23rd Session of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa (Press Release)
On 24 June 2020 the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa held its 23rd session devoted to the approval of the 2019 accounts of the organization.
This session was chaired by Mr. Léandre Nzué, the Mayor of Libreville and President of UCLG Africa.
Six items were on the agenda:
1. Adoption of the Minutes of the 22nd session of the Executive Committee held on 9 November 2019 in Durban, South Africa.
2. Implementation of the recommendations of the 22nd session of the Executive Committee;
3. Approval of the execution of the 2019 budget and accounts of UCLG Africa;
4. Mid-term implementation of the activities and budget of UCLG Africa for the year 2020;
5. Update on the development of UCLG Africa’s 2020-2030 strategy;
6. Miscellaneous.
The official opening of the session was made by the Minister of Local Development of Egypt, General Mahmoud Shaarawy in the presence of: Dr. Mohamed Boudra, President of AMPCC (Morocco), Vice-President of UCLG Africa for the North Africa Region, President of the world organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG); Mrs. Soham El Wardini, Mayor of Dakar (Senegal), Vice-President of UCLG Africa for the West Africa Region; Mr. Uwimana Innocent, President of RALGA (Rwanda), Vice-President of UCLG Africa for the East Africa Region; Mr Jeffry Sibisibi, President of BALA (Botswana), Vice-President of UCLG Africa for the Southern Africa Region; Ms Thembisile Nkadimeng, President of SALGA (South Africa), Co-President of UCLG; Mr. Armand Béouindé, Mayor of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), President for Africa of UCLG; General Khaled Abdel Aal, Governor of Cairo (Egypt); Mrs. Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of the Regional Council of Nouakchott (Mauritania); and Mr. Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa.
In his speech, General Mahmoud Shaarawy reiterated Egypt’s commitment to UCLG Africa. “We are working for the signing of the headquarters agreement with a proper inauguration as soon as possible after the end of the global health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We are also working for the signature and ratification by our country of the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralization, Local Governance and Local Development and the African Union Public Service Charter. Egypt, will very soon host the work of the Bureau of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee No. 8. Egypt is committed to supporting the actions of UCLG Africa in the next steps and I take this opportunity to invite the members of the Executive Committee to take part in the second edition of the conference, “African cities, locomotive of sustainable development.” We advocate for this conference to become an annual meeting in the program of UCLG Africa. It is also important to inform you that the President of the Republic has appointed women as Deputy Governors and I have appointed a large number of women leaders to take up positions at the head of cities and positions of responsibility, which will strengthen the role and activity of women in the different governorates of Egypt,” the Minister said.
Members of the Executive Committee warmly welcomed the return of the Mayor of Bamako, Mr. Adama Sangaré to his pan-African family. After 7 months in prison, the Mayor of Bamako (Mali) was released on 21 May 2020. This liberation crowns the powerful movement of support and solidarity that was shown by his peers on both a continental level (UCLG Africa Motion of Support) and global level. “I am very happy to be back among you, after these 7 months of a very hard absence, but which I spent in a pleasant way with the support of my peers. I would like to thank you on behalf of the Bamako City Council for your efforts to get me back to the municipal office. Wherever the oppression continues on the mayors that we are, we will have to continue the fight because the struggle must be permanent. As long as the status of local authorities that we are, will not be determined, decentralization will not be able to evolve as we wish and the development of Africa will not be what we want for the best of our people,” said Mr. Adama Sangaré.
The Committee approved the activity report, the budget execution report and the audit report for the accounts of UCLG Africa for the financial year 2019 and discharged the Secretary General for his financial management. The Committee welcomed the continued support of the Kingdom of Morocco to UCLG Africa and requested the Secretary General send an official letter of thanks to His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco.
It expressed its satisfaction for the work carried out by the General Secretariat team, particularly in the strengthening of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA); for the training activities carried out under the aegis of the Africa Local Government Academy (ALGA); and for the launch of initiatives concerning the involvement of local and regional authorities in the territorialization of Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Urban Agenda.
