Tag Archive for: REFELA

REFELA presented at the regional meeting of Souss Massa in Morocco

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The General Directorate of Local Authorities (DGCL) of Morocco organized on July 26, 2018 in Agadir in the region of Souss Massa (Morocco), a regional meeting on the theme: “Supporting women leadership for good territorial governance sensitive to gender” .

The meeting was organized in partnership with UN Women, the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils (AMPCC), UCLG Africa and the Moroccan chapter of the Network of Local Elected Women of Africa (REFELA).

Several interventions focused on advances in gender equality and the budget sensitive to gender. REFELA’s Special Advisor of UCLG-Africa, Ms Malika Ghefrane informed more than 120 elected women on the Network, its organization, its vision and its action plan, as well as the Africities 8 summit (20-24 November 2018, Marrakesh, Morocco). “One of the goals of this summit is to give more visibility to African women and make their voices heard for Africa’s transition to more equality and justice,” she said.

The theme of the next Africities summit is “The transition to sustainable cities and territories: the role of local and regional authorities in Africa“.

Read the concept note of the Summit here.

Intermediary Cities adopt the Chefchaouen Declaration-Charter of the Intermediary Cities of the World

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The specific character and challenges of intermediary cities have, until recently, received limited attention. Their pivotal role in the achievement of more balanced and sustainable urban development processes, and the reduction of territorial inequalities, makes it imperative that Intermediary Cities become more prominent within the localization processes of all Global Agendas.

In this framework, the UCLG Forum on Intermediary Cities, consolidated as a consultation and policy development process, has adopted the Declaration-Charter of the Intermediary Cities of the World at the first UCLG World Forum of Intermediary Cities – held in the city of Chefchaouen on 5–7 July – which gathered more than 250 participants from 40 different countries.

This first World Forum hosted a dialogue between representatives of governments of Intermediary Cities and other key stakeholders, from a range of international organizations to national and regional governments, and representatives of other types of cities.

Building on the values of solidarity, responsibility and transparency that characterize our century-old world movement, Intermediary Cities committed to contribute to the Global Agendas.

To respond to the challenges raised, Intermediary Cities, with the support of a diverse range of partners, identified a series of strategies and concepts that include a strong recognition of the culture of “good living”, as a key factor to achieve sustainable development. Another important aspect is the inclusion of participatory strategies, with particular emphasis on the participation of women, to acknowledge the needs of the citizenship as the basis of the implementation of the SDGs and other Global Agendas; as well as the creation of mechanisms to enable the development of basic services and infrastructure at the local level to face the growing pressure on Intermediary Cities, making citizens the engine of economic growth at the local level.

Intermediary Cities, and their partners, commit to develop concrete actions in this regard and to work towards a second edition of the UCLG World Forum of Intermediary Cities.

For more information visit the website of the event

Gender and intermediary cities

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The Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) organized a parallel session within the framework of  the First World Forum of Intermediary Cities held from 05 to 07 July in Chefchaouen, Morocco .

The session, which took place on July 7, addressed the topic, Gender and Intermediary Cities. The objective was to ascertain the role women could play to strengthen the development of intermediary cities (population between 500 thousand and 1 million inhabitants).

Moderated by Ms Malika Ghefrane Giorgi, REFELA Special Advisor, UCLG Africa, the session provided the opportunity for panelists to highlight the importance of recruiting more women in local politics in this category of cities. “Intermediary cities are ideal spaces for the emergence of female leadership,” pointed out Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa.

For Mr. Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen and President of the World Forum of Intermediary Cities, “The presence of women is of great importance in the intermediary cities. In Chefchaouen, we have two women vice-presidents in the municipal council. We have started to integrate the issue of gender. We will move to more concrete actions in the future to strengthen the participation of women in politics.”

Morocco was highlighted as a good example in terms of an increase in the representation of locally elected women. In 2003, the country had less than 1% of locally elected women. In 2009, thanks to new legislation, the women’s bar of 12.5% ​​was reached. Since the last municipal elections in 2015, Morocco has 21.6% of Moroccan women as elected officials. A situation that, nevertheless, proves there is still some way to go to attain parity.

The Secretary General of UCLG, Ms Emilia Saiz, emphasized the need for the integration of a gender approach. “Why do we want more women in decision-making bodies? It’s because we represent half of the world. It’s enough of a reason! The work for parity will have a place in the Agenda of intermediary cities, which will be adopted during this forum. We need to take action with a comprehensive agenda of intermediary cities with a gender approach.”

In Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic, there is an encouraging involvement of women in the district local governments. “Of the eight districts in Bangui, four are run by women,” said Ms. Leontine Weya, First Vice President of Bangui City Council.

Ms. Saloua Berdai, First Vice-President of Chefchaouen’s Municipal Council, laid emphasis on a strong involvement of women in the local government in actions relating to resilience, energy and climate change.

In conclusion, the session recommended the consolidation of gains in terms of representation of women in decision-making positions within the intermediary cities.  “Women must encourage young people to get involved in local politics. The REFELA national chapters should promote meetings with the political parties so that the latter propose zebra lists (50% of women and 50% of men) for the elections,” stated Mr. Mbassi.

As concrete actions, REFELA’s action plan focuses on three campaigns, which will be presented at the Africities 8 Summit, from 20 to 24 November 2018 in Marrakesh:

–           Campaign “African cities without street children;”

–           Campaign “Zero tolerance of violence against women in African cities;”

–          Campaign “Encouragement of leadership and economic empowerment of Women in African Cities.”

Read the Declaration of Chefchaouen- the Charter of the Intermediary Cities of the World .

Local and Regional Government are Taking Action to Empower Women

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The theme of this year’s European Development Days that took place on June 5th and 6th in Brussels focussed on the empowerment of women and girls. The United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) joined four other major associations of local authorities active in development cooperation: AIMF, CLGF, PLATFORMA, and UCLG. Stand 68 in the EDD Global Village came alive as the partners created a space for us to engage and talk to women and girls across the continent.

Video Link

As Europe’s leading forum on development it provided a great platform to share ideas and experiences through a gender lens. Our aim was to inspire innovative solutions for Africa’s most pressing challenges including urbanization, migration and climate change with women and girls at the heart of our debates and discussions. It also provided UCLG Africa with an opportunity to showcase the ways in which local Africa is responding to the challenge of women’s empowerment and the need for women to be involved in decision-making if we are to “Build the Africa We Want to See,” that encourages the participation of all members and sections of our communities

The Network of Locally Elected Women in Africa (REFELA) was set up by UCLG Africa as a way of engaging and supporting women as representatives at local government level. The Voice of Local Africa is about an inclusive voice for all. If 50% of our population is excluded then building a better unified Africa for All will be a struggle to achieve.

“Invest in a man we will build a family. Invest in a woman and we will build a nation”
EDD 2018 Cities for All, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director UN Habitat

2017 saw UCLG Africa step up its efforts in this regard with REFELA opening its doors and recruiting country representatives to improve its reach to locally elected women. Stand 68 welcomed Cities Alliance, a close strategic partner, where we received female Mayors from Uganda, Ghana, and Liberia. Roundtable discussions took place with the President of REFELA, Célestine Ketcha Courtés, Mayor of Bangangté in Cameroon and Malika Ghefrane, the REFELA Special Advisor. Each of the three Mayors pledged to work closely with UCLG Africa to set up country chapters for REFELA and to attend the up and coming Africities Summit in Marrakesh in force.

“REFELA is opening up and recruiting country representatives to improve its reach to locally elected women” President of REFELA Célestine Ketcha Courtés, Mayor of Bangangté in Cameroon

UCLGA Africa and its regional teams are committed to listening to not only women’s voices but also the voices of young people. During the live discussions and debates with youth champions on Stand 68 at EDD our Secretary General met and spoke with an award-winning youth blogger, Jean-Luc Habimana around the subject of “Transition Towards Sustainable Development,” which is the theme of this year’s Africities.

Video Link

The Secretary General made a call to action for the youth champion, using the tools of technology that exist at the centre of youth culture globally, to reach, motivate and inspire young people to become part of the story of transition. “Promoting pride and self-esteem” and using the lives of “real young people” on the ground in the cities and territories already making contributions to this transition could inspire and mobilize youth in this vision as “we will not build Africa without the youth.”

“With over 40% of its working age population between the ages of 15 and 24, it is the youngest continent in the world. There are almost 200 million youths in Africa and according to African Economic Outlook, this number will double by 2045.”

Let us all coalesce and make “youth” Africa’s golden opportunity and not our biggest challenge.

UCLG AFRICA REGIONAL STRATEGIC MEETING IN ACCRA (GHANA)

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The regional strategic meeting of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) for the Western Africa Region will be held at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra, Ghana, on May 28th and 29th, 2018. The meeting is organized by UCLG Africa, the Pan African representative and the voice of local governments on the continent in collaboration with the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG).

