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REPORT ON THE UNIFICATION OF THE AFRICAN MUNICIPAL MOVEMENT;
FROM ABIDJAN (1998) TO TSHWANE (2005)

1. The Presidency
2. THE GENESIS OF THE DEBATE ON UNIFICATION  
3. THE ROLE OF THE UCLGA

4. THE CONSTITUTIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE UCLGA, YAOUNDE CAMEROON , 5 DECEMBER 2003

5. THE UCLGA INTERIM MANAGEMENT 

6. WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY THE UCLGA SINCE YAOUNDE 2003?

7. ANNEX I  Africities Summits (Yaounde , Cameroon , 2 – 6 December 2003 )

8. ANNEX II 45 CCRA World Council Members - 2004

9. ANNEX III 15 CCRA Executive Bureau Members - 2004

United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) is the African Union of Cities and Local Governments – the united voice of African local government and the principal local government partner of regional and international institutions.

Based on the commitment made at the first Africities Summit held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire in 1998, and concretized at the Africities 2000 Summit held in Windhoek, Namibia in 2000, with the Constitutive Assembly following at the Africities Summit held in Yaoundé, Cameroon in 2003, the Founding Congress of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), formerly known as the Council of Cities and Regions of Africa (CCRA), will be held in the City of Tshwane, Republic of South Africa from 15 – 18 May 2005. 

This Founding Congress is the formal unification of the three umbrella continental organisations of local government which existed before in Africa - namely the African Union of Local Authorities (AULA), the Union des Villes Africaines (UVA), and the Uniao dos Cidades y Capitaes Lusofono Africana (UCCLA), to form one Pan African local government organisation – the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa – UCLGA.  

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Elected during the Constitutive Assembly held in Yaounde , Cameroon during the Africities 2003 Summit , the members of the first Presidency of UCLGA are:

• Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, Executive Mayor, City of Tshwane – President
• Mr. Badreddine Senoussi, Secretary General, UVA Morocco – 1^st Vice President
• Mr. Eneas Comiche, Mayor, City of Maputo – 2^nd Vice President

• Mr. Mousse Daby Diagne, Senegal – Interim Secretary General

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2.  THE GENESIS OF THE DEBATE ON UNIFICATION

The genesis of the debate on the unification of the African local government and the subsequent evolution of the Council of Cities and Regions of Africa (CCRA), now known as the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), as an Africa-wide unified voice of local government, a facility for supporting the process of decentralisation, consolidating the African Municipal movement, and strengthening the capacities of local governments to deliver services and contribute to local development, started at the first Pan African local government Summit, the Africities Summit.  This was the first-ever platform for dialogue held for all African local governments in Abidjan , Côte d’Ivoire in 1998.

Based on the commitment made at this first Africities Summit in Abidjan, the African mayors and other local elected leaders attending the summit decided, in their closed door session, to set up the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), as the unification of the three umbrella organisations of local government in Africa - namely the African Union of Local Authorities (AULA), the Union des Villes Africaines (UVA), and the Uniao dos Ciudades y Capitaes Lusofono Africana (UCCLA).  The decision to unite into one Pan African local government movement was endorsed at the 2^nd Africities Summit held in Windhoek , Namibia in 2000.  This was an attempt to overcome language and cultural barriers, a colonial legacy.      

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3. THE ROLE OF THE UCLGA

The UCLGA, as the unified voice and coordinating body of the Africa municipal movement has the three fundamental objectives:

·         To organize, at continental level, effective political dialogue with central and local governments, civil societies, and the international community with a view to adopting decentralisation amongst Africa ’s priority development issues;

·         To accord African local governments their due place in the dynamics of African integration;

·         To integrate the African Municipal Movement into the mainstream initiatives of the world municipal movement.