The Committee welcomed the excellent cooperation between the European Commission and UCLG Africa and expressed its appreciation for the invitation made to the territorial authorities of Africa, to take part in the programing process of the 2021-27 cycle of European cooperation in African countries, scheduled for July to October 2020. They thanked the Secretariat General for the webinars that it organized on 7 May and 19 June 2020 with a view to raising the awareness of UCLG Africa’s member associations on the programing exercise of European cooperation; and for the provision of consultancy services to members, to enable them to prepare the dialogue with the State and the Delegations of the European Union on the programing process of European cooperation.
Committee members were briefed on the progress of the study of UCLG Africa’s 2020-2030 strategy entrusted to the PwC consulting firm to which they shared their opinion on the two options proposed for the continuation of the study. The Committee agreed to the continuation of UCLG Africa’s interventions according to three pillars: 1) Institutional Development; 2) Advocacy and Mobilization in favor of decentralization; 3) Capacity Building and Knowledge Management for members, to which a fourth pillar was added 4) Technical Assistance for the development and implementation of concrete projects.
Regarding miscellaneous items, the members of the Executive Committee expressed their wish that work be carried out on the role of local and regional authorities in Africa in the face of COVID-19 pandemic. The Secretary General informed members that as part of the measures taken to support cities in the fight against the coronavirus, UCLG Africa had produced a report jointly with UN Habitat, UNECA, UNCDF, Shelter Afrique and the African Union on the theme: “COVID-19 in African cities: Effects, responses and policies”. He requested members share information on the actions carried out at their level to address the pandemic, with a view to enriching the feedback of experiences and gather elements to prepare post-COVID proposals that supported local and regional authorities, to be submitted to governments and development partners.
The Secretary General further informed members of the Executive Committee about the postponement of the first celebration of the African Capitals of Culture, which was due to be launched in Rabat, Morocco, in March 2020 and its postponement to a later date, due to the containment ordered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The UCLG Africa Secretariat will consult with the City of Rabat and the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco to decide a new launch date for the celebration in Rabat in 2020 and 2021.
Finally, the Secretary General pointed out that the second edition of the African Union (AU)-European Union (EU) Forum of Local and Regional Government Leaders would be held during the week of 19-23 October 2020, in the framework of the next AU-EU Summit of Heads of State and Government, during which the Global Partnership between Europe and Africa would be adopted. He requested that members of UCLG Africa mobilize to take part in this important event.
For further information please contact:
Gaëlle Yomi: Tel: + 212 610 56 71 45
E-mail: gyomi@uclga.org
About UCLG Africa
United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) is the continental organization representing Africa’s local and regional governments. UCLG Africa brings together 48 national associations of local governments and more than 2,000 cities and local governments that are direct members. Through its members, UCLG Africa represents more than 350 million African citizens. UCLG Africa’s main mission is to promote decentralization in Africa and the strengthening of the role of local and regional authorities in the development and integration of the African continent.
UCLG Africa’s bodies include
1) The General Assembly, which brings together all the members of the organization every three years for the Africities Summit, the most important platform for dialogue on decentralization in Africa;
2) The Pan-African Council of Local and Regional Authorities comprising of 45 members (9 from each of the 5 regions of Africa), which meets once a year and supervises the implementation of the organization’s policy between meetings of the General Assembly;
3) the Executive Committee comprising of 16 members, including 3 members for each of the 5 regions of Africa and the President of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA);
4) the Bureau comprising of the 5 Vice-Presidents, from whom the President of UCLG Africa is elected, who will be responsible from 2019 to 2021 to the City of Libreville represented by its Mayor, Mr Léandre Nzué;
5) the General Secretariat, placed under the authority of a Secretary General assisted by a Deputy Secretary General based in Rabat, Morocco, where UCLG Africa enjoys diplomatic status as a pan-African international organization and supported by five Regional Bureaus: in Cairo, Egypt, for North Africa; Accra, Ghana, for West Africa; Libreville, Gabon, for Central Africa; Nairobi, Kenya, for East Africa; and Pretoria, South Africa, for Southern Africa.
Visit the UCLG Africa website: www.uclga.org