Accra, will host the fourth meeting of a series of UCLG Africa strategic meetings that will take place across the five regions of Africa (North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa). The third first meetings were held in Nairobi, Kenya from 10 to 11 April 2018 for the East Africa region, in Libreville, Gabon from 16 to 17 April 2018 for Central Africa region and in Walvis Bay, Namibia from 7th to 8th May for Southern Africa region. As the representative voice of local authorities on the continent, UCLG Africa aims to:

  1. Take stock of the state of decentralization in the different regions and address the priorities of the decentralization agenda in the regions
  2. Deliberate on the priority actions required to support local governments to become reliable partners for national governments; the regional economic communities; other development partners and stakeholders.

The meetings will address specific issues such as:

  • Updating the UCLG Africa members in the region on the Global and African Agendas and the involvement of local governments in their implementation, especially the African Union Agenda 2063, the New Urban Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Climate Change Agenda, and The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction;
  • The status of the signature and ratification of the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralization, Local Governance and Local Development in the different countries of West Africa
  • The participation of the UCLG Africa members in Western Africa in the preparation and implementation of the Africities 2018 Summit, the flagship event of UCLG Africa, which will be held from November 20 – 24, 2018 in Marrakesh (Kingdom of Morocco), around the theme: “The transition towards sustainable cities and territories: The role of African local governments.”
  • The preparation and participation of the members of the Western Africa Region in the Elective General Assembly of UCLG Africa to be held on 23 November in the framework of the Africities Summit.

The official opening of the meeting will be chaired by Honourable Hajia Alima Maham, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ghana, in the presence of:

  • Hon. Nii Felix Anang, President of NALAG and Mayor of Tema Metropolitan Assembly
  • Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa.

The meeting will be attended by the presidents of the national associations of local governments, leaders of the Network of Locally Elected Women (REFELA) and the permanent secretaries of national associations of local governments. Other participants in the meeting will include experts on decentralization, urbanization and climate change.

The national and international media based in Accra are invited to cover the opening ceremony this Monday, May 28, 2018 at 09:00 am at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra, Ghana and the closing press briefing on Tuesday, May 29 at the same venue at 04:15 pm.

The last UCLG Africa regional strategic meetings will take place in Rabat (Morocco) on 18 -19 June 2018, for the North Africa Region.

 

For further information, please contact:

Gaëlle Yomi: Tel: + 212 610 56 71 45
Email: GYomi@UCLGa.org

Em Ekong: Tel: + 44 7801 701 675

Email: eekong@uclga.org

Motion of Support of REFELA to All the Women in Thier Fight Against Violence to Women in Cities and Local Governments of Africa

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* We, Women Mayors and Locally Elected of Cities and Local Governments of Africa, representing the REFELA Network, gathered in Rabat, on the occasion of the official launch of the 8th edition of the Africities Summit, scheduled for Marrakech, November 20-24 2018;

* Confronted in our functions as Elected to different forms of violence in our cities and territories;

* We call on Cities and Communes to engage and mobilize to and with REFELA to fight and eradicate all cases of violence against women and girls and make it a local priority./.

 

Done in Rabat, 16 May 2018

The President of REFELA

Célestine Ketcha Courtès, on behalf of all the Women Mayors and Locally Elected of Africa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Motion of Encouragement and Support of REFELA to Morocco’s Candidature for Organization of the Football World CUP 2026

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* We, Women Mayors and Locally Elected of Cities and Local Governments of Africa, representing the REFELA Network, gathered in Rabat, on the occasion of the official launching of the 8th edition of the Africities Summit, planned in Marrakech, 20-24 November 2018;

* Reaffirming our gratitude and high consideration to HIS MAJESTY THE KING MOHAMMED VI – May Allah Assist Him – for the unswerving support that His Sovereignty brings to our Network since its creation in Tangier in 2011 as well as to the cause of women in Africa;

* Starting from the solidarity that unites all the African Countries, and convinced that the success of the Kingdom of Morocco will be the success of our African Continent;

* We, Women Mayors and Locally Elected of the Cities and Local Governments of Africa take this opportunity from Rabat where we are gathered to express, through this Motion, our full support and all our encouragement to the candidature of the Kingdom of Morocco for the organization of the Football World Cup in 2026./.

 

 

Done in Rabat, 16 May 2018

The President of REFELA

Ms Célestine Ketcha Courtès, on behalf of all the Women Mayors and Locally Elected women of Africa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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18th Session of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa in Rabat, on May 14, 2018

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The Executive Committee of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) meets on May 14, 2018 in Rabat (Morocco), with the support of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils(AMPCC).

