30th Anniversary of the registration of the City of Marrakesh on the World Heritage

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The secretary General represented UCLG-A at the 30th anniversary of the registration of the City of Marrakesh on the World Heritage of UNESCO from 18 to 20 December 2015.

 

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Mohamed Larbi Belcaid, Mayor of the City of Marrakesh, Mr Ahmed Toufiq, Minister of Islamic Affairs and of the Habous, Mr. Mohamed Amine Sbihi, Minister of Culture, Mr Mohamed El Wafa, Minister of General Affairs and Governance, Mr Michael Millward, Representative of UNESCO in Morocco, Mr Mohamed Younes, Representative of ISESCO, the Consulate of France in Marrakesh, Eric Jerard.

 

On 19 December 2015  in the morning, the meeting received a paper on the Challenges of Safeguarding Heritage by Mr Abdelaziz Touri, former Head of the World Heritage Committee, UNESCO. He pointed out that Morocco was one of the founder of UNESCO. He highlighted the statement by King Mohamed VI at the 53th meeting of UNESCO in 2013, on the importance of Heritage for development.  He concluded by insisting on the need for the Network of Moroccan World Heritage Cities put in place on 18 December 2015 to keep close contact with the Center of the World Heritage of UNESCO. The first meeting of the Network will take place in Rabat in 2016. ICOMOS Maroc offered to host the new Network for free.

 

Then followed a paper on Safeguarding Heritage in the Marrakesh Medina by Mr Abdellatif Nahli, permanent secretary, Ministry of Urban Development and Housing.

 

Mr Xavier Salmon, General Heritage Curator, the Louvre Muséum, France, then made a presentation on the Beauty of Marrashki Heritage, followed by a presentation by Mr Azzouz Boujmid, director, inspectorate of historical monuments, on the state of Heritage upgrading operations of the Marrakshi Medina implemented by the Ministry of Culture.

 

Ingeneer Toufik Bahjaoui from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and the Habous presented a report on the restoration of religious Heritage in the City of Marrakech followed by a presentation by Architect Rachid Elhouda on “A critical reflexion on Heritage Safeguarding in the City of Marrakech”.

The meeting finally received a presentation by Hon Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto, Portugal, on The experience of Heritage Safeguarding in a Portuguese City.

 

In the afternoon of 19 December, the meeting addressed the topic of oral and intangible Heritage, in particular around storrytellers of the Jamal Ifna Open Space. The meeting received testimony by the Spanish Writer, Juan Goytisolo, who was at the origin of the adoption of the oral and intangible Heritage by UNESCO.

 

On Sunday 20 December 2015 the proceedings took place at Mellah neighborhood in Hay Salam; and in the Koutoubia Open space, Marrakesh. This offered the opportunity to interact with the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities of Marrakesh. The students of the Marrakesh National School of Architecture presented their Book on Places repository of the historical memory of the City of Marrakesh. An announcement was made on the creation on a Heritage Library in Marrakech.

LEDNA program – Call for expressions of interest

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UCLG-A launches again a call for expressions of interest for the assessment of the implementation of Local Economic Development policies, programs and projects in African countries.

This call is open to African experts from the five regions of Africa. Applications (cv) must be sent to UCLG-A (fyatta@yahoo.com) on or before December 27, 2015.

UCLG-A reserves the right to answer the candidates’ applications under the form of contract proposals established on behalf of the candidates.

 

Situations Vacant: Assistant to WARO Director

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UCLG Africa is hiring an Assistant to the UCLG Africa-West Africa Regional Office (WARO) Director.

The assistants will be responsible for:

1. Providing general support to the Office Director in the delivery of his responsibilities.

2. Preparing and organize the missions and appointments of the Office Director.

3. Executing the secretarial work for the Regional Office.

4. Ensuring the interface between the Office Director, Office staff, UCLG Africa Secretariat, as well as the Regional Office and UCLG Africa partners.

5. Organizing the Regional Office coordination meetings, producing and disseminating their minutes under the responsibility of the Office Director.

6. Ensuring any other missions and tasks in relation with the position as may be asked for by the Office Director.

The candidates to this position must:

1. Be computer literate in main current software applications.

2. Have excellent communication skills, oral and written presentations capacities: candidates shall be fluent in English and French; working knowledge of Swahili or Arabic is an advantage.

3. Have the ability to work under pressure and multicultural environment.

4. Have a sense of initiative and responsibility.

5. Show accountability and strict ethical behavior.

6. Have networking skills.

7. Have a good sense of organization.

8. Master Internet, websites, social networks, and current editing software tools.

9. Be practical, with a good business sense.

10. Be willing to learn.

11. Be talkative and easy to approach.

12. Be willing to travel frequently.

Interested candidates must send their application file containing a motivation letter stating the reasons for application and expected salary package, a detailed CV, certified copies of diplomas, work certificates and professional references and an ID photo to recruitment.waro@uclga.org before December 14, 2015, at 17:00 (GMT).

