“Access to sanitation in towns and cities of the global South are hampered by multiple challenges”, expert

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International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) published “Environment & Urbanization Brief –32” (December 2015).

The author, Professor Diana Mitlin talks about “Building towards a future in which urban sanitation “leaves no one behind””.  The brief draws on the Editorial in the October 2015 issue of Environment & Urbanization on “Sanitation and drainage in cities”.

In the summary, Diana Mitlin explains that: “Plans to improve access to sanitation in towns and cities of the global South are hampered by multiple challenges”. One is lack of reliable information. “In particular, global and national-level data often diverge from data on particular settlements, collected by inhabitants of those settlements themselves. Local data highlight the inadequacy of living conditions – and in so doing evidence the difficulties in securing improvements”, reveal the Brief. Another challenge lies in the setting of standards around acceptable sanitation. “At a global level, for instance, shared sanitation is not considered part of “improved” sanitation. Yet the reality for many low-income urban populations is that communal sanitation can be hygienic, cost-effective and locally acceptable. The difficulties in reaching a consensus around data and standards point to the importance of diverse approaches to increasing and improving sanitation, including considering both on-site and off-site solutions. They also highlight how crucial it is for the planning and implementation of all such solutions to be inclusive of those often missing from global debates, such as the low-income urban groups that cannot afford substantial sanitation spending. Financial and political commitments, drawing on the circumstances and approaches articulated by low-income groups themselves, will be key to securing a future in which everyone has access to the sanitation they need”, conclude the summary.

In her research, for African countries, ProfessorDiana Mitlin mentions situation in East Africa with finding of “Opportunities and limits to market-driven sanitation services: evidence from urban informal settlements in East Africa”.

A Case study of Lusaka is also considered: “The role of power, politics and history in achieving sanitation service provision in informal urban environments: a case study of Lusaka, Zambia”.

Other example mentioned are:  Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) , Accra (Ghana) and Johannesburg (South Africa)

To illustrate the lack of the reliable information, the Brief points out the fact the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) of UNICEF an WHO (2015) on progress of sanitation and Drinkg Water, reports that in sub-Saharan Africa, 40 per cent of the urban population use improved sanitation. The figure is 67 per cent in southern Asia, and 63 per cent in India. “These figures still appear to be high according to the research reported in this and the previous issue of Environment and Urbanization. However, the data themselves are problematic and reflect a lack of accuracy on the part of those collecting data on living conditions, particularly the situation in informal settlements. And this may reflect that critical information is still not being recorded. This suggests that we need to look again at data collection, particularly in informal settlements”, explain Diana Mitlin.

You can download the Brief here

For Information: Global sanitation commitments of the SDGs 

6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

See also: 6.b Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

 

Multistakeholder collaboration for urban climate change resilience in Bangladesh

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International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) publish a policy brief about Asian Cities Climate Resilience (November 2015).

The findings presented in the document are drawn from research published in the Asian Cities Climate Resilience working paper series.  The policy brief focus on:  “Multistakeholder collaboration for urban climate change resilience in Bangladesh”.

 

The authors, Sarder Shafiqul Alam, A T M Jahangir Alam and Sowmen Rahman(http://www.icccad.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/10748IIED.pdf)  are convince thatimproved multistakeholder collaboration in the water and sanitation sector can contribute towards building greater urban climate resilience in Dhaka City. “However, the challenge is to ensure all stakeholders come forward to improve the present situation of service provision and find effective means of collaboration.  At present, informal settlements in Dhaka lack basic services and infrastructure, and are becoming home to more and more rural migrants.” mention the briefing. It reveals that NGOs and government agencies don’t consider climate change resilience when they do implementation of their initiatives to addressing the water and sanitation deficit. “Current processes of stakeholder collaboration are still limited”. The briefing provides an overview of existing initiatives and collaborations in improving water and sanitation infrastructure, and recommends approaches to improving multistakeholder collaboration in addressing the water and sanitation needs and resilience of low-income settlements in Dhaka.  In their large documentation for their research, authors mention Uganda experience with Interview: from project-based to institutionalized multi-stakeholder learning in the water sanitation and hygiene sector: experience from Uganda (http://journal.km4dev.org/index.php/km4dj/article/viewFile/168/263 )

In Dhaka the two main climate change impacts are heavy rainfall, leading to flooding and drainage congestion, and heat stress resulting from rising temperatures.

