The United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), an association of the municipalities of Africa, wishes to express its unambiguous regret at the xenophobic violence directed at fellow Africans by some sections of the South African public...

Les Cités et Gouvernements locaux unis d’Afrique (CGLUA), une association des municipalités d’Afrique, souhaite exprimer ses profonds regrets pour la violence xénophobe dirigée contre les frères africains par quelques sections du public sud-africain...

Please note that the First Ordinary Congress of the UCLGA will be held in ACCRA, GHANA, from 7 -11 July 2008. This is a follow-up to the Founding Congress which took place in Tshwane, Republic of South Africa in May 2005...

Merci de bien vouloir noter que le premier Congrès ordinaire des CGLUA aura lieu à ACCRA, GHANA, DU 7 au 11 JUILLET 2008. C’est un suivi du Congrès fondateur qui a eu lieu à Tshwane, en république d’Afrique du Sud en mai 2005...

UCLGA state of affairs, developments and way forward...

L’etat des chses, le developpementet la clef de L’avenir...

On 18 May 2005 African municipalities, meeting in the City of Tshwane as a Founding Congress, formed an association to represent their interests in continental and international structures. So was born the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA). A Constitution was duly adopted for the organization and Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa was elected President...

Le 18 mai 2005 des municipalités africaines, se réunissant dans la ville de Tshwane comme Congrès fondateur, ont formé une association pour représenter leurs intérêts dans les structures continentales et internationales. C‟est ainsi que sont nés les Cités et Gouvernements locaux unis d‟Afrique (CGLUA). Une Constitution a été dûment adopté par l’organisation et le Père Smangaliso Mkhatshwa a été élu Président...

The United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) Southern Africa Region, meeting in Windhoek, Namibia from 17 – 18 March 2008, took a decision that its regional office, which is known as the UCLGA Southern African Regional Office (UCLGA SARO) will be headquartered at Local Government House in Harare, Zimbabwe...

We, the undersigned member countries of the UCLGA, concerned about the deleterious effects of the developments in the UCLGA on the cause of African local government, hereunder pronounce as follows:

Nous sommes certains des qualités de leader du Père Smangaliso Mkhatshwa et nous lui sommes complètement dévoués, et nous faisons appel à tous les membres de l’organisation de lui donner le soutien et le respect dus à ses fonctions...

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we have been compelled to cancel the ICT AFRICA Conference, which was scheduled for February 26 -28,2008. We will revisit the date which will be announced after the UCLGA General Assembly scheduled for May 2008.....

From 8-10 February, the members of the United Cities and Local Governments Executive Bureau convened in Washington DC at the invitation of Anthony Williams, Mayor of Washington and past President of the National League of Cities (NLC).

The discussions focused on the relations between local governments and their central governments. Commenting in a session on this topic, the Mayor of Washington, Anthony Williams, said: "We are seeing our financial and tax autonomy decrease whilst at the same time the demands and needs of our citizens are increasing."

The other major topic of the Washington meeting was city financing, and programmes for municipal investment in particular. During a meeting with World Bank President, Paul Wolfowitz, UCLG representatives underlined the need for the World Bank to decentralize its actions to directly benefit cities (currently their actions focus mainly on states). Such a move would take into account a crucial reality, namely that cities provide services for 50% of the world�s population and in the future will be called on to serve an ever greater number of citizens.

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Fr Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, former Executive mayor of the City of Tshwane, South Africa, was unanimously elected president of  UCLGA during Founding Congress that was held from May 15 to 18,2005. The five vice presidents, to head each of the five regions are; Mr. Omar Bahraoui,  Mayor, City of Rabat & President of the National Association of Local Authorities in Morocco- Vice President, UCLGA Northern Africa region; Mr. Eneas Comiche Mayor, City of Maputo & President, National Association of Local Authorities of Mozambique - Vice President, UCLGA Southern Africa region; Mr. Augustin Kampayana Mayor, Nyarugenge District, Kigali & President, Rwandese Association of Local Authorities (RALGA) - Vice President, UCLGA Eastern Africa region; Mr. Hugues Ngouelondele. Mayor, City of Brazzaville & President of the Association of Mayors of Congo (AMC) -  Vice President, UCLGA Central African region and Mr. Baver Dzeremo.  Executive Chairman, Tarka Local Government Council & National President, Association of Local Government Authorities of Nigeria (ALGON) - Vice President, UCLGA West African region.  Mr Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, from Cameroon was unanimously nominated General Secretary of the UCLGA.

Click here to see the full list UCLGA Executive bureau  

 The UCLGA operations are expected to continue at an even larger scale as new, strategic partners come on board. These are First National Bank of South Africa (FNB), Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and the Cities Alliance of the World Bank. 

FNB has made available offices to the UCLGA where the Offices of the UCLGA President and the Interim Secretariat of the UCLGA will be based. FCM has committed to the establishment phase of the organization (March 2006 � March 2007), and longer term funding through the Africa Local Government Programme (ALGP).

CIDA is working with the UCLGA towards long term funding of local government development projects. CIDA will also be hosting a fund-raising side event in partnership with the UCLGA at the World Urban Forum due to be held in Vancouver, Canada. Meanwhile UCLGA is also finalizing its partnership with the Cities Alliance of the World Bank which has an Africa Fund Facility for Slum Upgrading activities in Africa

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The UCLGA will be represented at the forthcoming World water Forum which will be held in Mexico City from 16 � 22 March 2006.

 The theme for this 4^th edition is �Local Actions for a Global Change�. The UCLGA Secretariat is currently mobilising African Mayors to be strongly represented on �Local Government Day� which will be on 21^st March 2006.  The President of the UCLGA, Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa will be leading the African delegation of Mayors, and he has already made input into the theme of financing water in Africa.  His input can be viewed on the following link: (PAPER ATTACHED)

Water paper

UCLGA will be strongly represented and will actively participate in the forthcoming World Urban Forum (WUF) scheduled to take place in Vancouver, Canada from 19 to 23 June 2006. UCLGA, in partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), will be holding a side event to sell its strategy and source funding from the donor community which will be present at WUF

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