The UCLGA’s priority activities will focus on:

• Ensuring that UCLGA is recognized by the African Union;
• Advocacy for decentralisation and autonomy for organized African local government;
• Capacity building activities focussing on associations of local government and political dialogue;
• Supporting African local government developmental endeavours and to cooperate with international organisations, both government and non-governmental;
• Delivery of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at local level;
• Position African local governments in Africa to support the new partnership for Africa ’s development (NEPAD);
• Sharing knowledge and experiences; and
• The development of tools in support of decentralisation, especially in countries where the lack of democracy remains a challenge.  

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4.   THE CONSTITUTIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE UCLGA, YAOUNDE , CAMEROON , 5 DECEMBER 2003

At this Constitutive Assembly, the Declaration of Mayors was presented and adopted by African Mayors.  Over 787 African elected representatives from 48 African countries were present at the Africities 3 Summit in Yaounde in which Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa ( South Africa ) was unanimously elected President of the new Pan African Local Government organisation - the UCLGA Interim Management Committee. Mr. Badredinne Senoussi of UVA (Morocco) was elected First Vice President of the UCLGA, and Mr. Artur Hussene Canana, the Vice President of UCCLA and the then Mayor of Maputo (Mozambique) was elected Second Vice President of the UCLGA.  Mr. Mousse Daby Diagne ( Senegal ) was elected Political Advisor of the UCLGA.  SALGA was mandated to establish a Secretariat of the UCLGA Interim Management Committee.  Among its tasks, SALGA had to spearhead activities which would lead Africa to the Founding Congress of United Cities and Local Governments in Paris in May 2004, during which the “ United Cities and Local Governments ” would be established.  The Interim Secretariat had also to prepare for the launch of the UCLGA in 2005.

The Assembly also received the proposal by the delegation of the Kingdom of Morocco and its government to host, in the City of Rabat , the Headquarters of the new Pan African organization.  The Assembly also agreed that the new Interim President would send, as soon as possible, a technical team to assess the suitability of the City of Rabat to host the new Headquarters of the UCLGA.  It was also stressed that the AU had to be consulted about this matter.

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5.  THE UCLGA INTERIM MANAGEMENT COUNCIL

At the Yaounde Summit, a Mayors’ Declaration was produced which undertook to set up a UCLGA Interim Management Council (IMC) made up of forty-five (45) members including the leaders of the three continental groupings that had merged into the UCLGA (i.e. AULA, UCCLA and UVA).

It was agreed in Yaounde that the 45 members of the IMC shall be designated as per sub-region, based on the category formula proposed by the world organization of United Cities and Local Governments.  The categories were (i) national associations of local authorities and (ii) cities.  The Constitutive Assembly also passed a resolution on the distribution of members of each category for each sub-region as follows: North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa . 

The President of the UCLGA and his two Vice Presidents would automatically become members of the IMC.

The allocation agreed upon during the Mayors meeting at Africities is as follows:

  Out of these 45 World Council members, 15 Executive Board members would be elected again prior to the World Congress in Paris in May 2004.  This election would be done during a meeting of the 45 UCLGA Interim Management Council (IMC) members scheduled to be held in Rabat , Morocco in April 2004.

In the Yaoundé Declaration (Annex I), the IMC was tasked with the following mandate:

1. Lead Africa to the Founding Congress of United Cities and Local Governments in Paris , France in May 2004;
2. Draft the UCLGA Constitution;
3. Define the recruitment terms of personnel;
4. Make a final decision on the new name of the new Pan African organization;
5. Prepare the UCLGA Founding Congress that would mark the unification of the African municipal movement of local governments;
6. Oversee the dissolution of the three continental organizations (AULA, UCCLA and UVA) that will constitute the new Pan-African organization.  Their respective Constitutions should guide the dissolution process.  The IMC should also seek technical and financial assistance for these institutions as they dissolve.

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6.   WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY THE UCLGA SINCE YAOUNDE 2003?