The city have over 5 million slum dwellers living without effective waste disposal systems, protective infrastructure or quality services. These barriers increase the vulnerability of residents to climate change impacts, on top of having to live and work in very dense settlements often located in hazardprone, exposed areas.3,5,6 The residents of informal settlements receive an inadequate supply of piped water due to problems in the existing infrastructure, such as leakages in the pipes, and there is no coverage in the settlements. Etc.

To address this situation four Policy pointers have to be consider, in the opinion of the authors:

-The Bangladesh national government can play a coordinating role across agencies and actors in building urban climate change resilience in Dhaka.

-A collaborative approach across stakeholders working in the water and sanitation sector, from government agencies, NGOs and the private sector to local communities, can reduce overlapping and duplication of activities and more effectively address climate change resilience.

– A national urban policy and strategic action plan is required to guide stakeholders in taking the appropriate measures in developing urban water and sanitation infrastructure and services.

– Addressing infrastructure deficits while building climate change resilience should adopt an integrated approach, including needs assessments of local settlements, land tenure situations and likely climate change impacts, to better tailor approaches.

You can download this policy brief here

Urban Growth in Developing Countries and Access to Basic Services: From constraints to opportunities

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The city of Tangiers, Morocco, hosted a colloquium organized by (Re)Sources Think Tank from 11 to 12 February 2016. The Think Tank gathers various personalities from various horizons who share the conviction that access to basic services is an absolute priority for development that the international community has the responsibility to provide to the populations.

Hence, the theme of the colloquium was “Urban Growth in Developing Countries and Access to Basic Services: From constraints to opportunities”. This subject was treated during the four scheduled sessions of the colloquium by the invited speakers during the first day of the event.

The think Tank hopes that by choosing this theme, experts and elected officials would join the debate in order to reflect on the urban pressure put on basic services within developing cities. Therefore, the four session of the meeting addressed the dynamic of urban governance, financing access to basic services and the consideration of the climatic threat.

Among the speakers, we recognize, among others, Gérard Payen, Consultant on water and sanitation for the United Nations, Mohamed Idomar, President of the City Council of Tetouan and Alain Ries, Director for Sustainable Development, French Agency for Development.

For more information about the Think Tank, the colloquium and the speakers, please visit the website here.

The situation of Afro descendants and Afro Americans in the USA is of concern to the United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

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During the Africities Summit Johannesburg 2015, the session “Associations of Migrants /Afro descendants”, recorded the participation of Mireille Fanon Mendès, France, expert and Chairperson of the Working Group of the United Nations on people of African descent. The Working Group undertook a visit to the USA in January and it shows that despite the positive efforts of the U.S. Government, the Afro descendants and Afro Americans still face important forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and intolerance.

 

The experts of the Working Group of the United Nations on the Afro descendants conducted a 10 day visit in the United States (January 19-29, 2016), at the invitation of the U.S. Government. The visit, which is conducted, to the previous suite in 2010 was designed to assess the situation of African-Americans and people of African descent in the United States. Five cities were thus visited by the delegation: Washington D.C, Baltimore, Jackson (Mississippi), Chicago and New York.

In its statement to the media, the Working Group is pleased to have been able to meet with the local authorities of these five cities. They also met a hundred organizations representing civil society, lawyers and individuals from the African-American community who have expressed their concerns and recommendations to the group work.

The Working Group regrets that it did not receive access according to the terms of reference for special procedure mandate holders to visit Mississippi State Penitentiary Parchman. It also regrets that it was not possible to meet with all of the high level state and local level authorities requested. However, they managed to gather information on the forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and intolerance facing African Americans and people of African descent in the country. The members of the Working Group indicate that they have “studied the official measures and mechanisms taken to prevent structural racial discrimination and protect victims of racism and hate crimes as well as responses to multiple forms of discrimination.

Among the recent measures taken by the American Government to reform the criminal justice system and combat discrimination and racial inequalities, the Working Group appreciates:

– The fair sentencing Act;

– The report and recommendations of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing to strengthen community-police relationships across the country.

– The new Guidance for Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Regarding the Use of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, National Origin, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Or Gender Identity

– The adoption by the Government of a executive order to reduce the use of solitary confinement at the federal level by prohibiting solitary confinement of juveniles, diverting inmates with serious mental illness to alternative forms of housing and establishing that inmates should be housed in the least restrictive setting, among other issues.

– The White House Initiatives such as My Brother’s Keeper and on Educational Excellence for African Americans, aimed at addressing opportunity gaps and improving educational outcomes for African Americans.

