The Fifth African Summit of local authorities- Africities 5- concluded on 20 December in Marrakesh, Morocco, with a declaration which was unanimously adopted by the participants and which calls for the strengthening of cooperation between African local authorities and local governments.
The participants of the Marrakesh Summit also spoke in favour of the strengthening of the role of the African branch of UCLG, United Cities and Local Governments Africa (UCLGA).
They further insisted on the urgency of an African response to the international financial crisis.
«For Africa, the way out of the crisis is not simply a question of economics and technology, but of the affirmation of its own values of dignity, ethics, and cultural roots,’ they declared.
The Africities Summit, which gathered 3,600 participants from 72 countries, asserts itself as an important space for gathering, exchange and technical and political dialogue on the African continent.
On the occasion of the Summit, the participants focused on a number of essential questions related to local development and efficient management of African cities and local authorities, especially with regard to increased decentralisation.
A particular emphasis was placed on the importance of the roles of local authorities in development, as well as their capacities to contribute to economic progress and to create new jobs.
At the invitation of Cities Alliance and ISTED, the UCLG Committee on Urban Strategic Planning participated in a session on this subject. The Committee was represented by the Deputy Mayor of Marrakesh, Zakia Mirni, who underlined the fact that in Africa, planning, like the participation of the people, needed to be promoted at all levels of government. The Mayor of Ouagadougou, Simon Compaoré, emphasised the need to strengthen the capacity of local governments and the essential role of local government associations in order to implement local urban development strategies and share successful experiences.
A session on urban risk organised jointly by UCLG and UNISDR and chaired by the Mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall, provided an opportunity for Mayors to present the challenges linked to flooding, rising sea levels, long periods of drought and risks of earthquakes. The speakers insisted on the need for participation of all actors, including local governments, in the development and implementation of national risk reduction strategies.
Africities also provided the occasion for a tripartite meeting on decentralised cooperation between China, Africa, and France, in the presence of Chen Haosu, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, during which the participants concurred on the importance of strengthening links and exchange between cities and regions in these three different regions.
Chen Haousu also took part in the Closing Ceremony, expressing the mobilization and willingness of the cities of China to work with local and regional African authorities.
At this fifth Africities congress, it was decided that the next Africities conference would be held in Dakar, Senegal, from 2 to 8 December 2012.