than 60% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations fall within the competence of territorial communities, as recognized by decentralization laws. The actual achievement of these objectives depends thus on the strong involvement of elected representatives, local public administrations, and territorial actors (communities, businesses, artists, women, young people, banking institutions, etc.).

The future of Africa and its evolution are increasingly played out at the level of the Continent’s cities and territories. Globalization and rapid urbanization are the two powerful trends that mark this evolution. These two trends have a significant impact on the development of African societies. They raise questions about the effectiveness of the current growth and development models pursued in the African context, and even prompt one to consider a paradigm shift in the way people think about the Continent’s sustainable development.

In choosing the theme of «the Transition to Sustainable Cities and Territories» for the Africities 2018 Summit, the territorial authorities of  Africa have opted for a break proposal that justifies the urgency for a farreaching change in the growth and development patterns, and a paradigm shift in the Continent’s development in order to achieve the structural transformation sought by the African Union Agenda 2063. The Summit will discuss the various dimensions of transition, without disregarding the interactions they maintain among themselves: demographic, ecological, democratic and political, economic and social, geopolitical, as well as culture and communication.

It is further recognized that it is rather in cities and territories that the fight against climate change and poverty would be won or lost. This is why cities and territories of Africa are now key actors in the process of implementing the international agendas adopted by the United Nations in 2015 and 2016, and more particularly the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG), the Paris Agreement that builds on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for the implementation of the said Agreement, and the New Urban Agenda adopted in Quito, Ecuador. It is for the sake of raising awareness of the new responsibilities incumbent upon them and exploring the ways and means for fully assuming these responsibilities that the leaders of territorial communities of Africa invite all relevant stakeholders to explore with them at the Africities Summit, to be held from 20 to 24 November 2018 in Marrakech, the strategies to be defined and the paths to move along in order to start now the transition towards sustainable cities and territories in Africa.

This eighth edition is therefore a not-to-be-missed event for the territorial communities of Africa, and a significant anniversary date, as it marks the 20 years of existence and organization of the Africities Summits !

Read more… 

Practical information for your participation at the Africities 8 Summit (20-24 November 2018, Marrakech)

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In order to optimize the participation and the process of payment of registration fees for the Africities 8 Summit (20-24 November 2018, Marrakech), please note below the practical information for your participation or the participation of your delegation , we strongly recommend you to:

  1. Pre-register each member of your delegation by filling in the required fields on:https://www.africities.org/registration/ . Please copy the link to your browser and proceed to register the members of your delegation one by one. An automatic pre-registration message will be sent to you.
  2. Send to UCLG Africa (africities@uclga.org) the list of all delegation to calculate and edit a corresponding invoice that will be sent to you;
  3. Make the payment by bank transfer to the UCLG Africa account according to the details of the bank account attached and send us the payment document (transfer order / Debit Notice);
  4. Complete the registration confirmation process upon receipt of a second message to get the Bar-Code giving each participant access to the Africities Summit8
  • As far as hotels in Marrakech are concerned, we strongly recommend that you send your requests for hotel reservations in Marrakech to the Shems Travel Agency Booking Center, Mrs Salwa ENNAJRAOUI: s.ennajraoui@shemstravel.com

Please find below the first list of 4 * and 5 * hotels with negotiated rates pending a complementary list with all other categories to be communicated later on :

Hôtel Catégorie Prix Single en BB Prix Double en BB
Mogador Menara 5* 85 110
Essaadi HOTEL 5* 125 140
RIAD ENNAKHIL 5* 760 100
Atlas Asni 4* 95 120
Hôtel Labranda 4* 95 120
Meriem 4* 51 64
NASSIM 4* 56 70
Mogador Guéliz 4* 50 65
WAZO 4* 62 73
ZALAGH 4* 72 89
RAWABI 4* 67 75
PALMERAIE GOLF PALACE 5* 132 150

 

We strongly advise you to regularly check in the website: www.africities.org  for potential and frequent updates.

For any further information please contact : africities@uclga.org

UCLG Africa launches call for submission to 2018 Climate Initiative Awards at Africities Summit

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In the framework of the organization of Africities 8 Summit, which will be held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, from 20 to 24 November 2018 in Marrakech, UCLG Africa and the “Initiatives Climat” Association organize the “Climate Initiatives Awards 2018 – African Local Government Authorities “. The theme of the Africities 2018 Summit is: “The transition to sustainable cities and territories: The role of Local and Sub- national governments of Africa.”

The Awards are for African Local and Sub- national governments which are carrying out initiatives to tackle the negative effects of climate change in Africa (adaptation and mitigation).

The competition is open to three categories of local government:

– Small Cities: less than 20,000 inhabitants,

-Intermediary Cities: From 20,000 to 100,000 inhabitants

-Big Cities: More than 100,000 inhabitants.

Local authorities wishing to compete in the Awards are required to submit a ‘Climate Initiative’ by completing the online form available here.

Only eligible projects that are included in the online database may take part in the Awards. It is the responsibility of participating local authorities to ensure that they receive an acknowledgement of submission after sending their application to the Coordinators via the website or via its email address (initiativesclimat@gmail.com). Each local authority may only compete in a single category.

The jury will select nine nominees, three nominees per each category. The nine selected initiatives will then be submitted to the delegates of the Africities 2018 Summit to vote the winner of each category. The nine nominees are supported (one person per municipality) to participate in the Africities summit from 20 to 24 November 2018. A trophy will be awarded to all winners at the Africities summit gala dinner on 24 November 2018.

Applications should be sent to the Coordinators no later than 29 October 2018, at midnight (GMT Time).

The names of the 9 nominees will be announced by the jury in the beginning of November 2018.

Read the rules of the Awards.

Read a template of one initiative already online.

UCLG Africa invited its members to participate actively by submitting initiatives led by their municipalities.

For further information: initiativesclimat@gmail.com ; gyomi@uclga.org

 

For all your requests about Africities 2018 Summit please contact africities@uclga.org

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In order to facilitate your participation at the next Africities 8 Summit, which will be held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, from 20 to 24 November 2018 in Marrakech, UCLG Africa provides you with an email address for all your questions around the summit.

Via this email address africities@uclga.org, we are committed to processing your requests as soon as possible.

The theme of the Africities 2018 Summit is: “The transition to sustainable cities and territories: The role of Local and Sub- national governments of Africa.”

Visit the website of the summit www.africities.org

Read the concept note of the summit.