The Working Group of the United Nations on Afro Descendants welcomed the abolition of the death penalty in three additional States since its last visit in 2010. “This form of inhuman punishment is disproportionately used against African-Americans,” said the statement.

Experts appreciate the adoption of the law on health care that has helped 2.3 million adult Americans to acquire health insurance.

In New York, they welcomed measures that prohibit employers from asking about criminal history until an employee is hired, and that makes possible the issuance of municipal identification cards for undocumented immigrants.

In Chicago, the Group welcomes the measures taken to combat the crisis of repossessions that hit mostly African Americans and Hit the measures taken by the Mayor to promote the accountability of the police following the case Laquan Mc Donald (young Afro American aged 17 years, killed with 16 bullets by a white in October 2014 in Chicago. The video of the murder was broadcast in October 2015 and stirred up a wave of protest in the USA).

The efforts made by US government are not sufficient to reassure the working Group. Experts stay concerned by the situation of of African-Americans and human rights in the country

“Colonial history, the legacy of slavery, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the United States remains a serious challenge because there was no real commitment to repairs and, truth and reconciliation for the people of African descent,” according to the statement of experts.

 

During this visit, the experts heard testimonies of African Americans who declare that based on their experience “people of African descent are treated by the State as a dangerous criminal group and face a presumption of guilt rather than innocence”.

 

The expert’s reminders that the white supremacist terrorist groups are still active in the United States targeting the black community “as seen with the attack on the Church in Charleston in 2015. The Confederate flag is considered to be a symbol of hatred for many Americans and they led campaigns to remove, but it is still used by some local authorities.

 

The Working Group is concerned by the alarming levels of police brutality and excessive use of lethal force by the police committed with impunity. “Non-official sources, such as the Washington Post and The Guardian, have identified between 38 and 75 cases of African Americans unarmed killed by the police in 2015,” fills in the document.

The other main concerns of the Working Group revolve around:

  • -The maintenance of the death penalty in 31 States and at the federal level (African-Americans represent 41.7% of the population killed and 28 inmates executed in 2015, 10 were African Americans),
  • -The inadequacy of the conditions of detention and access to quality health care, including mental health the criminalization of poverty which affects disproportionately African-Americans,
  • -The continuation of minor children as adults (children are detained in jails and prisons exposes them to the risk of assault and sexual abuse of adults),
  • -The rate of unemployment among young African-Americans without high school diploma,
  • -That people of African descent continue to be underrepresented in high-level positions. In 2013, they accounted for only 7 per cent of employers in high level.

 

After hearing the testimony of the African-American communities in different parts of the country, the Working Group is concerned that the implementation of the laws on civil rights will not be effective enough to overcome and transform the structural racial discrimination against African-Americans. It therefore reiterates recommendations (35) made during its visit of 2010, to assist the United States of America in its efforts to combat all forms of racism, racial discrimination, Afrophobia, xenophobia and related intolerance.

It is among others of:

– Establishment of a national human rights commission, in accordance with the Paris Principles. The Government should establish within this body a specific division to monitor the human rights of African Americans.

– Urging the Government of the United States to consider the ratification of the core international human rights treaties to which the United States is still not a party, with a view to remove any gaps in the protection and full enjoyment of rights therein. It also encourages the USA to ratify regional human rights treaties as well as review reservations related to the treaties it has signed or ratified.

– There is a profound need to acknowledge that the transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity and among the major sources and manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and that Africans and people of African descent were victims of these acts and continue to be victims of their consequences. Past injustices and crimes against African Americans need to be addressed with reparatory justice.

– The Working Group encourages the government to undertake impact-oriented activities in the framework of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).

The complete recommendations and the preliminary statement of the working group are available here.

 

It should be noted that as a result of this preliminary statement, the conclusions and recommendations will be presented in the report of the Working Group mission to the Council of the human rights of the United Nations by September 2016.

Luc Atrokpo, New President of Benin Municipalities National Association (ANCB)

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Following his election at the end of November 2015 congress, Mr. Luc Atrokpo replaces Mr. Soulé Alagbe at the presidency of the ANCB, Benin Municipalities National Association.

The handover of charges between the two men took place during an official ceremony held on 15 December 2015.