NB: Candidates who have previously applied for this position must resend their application file to recruitment.waro@uclga.org.  

 

Situations Vacant: Assistant to EARO Director

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UCLG Africa is hiring an Assistant to the UCLG Africa-East Africa Regional Office (EARO) Director.

 

The assistants will be responsible for:

1. Providing general support to the Office Director in the delivery of his responsibilities.

2. Preparing and organize the missions and appointments of the Office Director.

3. Executing the secretarial work for the Regional Office.

4. Ensuring the interface between the Office Director, Office staff, UCLG Africa Secretariat, as well as the Regional Office and UCLG Africa partners.

5. Organizing the Regional Office coordination meetings, producing and disseminating their minutes under the responsibility of the Office Director.

6. Ensuring any other missions and tasks in relation with the position as may be asked for by the Office Director.

The candidates to this position must:

1. Be computer literate in main current software applications.

2. Have excellent communication skills, oral and written presentations capacities: candidates shall be fluent in English and French; working knowledge of Swahili or Arabic is an advantage.

3. Have the ability to work under pressure and multicultural environment.

4. Have a sense of initiative and responsibility.

5. Show accountability and strict ethical behavior.

6. Have networking skills.

7. Have a good sense of organization.

8. Master Internet, websites, social networks, and current editing software tools.

9. Be practical, with a good business sense.

10. Be willing to learn.

11. Be talkative and easy to approach.

12. Be willing to travel frequently.

Interested candidates must send their application file containing a motivation letter stating the reasons for application and expected salary package, a detailed CV, certified copies of diplomas, work certificates and professional references and an ID photo to recruitment.earo@uclga.org before December 14, 2015, at 17:00 (GMT).

NB: Candidates who have previously applied for this position must resend their application file to recruitment.earo@uclga.org.  

 

 

 

Africities 2015: Africities TV, the Online Channel of the Summit

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As part of the multiple communication activities surrounding the 7th Africities Summit, Africities TV is the official online channel of the summit.

The Africities Summit 2015 is held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 29 November to 3 December 2015 under the theme “Shaping the Future of Africa with the People: Africa’s Local Government Contribution to the Africa 2063 Vision”.

You can watch all the highlights, the interviews and the participants of the summit contributing to the debates taking place in the framework of Africities 2015.

Photo-Day1 Photo-Day2
Photo-Day3 Photo-Day4
Photo-Day5

 

 

 

7th Afrcities : Thank you Joburg, Hello Brazza

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The Africities 7 Summit ends its proceedings this morning at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The next Summit will take place in Central Africa, in Brazzaville, three years from now, for the eighth Summit.

As we were going to press, the new president of United Cities and Local Government of Africa (UCLG-A) was not elected yet. The balance of the summit is that there is a clear feeling emerging through the 92 sessions that have succeeded as mayors tackle the many problems of daily life faced by the populations for which they are responsible. Ministers and international cooperation institutions of are not left out, and promise to join hands to achieve the goals of Vision 2063 for Africa. Mayors, ministers and development partners expressed yesterday, 2 December, their willingness to hold fruitful exchanges during the opening speeches of the political sessions ceremony.

 

The opening ceremony of the political sessions of the Africities 7 Summit was held in the presence of an august gathering comprised of ministers of mayors of traditional authorities, development partners and various participants in the summit. The agenda of these sessions was communicated by Mr. Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA). They were punctuated by meetings between mayors and local authorities, meetings between ministers, and meetings between development partners, to finally lead to the tripartite dialogue meeting” of Mayors-Ministers– Development Partners scheduled this morning. The eight official speeches of various stakeholders bode well for the holding of frank debates.

In its welcome speech, the Executive Mayor of the city of Johannesburg, M. Parks Tau, insisted on the fact that one must seize this opportunity to take into account the recommendations of the various sessions that have been hosted by the summit. The mayor also launched a strong message for the unity of the continent at the grassroots. “Today we must learn from the past in order to free us from the yoke of colonization. We must consolidate our efforts and work together, regardless of our countries of origin. We must follow the example of our peers Julius Nyerere, Nkwame Nkrumah, and many others. Racism, regionalism and xenophobia cannot exist in any African society. We must build on the past achievements to realize the vision of Agenda 2063 for Africa”.

