Lauching of the Refela Gambian Chapter

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On 5 and 6 October 2019, the group of Gambian women mayors and local elected representatives chaired by Mrs Rohey Lowe, Mayor of Banjul Municipality, in partnership with UCLG Africa and UNDP, launched the Gambian National Chapter of REFELA (the network of Locally Elected Women in Africa).

The Mayor of Banjul, Rohey Lowe presided over the official launching at the Atlantic Hotel of Banjul. This launch was technically supported by the REFELA secretariat and the Network’s presidency, with the REFELA focal point, the Mayor of Banjul.

Mayor Lowe said the launch will mark a turning point in the aspiration of Gambian women in all areas of development. She explained that REFELA is the standing committee on gender equality of UCLG Africa. In accordance with REFELA’s Rules of Procedure, the new Gambian national chapter will be the Gender Commission of the National Association of Gambian Local Authorities.

She further disclosed that the campaign to better the lives of women as advocated by REFELA took a very positive turn through her election as the first woman Mayor of the Capital City of Banjul.

“But the situation is more challenging for rural women whose active participation in governance especially in Local Government has been largely absent. And if the current situation remains unchecked the status of women with respect to active participation in electoral process and governance will only get worse,” she warned.

According to Mayor Lowe, women constitute far more than half of the population and they also constitute about 54% of all registered voters, yet they lack representation despite forming the majority.

“Even though women are known to be loyal supporters and form the base of their political parties, they are still grossly under-represented in the hierarchy of their own parties and in other elective offices in the country“.

“As mentioned in the Roadmap, all of the Sustainable Development Goals have targets directly related to the responsibilities of local and regional governments,” she disclosed.

Mayor Lowe called on women to be committed to the goals set by 2030 for Gambian women to reach remarkable heights in the political and economic development of the country.

The Gambian chapter of REFELA is already engage in the mains REFELA Campaigns :

Ø The Campaign for African Cities without Street Children ( Watch video of REFELA Gambia)

Ø The Campaign for African Cities’ Zero Tolerance to Violence Against Women and Girls (Watch video of REFELA Gambia )

Ø The Campaign for African Cities for Women’s Economic Empowerment

The launching of the Gambian chapter of REFELA, follow the dynamique impulse by REFELA after the last Africities8 Summit, held in November 2018 in Marrakech (Morocco).  On June 2019, another national chapter of REFELA was launch in Namibia, followed by the launch of REFELA chapter of Eswatini (Ex Swaziland).

Watch the resume of the lauching  ceremony fo REFELA Namibia.

UCLG Africa invites local and regional authorities to support OOAM’s advocacy for the ratification of the AU Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons

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UCLG Africa joins the advocacy launched by the West African Migration Observatory for the ratification of the African Union Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons by AU Member States.  Freedom of movement is a right within the meaning of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and this right is essential for the development of our  territories at local level.

UCLG Africa invites the continent’s local authorities, through their national associations, to take this fight to national governments. Local governments have a key role to play in bringing this protocol to fruition.

Below is the content of the advocacy, highlighting 5 major arguments for successful mobilization.

The Protocol to the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community, concerning the free movement of persons, the right of residence and the right of establishment, was adopted at the 30th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 29, 2018. Twenty-one (21) countries signed it on March 21, 2018, at the extraordinary summit of the African Union in Kigali (Rwanda). To enter into force, the protocol must be ratified by 15 member states of the African Union. This document is a line of argument elaborated by the West African Observatory on Migrations to convince the States about the benefits for Africa on the ratification of the protocol.

  • Argument of African Integration

The free movement of people on the African continent was one of the ambitions of the fathers of African independence who wanted to return to the freedom of movement that our ancestors had before colonization. Since the creation of the Organization of African Unity in 1963, subsequently with the establishment of the African Economic Community in 1991 and the African Union in 2002, African leaders have always emphasized the need to facilitate the mobility of Africans on their soil. The protocol on the free movement of people makes this dream come true. The ratification of the protocol on the free movement of persons by States is therefore an important step for the African Integration.

  • Humanist Argument

All men are born free and equal. But not all men are equal in the face of mobility. Depending on his nationality, an African citizen may be refused a visa or the right to travel to another African country. In addition, the administrative and financial requirements for visa applications create many obstacles that lead Africans to pay for expensive tickets at the last minute because the visa is issued late. According to the African Development Bank[1] , it is easier for an American tourist to travel in Africa than to an African businessman. The entry into force of the protocol will abolish once and for all the visa requirement for Africans who will thus be able to visit Africa more easily in order to discover its cultural wealth and to carry out fraternal exchanges between the populations.