 

The Executive Secretary of the association seized the occasion to thank and congratulate the bureau headed for more than 6 years by Mr. Soulé Alagbe, former mayor of Parakou, for the numerous actions taken in the name of the association, namely the decisions taken in favor of the technical staff of the ANCB. Mr. Arnos Sossou invited the new bureau to carry on the same direction in order to make the ANCB in the coming years, the interlocutor to reckon with in terms of consistent implementation of decentralisation in Benin, as indicated in the association vision.

The new President committed to continue his predecessor work by capitalizing on the achievements of the leaving bureau directed by Mr. Soulé Alagbe for more than 6 years and reinforcing the ANCB positioning in terms of decentralization and local development.

It is worth noting that the ANCB is the umbrella structure of Benin municipalities. It aims, since its inception in 2003, to serve as an intermediary between municipalities and public authorities on one hand, and between municipalities and partners on the other, in order to represent and defend the interests of its members.

For more, click here.

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ANCB,

The Hague Academy for Local Governance Training: The NUFFIC Fellowships

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The Netherlands organisation for international cooperation in higher education (EP-NUFFIC) offers fellowships to participate in training courses in The Netherlands.

The aim is to promote capacity building within organisations in eligible countries via training and education for professionals. This is initiated and (almost) fully funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the budget for development cooperation.

 

The NUFFIC offers NFP and MSP fellowships. The NFP, the Netherlands Fellowship Programme, grants scholarships for participants living and working in one of the 51 countries mentioned on this list. (See list here)

The second fellowship, the MSP, the MENA Scholarship Programme, is designed for participants from the 10 participating countries from the Middle East and North Africa region. It aims at building capacity within organisations by enabling employees to take part in short courses in various fields of study.  (See list here)

The training concerns the following courses:

1) Local Economic Development (19 – 30 September 2016)

This course discusses strategies and tools to manage inclusive and sustainable local economic development (LED) processes. It addresses questions on how to develop a joint vision for the area in a participatory manner, involving government, citizens, businesses and CSOs, how to promote job creation and entrepreneurship, how to improve conditions for business investments and small and medium enterprises and how to finance local economic development.

2) Local Service Delivery (3 – 14 October 2016)

In this course, participants learn how local governments can effectively deliver services to their citizens and how they can plan and finance it. They discuss questions such as how the different layers of government can work together to ensure basic services and reach the poorest people, how they can set up the financial management of services in a transparent and democratic way. In addition to how partnerships with NGOs and the private sector can help local governments to better deal with challenges in service delivery.

3) Conflict, Rule of Law and Local Security (7 – 18 November 2016)

The key issues in this training are: how governments can promote citizen security and protect human rights after violent conflict. What policies and instruments they have to implement to foster reconciliation and peacebuilding amongst different ethnic or religious groups. And what attitude and skills government officials need to lead conflict transformation processes.

These training courses are designed for local and regional governments’ employees and officials. They are encouraged to follow specific instructions in order to send their applications for one of the fellowships before the deadline, which is the 22 March 2016.

Access all the information about the fellowships, the courses, the application process and all the relevant details by visiting the website here.

Source: The Hague Academy for Local Governance 

 

The 37th AAPAM Annual Roundtable Conference, Lusaka, Zambia

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The African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) is holding its 37th AAPAM Annual Roundtable Conference in Lusaka, Zambia, from February 29 to March 4, 2016.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Transforming Public Administration and Management (PAM) in order to contribute towards the Agenda 2063 within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals”.

 

This theme was chosen in accordance with two important Agendas: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063. According to AAPAM, when African leaders joined their counterparts in New York in September 2015 to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, they recognized that the greatest challenge to be addressed globally is extreme poverty. Hence, to implement effectively the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the support of robust governance, public administration and management in Africa is crucial.

This goes also in line with the African Union Agenda 2063, which envisions an Africa where strong institutions are at the service of the people and enhance citizen’s participation in development and in economic and governance management. Africa’s vision 2063 foresees a continent characterized by capable, democratic and developmental states whose local level communities will be responsible for their own development and benefit from natural resources shared fairly among all by 2025.

Therefore, the key objective of the 37th Roundtable Conference is to discuss and propose concrete interventions towards transforming the African public administration and management that is central to the realization of the African Agenda 2063 vision and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.

As an actor to be reckoned with, local governments of Africa are all invited to take part in this conference in order to put the local matters on the table and discuss ways to strengthen and enhance public administration on the local level which represents the basis of all Government spheres.

Other actors are also expected at the Roundtable such as academia, Ministers drawn from national, provincial and local spheres of Government, the private sector, civil society…

For more information, read the document available here. 

The Registration form is available here.