Following him, Mr. Khalifa Sall, Mayor of Dakar and President of UCLG-A, described the political sessions as being “the most important part of the summit.” He called his fellow mayors to self-transcend themselves. “There is no subject that cannot be addressed if one has the will to excel. Living together means accepting the others. Do not think about yourself but about what has been done and especially about what remains to be done. If we fail to agree within our organization we shall not be able to talk to the partners”. Concerning national authorities, M. Sall said: “It is through an agreement with the national authorities that we can build effective local governance. We need to see how to build dialogue mechanisms.. . Following the adoption by the African Union of the charter on decentralization and the establishment of the Higher Council for Local Governments, one should address the thinking and implementation aspects. This could enable us to have a better reading of decentralization. Transfer of powers must mean transfer of means, as mayors are the first approached by the people. We can no longer have local governments live only on taxes and levies. We need to think of new resources. Dear development partners, open up to the local authorities, offer solutions so that we are standalone. Do not leave us as hostages of the states under the pretext that you are intergovernmental organizations. “

M. Parvin Gordhan, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs of (COGTA) of South Africa, called for the implementation of the already existing policies with a view to a transformation of local governments in Africa. “Ministers also care about the transformation of local governance. To meet the challenge of the fight against poverty and inequality, Agenda 2063 provides guidance for cities. We must see how to apply its policies and not create new policies. The ministers and mayors should centrally explore all collaborative mechanisms. It is time for us to be able to transform local governments in Africa”.

In her speech, Ms. Takyiwaa Manuh, Director of Social Development at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, highlighted the significant inequalities that still affect the population of the continent and the role of urbanization as a solution. “In Agenda 2063 there are agricultural modernization initiatives. Urbanization facilitates industrial production and is a key element in the transformation of rural economies. The role of local authorities is important in urban development. The deliberations of this Summit must strengthen Africa’s position of Africa on the implementation of Agenda 2063 over the next ten years. “

Tackling also the issue of urbanization, Ms. Aisa Karibo Kacyira, UN-Habitat Director, welcomed the fact that the Africities Summit is a platform for dialogue to transform people’s future. In the Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development, people don’t speak anymore of North / South relationships but of partnership. More than 60% of our populations are found in slums. This is unforgivable. We must solve this problem. UN-Habitat thinks that Agenda 2063 must be a full-fledged part of the process. We must make a holistic and critical diagnosis. This will help our leaders to carry out activities during their short term in office. “

Amadou Oumarou, Transport Director at the African Development Bank (AfDB), also argues that “ local governments will be major players in the transformation of cities. AfDB has established a municipal development fund to support municipalities. However, our resources will never be sufficient. We must also strengthen the technical capacities of local governments and foster more partnerships with the private sector. “

The representative of the World Bank , Idrissa Dia said that his institution supports “the role of local governments for the next three years. Most of the urbanization efforts will take place in the future. So there is time to repair the mistakes of the past. “

Ms. Rosario Bento Pais, from the European Commission, closed the speeches stating that “the European Union supports local authorities as the main player in the fight against poverty. For 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, one needs local authorities to get involved. They have a key role to play in achieving these SDG’s. It is by working together that we can meet the various challenges.

 

Africities 2015: Election of Africa’s Network of Locally Elected Women (REFELA) New President

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Africa’s Network of Locally Elected Women (REFELA) held its general elective assembly on 1st December 2015 which marks the third day of Africities 7 Summit taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The session (SU-15) titled “Locally Elected Women-A New Vision” was marked by the participation of important number of elected women from different parts of Africa. The session was organized following two main lines: 1) the renewal of REFELA bodies and 2) the presentation of a new vision for the network at almost 5 years of its inception on the 8th of March 2011 in Tangiers, Morocco.

The panel comprised Mme. Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick who chaired the session, Mme. Célestine Ketcha Courtès of REFELA Central Africa, Mme. Maria Helena Jose Correira Langa of REFELA Southern Africa, Mme. Fatna Khiel and Mme. Milouda Hazeb of REFELA North Africa. The session was facilitated by Mme. Malicka Ghefrane.

In the first part of the session, the outgoing president, Mme. Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick, presented the moral report of her presidency as well as the activities report of the outgoing office. A presentation that inspired the admiration of all the elected women present in the room. They seized the occasion to congratulate the outgoing president for her remarkable work as president of the REFELA network.

The new vision for REFELA, according to Mme. Fatimetou, must be oriented towards an approach which is more concrete translated into actions on the ground in order to assist all women of Africa. She also stressed the importance of going into partnerships with national and international partners to make the voice of women heard inside the different spheres of governance.

Following her presentation, the outgoing president announced the election of Mme. Célestine Ketcha Courtès of REFELA Central Africa as the new president of the Locally Elected Women of Africa Network. Mme. Célestine Ketcha Courtès has committed to continue the work of Mme. Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick who knew how to lift the network up internationally.