This section presents key achievements in the six months since the Yaoundé meeting when African local government leaders decided to set up the UCLGA. The interim executive committee has worked to achieve most of the targets set in the Mayors’ Declaration in Yaoundé. This section therefore reflects collective achievements since Yaoundé.

6.1        The African Union

·         The UCLGA submitted requests to the African Union for the recognition of the UCLGA as a High Council of Local Governments within the African Union and to be granted observer status within the African Union.

·         Meetings were held with former President Joaquim Chissano to lobby his support for the enshrinement of the UCLGA into the African Union. A response is awaited from the African Union.

·         Meetings were held with several Ministers, and the UCLGA has had consultations with African academics and some European and North American government officials to raise awareness about the UCLGA. The UCLGA Executive has also met Heads of international agencies such as UN-Habitat, UNESCO, Région Ile de France, and Inca to raise funding for the UCLGA and to explore potential areas of cooperation between African local authorities and these agencies.

6.2        Headquarters of the UCLGA

·         The UCLGA Executive sent a technical assessment team to Morocco to assess the offer which the Kingdom of Morocco had made to provide UCLGA Headquarters.

·         The UCLGA engaged in dialogue with several stakeholders on the political implications of establishing Headquarters in Morocco . These stakeholders included President Chissano, the then Chairman of the African Union, South African Mayors, other regional Mayors, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in South Africa, and many others. A final decision, based on these consultations, is still to be taken.

6.3        The UCLGA Constitution

o        The draft constitution of the UCLGA has been developed by a constitutional drafting committee. The AULA, UVA, UCCLA and two regional units of MDP participated in this committee. The Draft Constitution will be presented for adoption at the UCLGA Founding Congress in 2005.

6.4        The UCLGA Interim Secretariat at SALGA

The UCLGA Interim Executive Committee:

·         Set up an interim UCLGA Secretariat, which is run and managed by SALGA;

·         Recruited a Project Manager who assists the President manage UCLGA and UCLG affairs; and

·         Identified an interim Secretary-General who would assist UCLGA with fund-raising issues.

6.5        Representation of African Local Government on the United Cities and Local Governments Founding Congress, Paris , May 2004

·         Africa had one of the largest delegations at the Paris Founding Congress held in May 2004.

·         Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, the UCLGA President, was elected as one of the co-Presidents of the new world organization of United Cities and Local Governments , along with the Mayor of Paris, Mr Bertrand Delanoe, and the Mayor of Sao Paolo (Brazil) Ms Marta Suplicy. This effectively registered African local government’s representation at the highest level internationally.

·         Mr Abbas Mohsen, the Mayor of Tunis ( Tunisia ) was elected as Vice-President for the Africa Region within UCLG.

·         Mr Eneas Comiche, the Mayor of the City of Maputo and the second Vice-President of the UCLGA, was nominated to represent Africa in the UCLG Financial Management Committee. This will ensure that Africa receives its fair share of resources that will be available for local government activities internationally.

·         The Interim Secretary General of the UCLGA, Mr Mousse Daby Diagne , represents the UCLGA in the UCLG Strategy development meetings to ensure inclusion in the international strategies.

·         The UCLGA elected and submitted names of 45 African representatives who will represent Africa in the UCLG World Council and 15 representatives who will represent Africa in the UCLG Executive Bureau (Annexes II and III). They form part of the governing body of the UCLG, which comprises 288 Mayors and local councillors from seven world regions who make up the new World Council.

6.6        The Africities Summit

·         At the Third Africities Summit in Yaoundé , Cameroon , the cities of Nairobi ( Kenya ) and Dakar ( Senegal ) offered to host the next Africities Summit in 2006. The criteria for the selection of a host city were sent to the two cities by the MDP on behalf of the UCLGA, and only the City of Nairobi submitted its bid.

·         The UCLGA sent an evaluation mission to the City of Nairobi to assess the feasibility of hosting the Summit in Nairobi in June 2004, and to verify the facilities which were outlined in the bid.