  • Economic Argument

The launch of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) in Africa is a historic opportunity to facilitate trade, tourism and industrialization on the continent. The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) estimates that the implementation of the CFTA could increase intra Africa trade by 52% by 2022[2]. However, the benefits of this free trade zone cannot be achieved if Africans cannot move freely on their continent to make known and sell their products. The creation of a single market for air transport in Africa is also an important step forward that is changing the future of the African continent. The abolition of the visa requirement for African citizens traveling on the continent will allow everyone to be able to pay his plane ticket safely to make his trip. This will lead to increased transport and trade between African countries. In view of the economic benefits, African states have an interest in ratifying the protocol on free movement in Africa.

  • Sovereignty and Security Argument

The African Union’s protocol on the free movement of people does not put an end to the borders of States or their sovereignty on their soil. African States will have, according to the texts of the protocol, the right to control and register the people who enter and leave their territory. The contribution of the protocol lies mainly in the facilitation it gives to the mobility of Africans on the continent by allowing them to travel without a visa. States may also, if the situation so requires, raise reasons of security, health or protection of their environment to restrict the entry into their territory of persons considered to be detrimental to the stability of their country. Ratification of the protocol should not pose a problem since it takes into account the security concerns of States. It is also important to know that the protocol allows states to put in place, in successive phases, the related commitments, starting with the free movement of persons before reaching the rights of residence and establishment.

  • Scientific Argument

Academic exchanges, recognition of diplomas and the qualifications of the workforce are taken into account by the protocol. Thus thanks to the free movement of people, there will be more mobility for studies, exchanges between researchers, offers of seasonal or temporary services of competent people in various spaces in Africa. The protocol is therefore beneficial for a better sharing of knowledge among Africans, to increase technological innovation as well as the number of interuniversity scientific research in Africa.

[1] Africa Visa Openness Report : https://www.visaopenness.org/

[2] https://www.uneca.org/publications/african-continental-free-trade-area-questions-answers

Visit the West African Migration Observatory  website.

Signing of an MoU between UCLG Africa and the Seoul Human Resource Development Center (SHRDC).

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UCLG Africa and the Seoul Human Resources Development Center (SHRDC, South Korea) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), On 5 October 2019 in Rabat (Morocco). The signing ceremony was held at UCLG Africa headquarters.

The MoU was signed by Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa and Mr. Yong Mok Shin, President of Seoul Human Resource Development Center (SHRDC) in Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG),

This MoU formalizes the basis upon which both parties will cooperate on Human Resources Development and International Training Programmes related to sustainable urban development and targeting the human resources in African Local and Regional Governments, with the goal of building capacity for urban development, improving effectiveness in urban governance and enhancing the benefits of the Training Programme of SHRDC and the Africa Local Government Academy (AGLA) of UCLG Africa.

Mr. Yong Mok Shin expressed his willing to rely from now on UCKG-Africa to build a strong partnership between the two Institutions, through training programs focusing on HR development and urban development. The SHRDC has indeed development a strong program based on the Metropole of Seoul’s policies and best practices.

Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi expect the MoU would materialize a fruitful collaboration between the two institutions through joint activities, the sharing of expertise and visits, because “only human contact can build solid partnerships”.

The SHRDC President was accompanied by Mr. LEE Jong Hyuk, Head of the International Training Team and Mr. KIM Nam Chul, Programme Manager.

The ceremony was also attended on behalf of UCLG Africa by:

Dr. Najat ZARROUK, Director of ALGA, Mr. Charles PATSIKA, Director of the Membership and Public Relations Department, Mr. Mohamed NBOU, Special Advisor to the UCLG Africa Climate Task Force, Mr. Brygo GAUTIER, Director of the Territorial Coaching Programme.

 

Read the report of the ceremony.

 

Press Release -UCLG Africa welcomes the release of Khalifa Ababacar Sall

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The African community of local and regional governments regrouped within the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) welcomes the release of Khalifa Ababacar Sall, former Mayor of the City of Dakar after 2.5 years in detention.

UCLG Africa is delighted to be able to count on the talents of one of its best leaders who, as President of UCLG Africa from 2012 to 2016, has made our organisation’s voice heard with dignity in Africa and in the world.