The new president seized the occasion to present her profound thanks to Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, UCLG Africa Secretary General for his support to elected women. She also thanked UCLG Africa Secretariat for all their efforts.

You can watch the entire session recorded here.

 

 

Africities 2015: Africities Daily is out

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The Africities Summit newspaper is out.

You can discover the highlights of all Africities sessions that are taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 29 November to 3 December 2015 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

The theme of Africities 7 is “Shaping the Future of Africa with the People: Africa’s local Government Contribution to the Africa 2063 Vision”.

 Photo-Africities Daily1                    Photo-Africities Daily2

Photo-Africities Daily-3

 



 

 

 

Africities 2015: Women’s Voices on the Implementation of Agenda 2063

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On the 2nd of December 2015 and in the framework of the 7th Africities Summit in Johannesburg, a session on Women’s contribution to Agenda 2063 of the African Union took place in the morning right after the official opening of the political sessions.

 

The panel of this session comprised Mrs. Jacqueline Moustache-Belle, Mayor of the capital city of Seychelles, Victoria, as the moderator. The panelists were Mayor Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick of Mauritania, Ms. Chantal Uwimana from Transparency International and Ms. Rose Molokoane from Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI).

The moderator, Mrs. Moustache-Belle, welcomed all the participants to this very important session that puts, according to her, the Agenda 2063 at the heart of all dialogues, especially that this agenda focuses on women and youth. She stressed that the Agenda 2063 aims at ending all forms of violence and discrimination against women, fully empowering girls and women and seeking gender parity in the sphere of governance and other sectors.

And before giving the floor to the panelists, Mayor Moustache-Belle made it clear that in Seychelles, the MDGs were achieved.

Mayor Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick focused on the fact that women constitute more than half of the population, however, they still suffer from poverty (more than 60%), illiteracy and lack of access to ownership which hinders them from reaching decision-making positions. This situation must be addressed because women, who are in charge of raising the next generations, cannot remain in the fringes of society without representation and means of empowerment. She also said that when women are in decision-making positions, they fight for real changes and not for positions.

Mayor Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick from Mauritania insisted that there is a need to reassess the partnerships formulas in a way that encourages development partners to recognize local governments as full partners.

Ms. Rose Molokoane from Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI) who started her allocation with a lively welcome insisted that they want to be engaged. She believes that people must be at the center of all dialogues taking place at the international, national and local levels. She also insisted that they, as SDI, are ready to collaborate with all partners to provide data of informal settlements that they have collected from the various countries where they are established.

The representative of Transparency International Ms. Chantal Uwimana focused her presentation on aspiration n°3 and aspiration n°6 of the Vision 2063 of the African Union. She said that 22% of Africans say they can make a change when it comes to corruption. Citizens are struggling from the repercussions of corruption and impunity cannot be carried out. The Anti-corruption fight is not organized and is still weak on the local level. There is also a need to establish advocacy and legal advisory centers to help citizens facing corruption.

Ms. Chantal also said that corruption is a huge obstacle hindering women from access to decision-making positions which calls upon concrete measures to fight corruption.

The floor was then given to the audience to react to the presentations.

 

Africities 2015: Stakeholder Session (SH-11): Professional from Central and Local Administrations

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30 November 2015, Sandton Convention Center, Boardroom 6, Johannesburg, South Africa

On Monday, November 30, 2015, the sum of 36 sessions took place in the framework of the7th Africities Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Among the 18 Stakeholders Sessions that took place in the morning, a session gathered the professionals from central and local administrations to address the issue of management and governance challenges in the continent as well as the way AAPAM as a professional body can contribute to Agenda 2063.

The programme of the session was as follows:

  • Facilitator:

Dr PM Sokhela – Department of Public Service and Administration (SA)

  • Chair:

His Worship, Councillor Christopher Juba Ndlela – Mayor: City of Pietermaritzburg – KwaZulu-Natal Province (SA)

  • Presenters:

Mr. Simon Angote (Kenya Public Service)

Professor Emeritus Chris Thornhill – University of Pretoria (SA)

Professor Kedibone Phago – University of Limpopo (SA)

  • Scribes:

Dr Michel Tshiyoyo – University of Pretoria (SA)

Ms Jessica Achieng – AAPAM (Kenya)

  • Discussion
  • Recommendations

The presenters focused on how public sector officials can truly be professionalized and be part of a professional association. The importance of detaining the appropriate skills and qualifications was also highlighted as the way forward for strong local governments capable of entirely fulfilling their missions.

The session also mentioned the role that AAPAM can play in partnership with other stakeholders in the strengthening of professionalization process and the spread of best practices within African countries.

The participants at the end of the session wrote down their recommendations to contribute to the achievement of Agenda 2063.