Any inquiries about the conference, the registration or any relevant question may be directed to:  

AAPAM Secretariat

The Secretary General

African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM)

132 Fuchsia Close, Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya.

P O Box 48677, 00100 GPO, Nairobi

E-mail: aapam@aapam.org

Telephone: +254 20 2629650

Mobile Phone Numbers: +254 712 366 787, +254 773 552 076

CALL FOR URBAN SOLUTIONS FOR THE CITY WE NEED 2.0

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African Local Authorities have been invited to contribute at the World Urban Campaign’s call for urban solutions.

Mayors should give their contributions through this call for urban solutions in prelude of Habitat III and prepare for :  The City We Need 2.0.

URBAN SOLUTIONS are initiatives, practices, policies, legislations and models that address urban challenges and constitute effective responses to The City We Need: a city that is socially inclusive, well planned, walkable, transit friendly, a regenerative city that is economically vibrant and inclusive, a city that has a singular identity and a sense of place, a city that is safe, affordable and equitable, managed at the metropolitan level.

To share your urban solution, please completed this template  and send it  before the 15 February to Christine Auclair: christine.auclair@unhabitat.org  and  to wuc@unhabitat.org in copy.

 

THE CALL FOR THE “INTERNATIONAL AWARD UCLG-MEXICO CITY –CULTURE 21 “

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The call for proposal of the second edition of the «International Award UCLG – MEXICO CITY – Culture 21» is open since 05 December 2015. The closing date is 15 March 2016.

The event is organized by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Mexico City. The objective is to recognise leading cities and individuals that have distinguished themselves through their contribution to culture as a key dimension in sustainable cities.

 

Two categories are in competition: the City / Local or Regional Government Award,  which recognises a city, local or regional government the cultural policy of which has contributed significantly to linking the values  of culture with democratic governance, citizen participation and  sustainable development, and the Individual Award, which recognises an internationally renowned individual who has made a  fundamental contribution to the relationship between culture and sustainable development.

African Cities are encouraged to submit their candidatures. During the first edition (5 June 2013 and 11 November 2014) win by the City of Belo Horizonte (Brasil) in the category “City”, the Jury awarded a special mention to the project submitted by the city of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).

To be eligible in this category, the action awarded should count on, at least, two years of execution and have documented proof of the impact and the successes achieved. A city, local or regional government will only be able to present one bid. To apply clic here.

In the second category “Individual”, the organisers invite all the members of UCLG (direct or indirect) to nominate relevant personalities only through the email award@agenda21culture.net. This nomination must be justified, by describing that individual’s contribution to the achievement of the objectives of the Agenda 21 for culture. T

The names of the winners will be communicated in June 2016 and the ceremony will be held at the end of the year in Mexico. The project presented by the winning city will receive the amount of Euro 50,000, which will be used for its international promotion (the publication of a book, participation in forums, international visibility) and to strengthen the local implementation of the Agenda 21 for culture. The recipient of the “Individual Award” will receive the amount of Euro 25,000.

For more information you can visit the official website 

 

 

Visit of Palestinian Delegation of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Central Elections Commission to UCLG Africa Headquarters

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The Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa-UCLG Africa received a delegation of the Palestinian Ministry of Women Affairs and the Central Elections Commission on Thursday, December 17, 2015 in UCLG Africa Headquarters in the capital city of Morocco, Rabat.

The head of Voters Section, Central Elections Commission, Mr. Feras M.M. Jarrar, chaired the delegation.

This visit took place in the framework of exchanging experiences in the field of women participation in politics. The Palestinian delegation visit was supported by UN-Women Maghreb Multi-Country Office, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

In his introduction, the Secretary General, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, welcomed the delegation and then gave a short presentation of UCLG Africa and on the important role played by local authorities in cities diplomacy and the promotion of women in politics. He also seized the occasion to inform the delegation about the Africities Summit, which just took place in Johannesburg, SA, from 29 November to 3 December 2015.

Mr. Elong Mbassi presented the Network of the Locally Elected Women of Africa as well as its new vision that put the concerns of women at the heart of local authorities’ politics and strategies within African countries including child and youth protection, issues of women empowerment and gender equality promotion.

The Secretary General namely emphasized:

  • The importance of strengthening women participation;
  • The active participation of women and the integration of the gender dimension at all levels of decision-making;
  • The reinforcement of the political leadership of women and the participation of women in the public affairs management. This is essentially, what is at stake for the improvement of representation and the development of a more participative democracy.