During these two and a half years of absence, Khalifa Ababacar Sall’s determined, combative, but also constructive and visionary character will have failed his peers in Africa and other regions of the world, especially the members of the world organization of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

UCLG Africa fervently hopes to count once again on the commitment and leadership of Khalifa Ababacar Sall in order to carry ever higher the flag of a local Africa determined to contribute to the continuous improvement of the living conditions of the populations, committed to the achievement of sustainable human development and the unity of the continent, and determined to defend democracy, decentralization, and respect for freedom and human rights for all.

The Secretary General
Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi

Download the press release here. 

UCLG Africa and Mayors from five major African cities participate in the first capacity-building workshop arranged by the new Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) at AfDB

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Mayors from Antananarivo, Madagascar; Bizerte, Tunisia; Conakry, Republic of Guinea; Dodoma, Tanzania; and Libreville, Gabon, worked together with international urban experts at the Cities Leadership Workshop organised by the African Development Bank (AfDB) on 25 and 26 September in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

In April 2019, the African Development Bank launched the Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) to support African cities and municipalities to improve their resilience and better manage sustainable urban growth and development through planning, governance and quality of public services. The fund is structured around four main pillars: improving urban planning, improving project preparation (pre-investment phase), improving municipal governance and finance, and increasing support for integrated urban development.

The objective of the workshop was to test the proposed methodology and approach for intervening in African cities. The workshop allowed the mayors to present visions for their cities, major challenges they face and opportunities. The workshop included a number of international urban experts from both AfDB and research institutions plus representatives from important city networks such as the Cities Alliance and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) , who was represented by Dr. François Yatta, Director of Programmes at UCLG Africa.

The meeting also provided UCLG Africa with a forum to deepen discussions with the AfDB’s Department of Infrastructure and Urban Development regarding the Bank’s contribution to the production of the next report on the institutional environment of local and regional government in Africa , as well as with the AfDB’s Financial Sector Development Department for technical support to the Territorial Africa Agency . These exchanges augur well for fruitful collaboration between the two institutions on these issues.

The Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) of the African Development Bank is a multi-donor Trust Fund intended to scale up interventions in urban development and drive sustainable growth in cities across the African continent.

More information on UMDF :

https://www.ndf.fi/project/urban-municipal-development-fund-africa-ndf-c100-0

https://www.ndf.fi/news/major-african-cities-participate-cities-leadership-workshop

 

 

 

“Capacity building in the work place is very important”, Pam Belcher- Taylor, Mayor of Paynesville (Liberia)

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Pam Belcher-Taylor is the mayor of Paynesville, the largest city in Liberia and home to approximately 320,000 people. Since her arrival in 2018 she has placed the capacity building of human resources as one of the main pillars of her mandate, especially for women and girls in the work place.  This has seen the creation of women’s groups to help young women who live on the streets to change their life conditions and gain work skills.

In this video Mayor Pam Belcher-Taylor talks about some of the projects initiated by her municipality and gives advice to youth who want to engage in politics.

Mayor Pam Belcher-Taylor shared Paynesville’s experience with other African local authorities during the  3rd edition of the Forum of Territorial Managers and Training Institutes targeting the Local Level in Africa (FAMI), which was organized by the African Local Government Academy (ALGA) of UCLG Africa, 10 -14 June, 2019 in Ifrane (Morocco).

Watch the interview below. 

View the presentation of Paynesville Projects  Here. 

 

 

Training of 23 local actors, municipal elected official and administrative officer of the municipal technical and financial partners on «Local Governance»

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Within the framework of the Strategic Partnership between UCLG Africa and the National Capacity Building Programme for Cities Management (PNFMV) on the one hand, and the implementation of the College of Local Governance of the African Local Governments Academy (ALGA), the city of Yaounde hosted, from 16 to 20 September 2019, the first Training Session on the theme of: “Local Governance”.

This Training Session aims to raise awareness and strengthen the capacities of local actors on the issues and challenges of Local Governance, in a context of challenges and opportunities for African Local Governments.

The opening ceremony of this Session was marked by three speeches, namely, the welcome of the Vice-President of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon (CVUC), the intervention of the representative of UCLG Africa – ALGA and the opening speech of the personal representative of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development (MINHDU).

In his welcome address, Mr. Albert Anicet AKOA, Vice-President of CVUC, praised the partnership between UCLG Africa – ALGA and the PNFMV in these terms: “I would like to magnify the excellence of the partnership between UCLG-Africa through its Academy and the PNFMV, for the development of the capacities and the skills of the Human Resources of African Local Governments, one of the weak links of the processes of decentralization in Africa. One of the result of which is the holding of this training session on the Local Governance, following the 1st International Training Session on Decentralized Cooperation organized in July 2019 “.