·         The UCLGA convened an Africities Political Committee meeting in the City of Tshwane on 28^th June 2004 , at which the delegation from Kenya presented its bid to host the next Africities Summit.

·         The Political Committee selected the City of Nairobi to host the next Africities Summit in Kenya in 2006 (Annex IV).

·         The Official launching ceremony of the Africities Summit was held in Nairobi , Kenya on 10^th November 2004 under the patronage of Honourable Mwai Kibaki, the President of Kenya.

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6.7        The UCLGA Founding Congress, City of Tshwane , 15 – 18 May 2005

·         The City of Tshwane will host the UCLGA Founding Congress in Tshwane in 2005.

• The UCLGA Executive Bureau set the dates of 15^th to 18^th May 2005 for the Founding Congress of the UCLGA.
• About 5,000 local, continental and international delegates and exhibitors are expected to attend this historic local government event.  These include Executive Mayors, Mayors, Ministers, local government officials, partners in development, research and academic institutions, the media, the private sector, NGOs and civic society, and any other key local government partners and stakeholders.
• A local government exhibition will also be held during the Founding Congress at which municipalities will showcase their best practices, and the private sector explores partnership opportunities with local and continental partners.
• The Founding Congress will be held at Tshwabac Events Centre, and the theme of the Founding Congress is: “Towards a unified voice for sustainable local government development in Africa ”.
• A major political output of the Founding Congress desired by African Mayors is a Charter to be presented to African governments after the Congress.  In this Charter, the idea of local government as a distinct sphere of government will be raised, as well as the complementarity of all spheres of government.  The Charter would suggest powers to be devolved to local governments as part of the implementation of local democracy.  The idea of this Charter was reached after continental consultations done by the UCLGA leadership which indicated that African Mayors wish to see the Founding Congress addressing itself to the creation of a uniform local government in all parts of Africa .  The Founding Congress should send a powerful message to central governments and to the African Union and other sub-regional organizations that development in Africa is the development of the people, and that local government is at the coalface of this activity.  A paper will be developed highlighting the recognition of local government as a distinct sphere of government and an engine for development.  The paper would clearly spell out the African agenda in consultation with the African Union, the NEPAD Secretariat and institutions of higher learning.

6.8        A New Name for the UCLGA

·         Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa undertook intensive consultations within the region to identify a suitable, all-encompassing name for the Pan African organization.  This was brought about by the fact that some members of the organization felt that UCLGA did not adequately address all levels and spheres of local government in Africa .  The new name which has since been proposed by AULA members, with support from the 2^nd Vice President of UCLGA and is awaiting ratification at the Founding Congress in May 2005 is: United Cities and Local Governments of Africa .

  6.9        Challenges

• Fundraising - For the Interim period leading up to the Founding Congress, a budget of US$200,000 would be required for UCLGA’s operational activities for the next six months.  Some of the expenses in this budget include, inter alia:

1.                   Managing the UCLGA Interim Secretariat.

2.                   Undertaking fundraising missions and sensitization missions.

3.                   Communication.

• Implementing specific activities.  The priority activity would be to ensure that UCLGA is recognized by the African Union and NEPAD, and its relationship and role within the two institutions should be clearly defined.  To this effect, the Chairman of the UCLGA would need to undertake mobilization missions to the African Union Secretariat and to the NEPAD Secretariat to meet the current Chairmen and Secretaries General of both institutions.  Other activities to be immediately implemented include:

1.       Undertaking capacity building activities focussing on associations of local government and political dialogue;

2.       Delivery of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at local level; and

3.       Translation of local action within the framework of NEPAD.

• Preparing for the UCLGA Founding Congress.
• Identifying a suitable Headquarters for the UCLGA.
• Dissolution of the three founding organisations, namely AULA, UCCLA and UVA.
• Promoting Africa ’s agenda within the UCLG and in the international community.  

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