Participation of UCLG Africa at the US-Africa Leaders Summit

The Secretary General of UCLG Africa, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, made a presentation in the official meeting on supporting conservation, climate adaptation, and fair energy transition at the US-Africa Leaders Summit on 13 December at the Walter E.Washington Convention Center.

The meeting saw the participation of HE Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; HE Wavel Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles; HE Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia; HE Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria; HE Theodore Obiang Nguema Mbazogo, President of Equatorial Guinea; and HE Ali Bongo Odimba, President of Gabon.

The US-Africa Leaders Summit was also marked by the presence of T.H. Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State; T.H. Samantha Power, Administrator, USAID; T.H. Tom Vilsack, US Secretary of Agriculture; T.H. Jennifer Grandholm, US Secretary of Energy.
Many Representatives of international organizations, the private sector, civil society, and philanthropies were also present.

Mr. Mbassi presented the greetings of Mrs. Fatimetou Abdel Malick, the President of UCLG Africa and expressed the gratitude of UCLG Africa to the US government and the Biden administration for having associated the representative of Local Africa to the second US-Africa Summit.

The Secretary General shared the last realization achieved by the organization, especially on climate change issues and the implementation of the Africa Territorial Trade and Investment Agency (ATIA).  Thus, UCLG Africa was recently officially recognized as an implementing partner of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) and is the host of the Technical Support Unit of the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI).

ATIA appeared to UCLG Africa members as the right response to African cities and territories development challenges, including those raised by climate change and by the participation of subnational and local governments in the realization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the structural transformation engine of Africa, worth considering from now on for whoever is interested in interacting with Africa on equal footing.

UCLG Africa further pledges for the creation of a Local Africa early rescue and relief facility that would assist the local communities hit by climate related disasters, using decentralized cooperation mechanisms for timely and efficient interventions.

The Secretary General of UCLG Africa also called on the support of the USA for Local Governments of Africa. “We sincerely call on the US government working with all US stakeholders, the African Union and any other interested partners, to support Local Africa in order to address the issues that African people experience in their day-to-day life, particularly those brought about by climate change.  We count on the US Government’s and Special Envoy, His Excellency John Kerry’s unweathering commitment in working with and building a large coalition of partners in support of this UCLG Africa transformation agenda of people- to-people cooperation, with ATIA as a pivotal technical and financial platform for and driven by local Africa”, he said.