This 18th session of the Executive Committee is held the day before the official ceremony for the launch of the organization of the Africities 8 summit (Marrakech, 20-24 November 2018). This ceremony is scheduled to take place in Rabat, Morocco, on May 15, 2018 from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm at the Balafrej Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The official opening ceremony of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa will take place at 2:00 pm at the Hotel “La Tour Hassan” in the presence of:

– Mr Mohamed Sadiki, Mayor of Rabat

– Mr. Mohammed Boudra, President of AMPCC

– Mr. Mpho Parks Tau, President of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Vice President of UCLG Africa for the Southern Africa Region;

– Mrs. Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda , Mayor of Libreville, UCLG Vice- President for Africa;

– Mr. Cheikh Ahmed Baya, Vice President of UCLG Africa for the North Africa Region;

– Mr. Christian Roger Okemba, Mayor of Brazzaville (Congo), Vice President of UCLG Africa for the Central Africa Region;

– Mrs. Célestine Ketcha Courtès, President of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa ( REFELA ) ;

– Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa.

The Executive Committee will, among other things, approve the accounts of UCLG Africa for the 2017 financial year and review the progress of preparations for the eighth edition of the Africities Summit to be held in Marrakesh, on November 20-24, 2018 under the theme of “Transition to Sustainable Cities and Territories: The Role of African Local Governments. “

On the sidelines of the meeting of the Executive Committee will also be held the meetings of the Executive Board of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) and of the World Association of the Major Metropolises (Metropolis).

The national and international press are invited to cover the opening ceremony on Monday 14th May at 2:00 pm at the hotel “La Tour Hassan” in Rabat (Morocco).

As a reminder, the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa is the body responsible for the political leadership of UCLG Africa between sessions of the General Assembly of the organization. The Executive Committee comprises 16 members, 15 members representing equally each of the 5 regions of the continent (3 for each of the 5 regions), plus the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA).

 

For more information, please contact:

Gaëlle Yomi: Tel: + 212 610 56 71 45
e-mail: gyomi@uclga.org

Declaration of UCLG Africa Regional Strategic Meeting for Central Africa Region

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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

CENTRAL AFRICA REGION READY FOR AFRICITIES SUMMIT 2018

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Libreville, Gabon, April 17, 2018

The United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) Regional Strategic Meeting for Central Africa, was held at Le Méridien Re-Ndama Hotel in Libreville, Gabon, April 16-17, 2018.

The meeting was organized in partnership with the Libreville Municipality. Six of the eight countries in the Central African region participated in the meeting: Cameroon, Congo, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Chad. Delegates were Presidents from the national associations of local governments, leaders from the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) and the permanent secretaries of the national associations.

The meeting was officially opened by Mrs. Judith Koumba Pemba Mombo, Secretary General representing the Minister of the Interior and Security in charge of Decentralization and Local Development, in the presence of: Mr. Diderot Moutsinga Kebila, Governor of the Estuaire Province; Mrs. Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, Mayor of Libreville, Vice-President of UCLG for Africa; Mr. Christian Roger Okemba, Mayor of Brazzaville (Congo) and Vice President of UCLG Africa for the Central Africa Region; Mrs. Celestine Ketcha Courtès, President of REFELA; Mr. Mohamed Yassine Daoudi, Vice President of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils (AMPCC); and Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa.

The proceedings were chaired by Mr. Christian Roger Okemba, Mayor of Brazzaville (Congo) and Vice-President of UCLG Africa for the Central Africa Region and moderated by Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG Africa.

The first day was devoted to an exchange of information on the state of decentralization in the countries of the Central Africa region and the role of local and regional authorities in the implementation of the African Union Agenda 2063, and the international agendas adopted by the United Nations in 2015 and 2016. The session also provided an update on the signing and ratification of the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralization, Local Governance and Local Development, as well as the creation of the High Council of Local Authorities as an advisory body of the African Union.

The participants from the Central Africa region are facing several similar realities in implementing the decentralization process in their country. Where the legislation governing decentralization exists, its implementation is slow to materialize. According to the UCLG Africa report on “Assessing the Institutional Environment of Local Governments in Africa,” the Central African region is the lowest ranked country in terms of a climate favorable to local authorities.