The Vice-President did not fail to make the link between the theme and SDG 11 to show the importance of this training in the eyes of local elected officials of Cameroon.

In his speech, Mr. Joachim HUNLEDE, representing the Director of ALGA of UCLG Africa, reminded the noble mission entrusted to ALGA by the local elected officials of the Continent, namely “to support and accompany the Members and the UCLG-Africa networks in their quest for visibility, autonomy, good governance, professionalism and performance “, which cannot succeed or be fruitful without the involvement and commitment of all stakeholders concerned by this dynamic, namely the State Representatives, Local Governments and their Associations, Training Institutes and Anchoring Institutes of ALGA, the Community of Experts and Trainers as well as the Financial and Technical Partners.

Read more. 

Participation of UCLG Africa in the meeting on the GOLD V Report 

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The World Organization of Local and Regional Governments (UCLG) brought together the secretary generals of the various sections at its headquarters in Barcelona, Spain from 9 -10 September, 2019. The main objectives of the meeting were to discuss the GOLD V report, to evaluate the progress in localizing the global agendas and to share their progress towards the World Congress next November in Durban.

UCLG Africa was represented by its Secretary General, Mr Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi.  The first day the meeting was opened by Mrs. Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of UCLG and Salvador Gausa i Gascón, Director of IR of Barcelona Provincial Council and focused on discussing the contents of the GOLD report in order to define its conclusions. The sections also made recommendations for the different regional chapters.

The Global Report on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD Report), is a publication that examines the state of decentralization and local democracy around the world. This fifth edition pays particular attention to localizing global agendas. It has contributions from a wide range of local experts, representatives of municipal and regional authorities and professionals involved in policy-making.

The general secretaries of the various sections (Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, Eurasia, North America, Latin America, Middle East, West Asia and Metropolis) were given a presentation on the progress made towards the UCLG World Congress, which will take place in Durban, South Africa, from 11-15 November, 2019. In the introduction, a general perspective of the progress in each of its axes (Assembly, Town Hall, Local4Action and Statutory) was proposed.

The Assembly’s focus was strengthened in the second half of the morning, with UCLG sections providing their key messages and political priorities in order to create in Durban an Assembly capable of responding to continental challenges and the organization’s political priorities.

Finally, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the statutory matters of the organization and the general secretaries were informed of the candidatures for the formation of the World Council, the Executive Bureau and the presidency of the organization, which will be defined at the Durban Summit.

In Durban, Africa will run for the presidency of the World Organization (UCLG) with the candidacy of Mr. Mohamed Boudra, President of the Association of Presidents of Moroccan Communal Councils (AMPCC).  The appointment of African representatives to the various world bodies was made at the meeting of Statutory Bodies of UCLG Africa held in June 2019 in Cairo (Egypt) and at the extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa held on 28 July, 2019 in Libreville (Gabon).

Registration for the congress is open and available here.

Libyan mayors on a study tour to Morocco

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UCLG Africa and the National Association of Libyan Municipalities are organizing a study tour to Morocco for a delegation of Libyan Mayors from 13-21 September, 2019.  The delegation, led by the President of the Association, Mr Hussein Khalefah Edawadi Daiab, will be comprised of mayors from the municipalities of Zlitne, Zintan, Azawya South, Al Bawaniss and Daraj.

The study tour aims to give Libyan mayors a better understanding of the vision, mission, activities and initiatives of UCLG Africa, as well as to present Morocco’s advancement in decentralization, local governance and territorial development in Africa.

Libyan municipalities face a challenging, difficult and complex context due to the political crisis and insecurity that has plagued the country since 2011. Under these circumstances, more than ever, they need multidimensional, multi-level and accompanying support at all levels to anchor stability and peace enabling them to meet their responsibilities in providing basic services to their population and to ensure safe and resilient cities. It is essential for Libyan local authorities to become more integrated into the ecosystem of African local governments through UCLG Africa, the umbrella organization for local and regional governments in the African continent.

Over the course of the week, the delegation will participate in working and exchange meetings in Rabat and Ifrane with UCLG Africa’s partners associated with this study trip. These include: The Ombudsman Institution of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Ministry of the Interior of the Kingdom of Morocco/DGCL, the Secretariat of State for Housing, the City of Rabat, the Association of Moroccan Regions (ARM), the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Prefectural and Provincial Councils (AMPCPP), the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Community Councils (AMPCC) and the University Al Akhawayn in Ifrane.

