Declaration of UCLG Africa Regional Strategic Meeting for Central Africa Region
The UCLG Africa members of the Central Africa Region attending the strategic meeting held in Libreville on April 16th and 17th, 2018 declare the following:
1. We welcome the holding of the Regional Strategic Meeting and recommend that this meeting be organized periodically, ideally during the first quarter of each year.
2. We are aware of the important responsibilities incumbent upon us in the implementation of continental and global agendas, notably Agenda 2063 of the African Union; Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals; the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; the Sendai Protocol; and the New Urban Agenda.
3. We are convinced that these agendas will not be realized if they are not integrated into the territorial policies and we commit ourselves to territorialize these agendas as recommended by the United Nations.
4. We welcome the support that the European Union has been providing to the international and continental associations of local and regional governments following the adoption of the 2013 Communication. We are grateful to the European Union for having recognized local and regional governments as public entities and for having granted to their national representative associations the monopoly position for access to European cooperation funding in their respective countries. We therefore undertake to contact the European Union delegations in our respective countries to confirm our willingness to set up an active partnership for the implementation of the provisions of the 2013 Communication.
5. With regards to the future Partnership Agreement, which in 2020 will replace the Cotonou Agreement, we support the point of view of the African Union for the future agreement to be negotiated between the European Union and the African Union, in collegiality with UCLG Africa, the umbrella organization of local and regional governments on the African continent, to ensure they are stakeholders of the negotiations of the new agreement right from the beginning and at all stages of the implementation and evaluation of the impact of the future agreement.
6. We insist that the local and regional governments be at the forefront in the management of the migration issue. We therefore demand that the national associations of local governments be involved in all relevant discussions and decisions.
7. We took special note of the numerous initiatives taken by the General Secretariat of UCLG Africa to structure the African movement of local and regional governments. We commit ourselves to forward an updated list of the members of our respective associations and members of the national chapters of the Network of Locally Elected Women (REFELA) in our respective countries within 15 days. We also undertake to promote the national chapters of the African networks of the professionals of local and regional governments in our respective countries, namely the Network of City Clerks (MAGNET); the Network of Chief Financial Officers of Local Governments (FINET); and the Network of Chief Technical Officers of Local Governments (TECHNET).
8. We took special note of the completion of the feasibility study for the establishment of the African Cities Development Fund (FODEVA). We also noted the call launched to the main cities of our region to be members of the of the Founders’ Club of FODEVA in return for the payment of Euros 100,000 per local or regional government. We encourage the mayors of these cities in our region to subscribe to the fund as soon as possible so that its launch can be announced at the next Africities Summit in Marrakech. Finally, we noted the establishment of an Internet platform for meetings between the investors and the local and regional governments in Africa. We ask our members who have projects and programs to be funded, and who are interested in participating in this platform to contact the UCLG Africa secretariat to be listed on this platform.
10. We welcome the initiative to set up a Climate Task Force within UCLG Africa, in response to members’ requests to have easier access to climate finance, particularly the Green Climate Fund. We invite the UCLG Africa members in Central Africa to get involved in the Climate Agenda and to adhere to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, whose focal point is hosted in our regional office for West Africa in Accra, Ghana. We also support the approval of UCLG Africa as the ‘Implementing Partner’ of the Green Climate Fund.
11. We welcome the launch of the African Academy of Local and Regional Governments (ALGA). We request our national governments to provide institutional and financial support to the Academy and we pledge to make it the primary agency for capacity building of the authorities and senior staff of the local and regional governments of Africa.
12. We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Kingdom of Morocco as well as to the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils and to the Association of Regions of Morocco for having accepted to host the 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakech from November 20-24, 2018. We urge the local and regional governments of the Central Africa region to fully participate in this Summit and the Africities Exhibition. We commit ourselves to participate in the official ceremony to launch the preparation of the Summit scheduled to take place in Rabat on May 15, 2018. We unanimously agree that all future Africities Summits be held in Marrakech to avoid the risks observed with the rotating organization of this flagship event of Africa’s cities and territories.
13. In preparation for the General Assembly of UCLG Africa, we agreed on the following candidacies for the different bodies:
Pan-African Council (9 members):
AMG (Association of Mayors of Gabon) – AMC (Association of Mayors of Congo) – AMCA (Association of Mayors of Central African Republic;
UCCC (United Councils and Cities of Cameroon) – ANVC (Association incomplete – ANCT (National Association of Local Governments of Chad) – AARA / STP (National Association of Mayors of Sao Tome and Principe);
City of Malabo
Executive Committee (3 members)
AMG – AMC – AMCA
Financial Management Commission
UCCC
Electoral Committee
ANVC
14. For the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa, the Central Africa Region submits the following candidacies:
Pan-African Council (9 members)
Mrs. Célestine Ketcha-Courtes, Mayor of Bangangté, Cameroon; Kirnakiming Clémentine, Mayor of Kelo, Chad; Mrs. Ossibi Nancy Sidoine, Congo; Marie Josée Nyongo, DRC.
Mrs. Henriette Manga Ndongo-Henriette, Cameroon; Mapangou Maite, Mayor of Nde Nde, Gabon
A female elected official of Sao Tomé and Principe
A female elected official of Equatorial Guinea.
Executive Committee
Mrs. Célestine Ketcha-Courtes, Mayor of Bangangté, Cameroon;
Kirnakiming Clémentine, Mayor of Kelo, Chad;
Mrs. Ossibi Nancy Sidoine, Congo.
15. We propose, on grounds of the eminent services His Majesty renders to our organization, that UCLG Africa should consider making a request to His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, to kindly accept our invitation to be the patron of our continental organization.
16. We reiterate our support and consideration to Mr. Khalifa Ababacar Sall, Member of Parliament, Mayor of Dakar and President of UCLG Africa.
17. We wish to express our gratitude to the President of the Republic of Gabon and his government as well as to the Mayor of the City of Libreville, for all the facilities made available to the delegates during their stay and for the solicitude displayed in favor of the associations of local and regional governments of the Central Africa Region and their representative organization at the continental level, UCLG Africa.
Libreville, April 17, 2018
The Participants