Members of UCLG Africa in the region were invited to contribute to the update of their country fact sheet within this report and also to advocate for their country’s ratification of the “African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralization, Local Governance and Local Development.” Since its adoption in Malabo in 2014, the charter has been signed by 13 countries and ratified by only 3 countries (Madagascar, Burundi and Namibia), with none from Central Africa. The Charter will become a legal instrument of the African Union when it is signed and ratified by 15 countries and filed with the African Union Commission. Concerning this point, a delegation was received by the Interior Minister of Gabon who pledged to raise the issue to ensure the ratification of the charter in his country by June-July 2018.

The national associations were also invited to write memoranda on the state of decentralization in their country and to mark the celebration of African Decentralization Day, a day to be celebrated annually on August 10th by the African Union.

Participants examined their involvement in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and were invited to invent their own urbanization. Only 12 countries on the African continent have a national urbanization policy. They were encouraged to make twinnings between cities and universities to produce quality data adapted to the realities of each African city (slums, household waste, etc).

Regarding the SDGs, they filled in the questionnaire of the UCLG World Organization on the localization of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. The results of the questionnaire will represent the voice of local Africa in a report that UCLG will produce for the commissions of the United Nations Regional Offices and for the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in July 2018.

During the second day, attention focused on UCLG Africa’s relations with the European Union. In 2013, the EU adopted a communication, which for the first time recognizes local authorities as fully-fledged public authorities. Following this recognition, the European Union has entered into a framework partnership agreement with international and continental associations of local governments, including UCLG Africa. The participants were also informed of the fact that, in accordance with the provisions of the 2013 EU Communication on Local Authorities, national associations can be considered as being in a situation of monopoly in their respective countries and as such can access EU cooperation funds allocated to local authorities without going through a call for proposals, provided that they present and discuss with the EU delegation an implementation program agreed with the members of the said national association. The participants were also informed of the start of negotiations on the post-Cotonou Agreement that will govern the cooperation relationship between the African Union and the European Union for the next 20 years.

UCLG members from Central Africa were urged to advocate with their national governments for local and regional authorities to participate as key partners in the various stages of discussion of the agreement. It was also recommended that a delegation of political decision-makers from UCLG Africa should meet the President of the African Union Commission to request that the territorial authorities be involved alongside the African Union Commission from the beginning of the negotiations of the post-Cotonou agreement. In addition, UCLG Africa members from the Central Africa region were asked to meet with EU delegations in their respective countries to discuss the implementation of the provisions of the 2013 Communication. One of the problems raised was that of the weak capacity of national associations to prepare applications that are eligible for European funding. Members asked the secretariat to consider setting up a technical support unit for associations to prepare funding requests. This unit should also be deployed at the level of the regional offices.

Participants discussed the establishment of a local authorities transparency and integrity Index. This concern is increasingly highlighted by citizens as well as by central governments and the financial community. As such, it is necessary to anticipate the demand for transparency, for which territorial authorities are being increasingly challenged to act. This was followed by discussion of Internet-based communication strategies and the Secretariat’s offer to members to assist them in the setting up their websites.

Members were informed of the launch of the three main campaigns at the heart of the 2018-2020 three-year action plan of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA): African Cities without Street Children; African Cities: Zero Tolerance to Violence Against Women; and African Cities Promoting Women’s Leadership and Economic Empowerment. The local governments of Central Africa subscribed to the “African Streets without Street Children” campaign, which will be officially launched at the Africities 8 summit in Marrakech, Morocco from November 20-24, 2018.

Members were invited to participate in large numbers in the summit and were also informed of the importance of their participation in the General Assembly of UCLG Africa and in the Assembly of the Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) to be held during the summit. They were also reminded of the rules and procedures of the Elective General Assembly to be held on November 23 at the Africities Summit.

The official launch of the 8th edition of the Africities Summit will take place in Rabat, Morocco on May 15, 2018. The theme of this edition is, “The transition to sustainable cities and territories: the role of local African governments.” The Africities Summit will also be the setting of the elective general assembly of UCLG Africa (November 23, 2018). In order to submit the candidacies of the Central Africa region to the various bodies of the organization, a caucus, bringing together the presidents of the various national associations, was held on April 17 and resulted in the nominations included in the final declaration of the regional meeting.

The regional strategic meeting held in Libreville followed that held in Nairobi, Kenya April 9-10, 2018 for the East Africa region. Further meetings scheduled include the Strategic Meeting of Southern Africa in Walvis Bay, Namibia, May 7-8, 2018; the Strategic Meeting of West Africa in Accra, Ghana, May 28-29, 2018; and the North Africa Strategic Meeting in Rabat, Morocco, June 18-19, 2018.

For further information, please contact:

Gaëlle Yomi: Tel: + 212 610 56 71 45

e-mail: gyomi@uclga.org