The delegation will hold working meetings at UCLG Africa’s headquarters with the various departments of the organization. They will have an audience with the President of the Rabat Communal Council, The Ombudsman Institution of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Presidents of the Associations of Local Government of Morocco, the President of the University Al Akhawayn of Ifrane and the President of the Ifrane Communal Council. The mayors will also be received by Mrs. Fatna Elk’hiel, Secretary of State for Housing, President of the Aarbawa Communal Council, Vice-President of the Network of Local Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) for the North African Region and President of REFELA-Morocco.

On the Libyan side, this visit is in line with the ambitions and objectives of the “Nicosia Initiative.”  Initiated in 2015 by the European Committee of the Regions and with the support and accompaniment of several partners in Europe, the initiative aims to establish a close political link and maintain a strong relationship with the cities of Libya. This relationship has the dual objective of contributing to the improvement of public services in Libya and helping Libyan cities reintegrate into the international community.

For UCLG Africa, this is an opportunity to strengthen cooperation, partnership and solidarity with the National Association of Libyan Municipalities and with local authorities and territorial managers in the country. It is also an opportunity to identify the priorities, expectations and needs of Libyan municipalities, particularly in terms of learning, training and capacity building and to enable the African Local Government Academy (ALGA) of UCLG Africa to support them.

 

For further information please contact:

Gaëlle Yomi: Tel: + 212 610 56 71 45

Email: gyomi@uclga.org

 

PDF Version.

Registration for Climate Chance Summit – Africa 2019

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The first Climate Chance Summit – Africa in 2018 gathered the actors around operational road maps, to prepare the specific messages of the African continent, to show engagement, and to specify the demands and proposals of the local actors who are fighting against climate change in Africa. The African position was presented during different international climate events, notably during the Global Climate Action Summit in California, as well as it has contributed to the Talanoa Dialogue in COP24.

The second edition of the Climate Chance Summit – Africa in 2019 will insure the continuity of the first edition et will be spread on three days. For a second time, it will gather the subnational governments and climate non-state actors in Africa, eventually proposing a call for proposals that will reinforce the African sectoral coalitions hosted and supported by Climate Chance and that will feed our cartography of actions in Africa. It will also allow to work more thoroughly on the sectoral and operational roadmaps that were established in June 2018 in Abidjan and to reinforce the adopted engagements.

Local governments, busineses, NGOs, trade unions, scientists, representatives from agricultural, youth, women and indigenous organisations, citizens, are invited to take part in the Climate Chance Africa Summit 2019 to show the progress of their actions across Africa, to deepen the analysis of successes and difficulties, to promote the pooling of experiences and innovations, to point out solutions for a more significant scale and highlight the opportunities for new initiatives emerging from climate action in the African continent. By promoting these exchanges between stakeholders from different families, this resolutely action-oriented summit will make it possible to:

  • Stimulate the operational mobilization of non-state actors that must accelerate the implementation of the commitments made by States at COP21.
  • Consolidate the dynamics of cooperation between non-state actors who are still working in isolation.
  • Dialogue between non-state actors that have an international influence with actors more focused on their local issues in Africa to allow an adequate articulation between local issues and global issues.

Register for free here. 

4 formats

  • 2 Plenary sessions with key people from the climate action in Africa.
  • Workshops of the African Coalitions, reinforced by a call for contributions, to work on the advancement and the development of the sectoral and thematic African road maps (energy, mobility, agriculture, adaptation and water, access to finance, urban planning, circular economy etc.)
  • Focus sessions to follow-up on the important initiatives in Africa.
  • Side-Events dedicated to the activites of our partners : CoMSSA, UCLG Africa, IFDD, etc.

9 themes

  • Access to climate finance in Africa
  • Developing African cities in a sustainable way
  • Agriculture, food and reforestation in Africa
  • Renewable energy and energy efficiency in Africa
  • Mobility and sustainable transport in Africa
  • Adaptation and Water in Africa
  • Sustainable Building and Construction in Africa
  • Education and Training on Climate Change in Africa
  • Circular economy in Africa

Organisation of the themed workshops

These workshops will be the occasion to gather the subnational and non-state actors in their diversity in order to :

  • Present 2 or 3 good inspiring practices from the call for proposals launched during the Africa Climate Week.
  • Do the follow-up (evaluation after a year) on the sectoral road maps that were defined during the first edition of the Climate Chance Summit Africa 2018

Each workshop should lead collectively to the development of the sectoral and operational roadmaps, that are meant to create a favorable environment to action, to spread the strategic information and to reinforce the climate action in Africa. It would be thus important to take stock at the defined objectives in each road map, and at the indicators of the action’s advancement, etc