17th Session of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa: Morocco to host Africities Summit 2018

 Members of the Executive Committee were informed that the City of Brazzaville (Congo) had withdrawn and would no longer host the summit, due to the current financial difficulties that the country is experiencing

RABAT, Morocco, November 27, 2017/ -- The 17th Session of the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa (http://AfriqueLocale.org) was held on 24 November 2017 at Afrikland Hotel of Grand -Bassam (Côte d’Ivoire).
The deliberations were chaired by Mr. Christian Roger Okemba, Mayor of Brazzaville (Congo), Vice President of UCLG Africa for the Central Africa Region. The opening ceremony was also punctuated by wishes for successful deliberations from the Mayor of the City of Grand-Bassam, Mr. Georges Phillipe Ezaley; the Vice-President of the Union of Cities and Local Governments of Côte d'Ivoire (UVICOCI), Mr. Djibo Youssouf Nicolas, and the First Deputy Mayor of Dakar, Mr. Cheikh Guèye, representing the President of UCLG Africa, Mr. Khalifa Sall, Mayor of Dakar.

The main items on the agenda were:

    Adoption of the 2018 budget;
    The organization of 2018 Africities Summit;
    The first Africa-Europe Forum of Local and Regional Governments to be held in Abidjan on 27 November 2017 on the sidelines of the African Union-European Union Summit of Heads of State and Government (http://APO.af/huW8Zi).

The committee adopted the 2018 budget for UCLG Africa, with revenue expenditure set at €4,601,119.

Regarding the 2018 Africities Summit, the members of the Executive Committee were informed that the City of Brazzaville (Congo) had withdrawn and would no longer host the summit, due to the current financial difficulties that the country is experiencing. The Executive Committee members were also informed of the steps taken by the Secretary General to replace Congo with a request to the Government of Rwanda. So far there has been no clear response from the Rwandan Government and with the short time-lines to organize the summit, the President of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils (AMPCC), Mr. Mohamed Boudra, informed the participants that in order not to jeopardize the reputation of the event if Rwanda could not provide a favorable response for its organisation in Kigali December 2018, that Morocco would be prepared to host the Africities Summit.

The Executive Committee welcomed this proposal and endorsed Morocco's decision to organize the next Africities Summit in December 2018. It also directed the Secretary General to inform the Rwandan side, and request it to consider the proposal to host the Summit in December 2021.

Regarding the first Africa-Europe Forum of Local and Regional Governments due to be held on 27 November 2017 in Abidjan, the Committee was informed of the preparation and organization which was also the subject of further discussion during the meeting of the Pan-African Council of Local Governments that took place on 25 November 2017 in Grand Bassam.

The Executive Committee also adopted the recommendations of the UCLG Africa Financial Management Commission, which met in the morning of 24 November 2017, notably the mobilization of membership dues.

Furthermore, the Committee was informed of the ongoing initiative to explore the establishment of a platform to facilitate the access of local and regional governments to the capital market. This platform foreshadows the creation of the African Cities Development Fund, that the UCLG Africa members decided to set up and whose feasibility studies are underway (ACDF- http://APO.af/EakYQo).

The Pan-African Council of UCLG Africa also decided to issue a Declaration denouncing the inhuman treatment of Sub-Saharan migrants in Libya. The opening ceremony for the deliberations of this meeting was chaired by the Prefect of the Territorial Department of Grand Bassam, Mr. Amakou Kassi Gabin.

Let us recall that the Executive Committee of UCLG Africa is the body in charge of the political management of UCLG Africa during a 3-year period between the 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 local elected officials for each of the 5 regions), plus the president of the Network of Local Elected Women in Africa (REFELA). The Executive Committee is elected for a 3-year term of office, running from the last UCLG Africa General Assembly held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 02 December 2015. The Pan African Council (composed of 45 members) is the supervisory body of the implementation of the UCLG Africa policies during this period, which is also held every 3 years. The next session of the UCLG Africa General Assembly is scheduled to take place in December 2018.

View the declaration of UCLG Africa Pan-African Council: http://APO.af/HgDZeL

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa).

View multimedia content

For further information, please contact:
Gaelle Yomi: + 212 610 56 71 45
Email: GYomi@UCLGa.org

SOURCE
United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa)