Newsletter RABAT 2013 N°2
June 2013
3 questions with
3 questions with: Khalifa Ababacar Sall Mayor of the city of Dakar Current chairman of Africa's United Cities and Local Governments (CGLUA)
1. For the first time, the African continent will host a UCLG World Congress in the city of
Rabat, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco. What are your thoughts on that? I am very delighted with this choice that honors the Kingdom of Morocco, that has always distinguished itself in promoting local collectivities, by providing ongoing support to the development of the African and international municipal movements and to the establishment of their institutions. I see the organization of the UCLG World Summit in Africa as an opportunity for local collectivities to rise to the challenges of a global crisis and further assert themselves as important actors in: global, sustainable and inclusive recovery of global economy, multilateral regulation and consolidation of a truly global community. Most importantly, holding the summit on African soil is pertinent for Africa because following Europe, the Americas and Asia, it is time for Africa. Today, our continent offers to a world in the midst of a crisis, socially productive public and private investment margins that are also economically and financially profitable in the medium to long term, i.e. sustainable growth margins. The African continent also offers an enormous agricultural potential with the greatest potential for arable land in the world to feed the entire world’s population that by 2050, will reach 9 billion people. Moreover, Africa holds the world's second largest rainforest: the Congo Basin forests, that is essential to the climate balance of the Earth.
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Furthermore, with nearly 2 billion people, our continent will become the world’s largest human home by 2050. With a significantly growing youth population, by 2050, the majority of the youth will be in Africa, in contrast to the population ageing that will characterize most other regions of the world. However I would like to highlight another reason, a more emotional one, why Africa is qualified to host the 4th UCLG Congress. The motive is related to the history of the unification of the international municipal movement at a time when we celebrate its centenary. As you may already know, this unification stems from the desire of the world's two largest former organizations of local authorities: the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) and the World Federation of United Cities (FMCU-UTO), to create a global organisation that can speak with one voice on issues regarding local collectivities, and to meet all challenges the world faces today. The unification process was long and arduous and took almost ten years to materialize. It took the conjunction of an African presidency in both organizations to overcome the obstacles. It is indeed under the leadership of Max N’Gandwe, from Zambia, then International President of IULA and Mousse Daby Diagne, from Senegal, then International President of FMCU, that discussions on the unificaton led to a positive outcome. Therefore, Africa played a key role in the unification of the International Municipal movement and it therefore only seems right that the World Congress of Local and Regional Authorities take place in Rabat, on Moroccan and African Soil. 2. What do you think of Morocco’s decentralization model? In recent years, the Kingdom of Morocco has seen interesting developments in the implementation of the decentralization policy. We can duly be inspired by what Morocco continues to accomplish in the field of upgrading cities and local collectivities regarding infrastructure and urban equipment and in the field of local authorities finance and budgets. Morocco currently allocates nearly 30% of VAT revenue to local collectivities, which is remarkable compared to low levels of transfers of financial resources to local collectivties, practiced by most other African countries. More precisely,decentralization policies are closely linked to historical and institutional paths that are specific to each country. Each context is different, that is why the idea of a model or the ‘right way’ should be oversteped. This does not necessarily mean that we cannot learn from others' experiences. As a unified organization of local collectivities, UCLG
intends precisely to strengthen these
exchanges of experiences and mutual learning processes with the ultimate goal of fostering wellbeing for populations.
3. You have just been elected President of UCLGA, what are your priorities for this new mandate? First, I would like to thank the African community of local authorities for the confidence placed in me demonstrated by my election as President of our continental organization. Secondly, I would
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like to remind you that our organization owes its development and its influence in the service of African local communities, to all those who have worked and are still working tirelessly for its consolidation. In this regard, allow me to make special mention of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the Kingdom of Morocco, whose capital the city of Rabat is home to the headquarters of our organization. Morocco signed a headquarters agreementwith with UCLG-Africa that grants our organization diplomatic status and a number of facilities that make the conduct of our mission easier. UCLG-Africa’s vision is to build African unity and to contribute to its development by adopting a bottom-up approach. Therefore, during my three-year mandate, the contribution of local collectivities to the unity of the African continent will be one of my top priorities. To this end, under the leadership of the President of Senegal, H.E. Mr. Macky Sall, UCLGA is working towards the adoption of an African Charter on Local Governance and the establishment
of a High
Council of Local Authorities within the African Union, by the end of my mandate. In this regard, UCLG Africa is collaborating with the Commission of the African Union and the Africa Ministerial Conference
on
Decentralization
and
Local
Development (AMCOD) that brings together African Ministers responsible for local collectivities. By the end of my current mandate, I would like UCLG Africa to concretely become the gateway to Local Africa; an uninhibited and competent local Africa that is in the service of an inclusive development, and that increasingly contributes to Africa’s sustainable development and to the consolidation of peace and stability on the continent. It is important that “Building Africa from its Territories”, the watchword of the last Africities Summit held in Dakar in December 2012, is beginning to materialize through a dynamic in favor of the emergence of an Africa of people, beyond the Africa of states. This is a strong belief that we need to ensure that local communities become the pillars upon which we build bridges between the peoples of Africa. One of the priorities during my mandate is to give concrete substance to the contribution of local communities in the development of the continent, the creation of jobs for young people, the realization of basic socio-economic infrastructure, and the improvement of the quality of life of the populations. This implies a greater capability of local communities to intervene in local economic development. To this end, we must first improve the local government finance standard that mainly rely on local communities’s own resources, while making efforts to improve revenue mobilization and allocate more resources for investment. Subsequently, other funding sources for local development should be found, notably, by facilitating local collectivties’access to loans and financial market. In this regard, UCLG Africa has initiated discussions with the African Development Bank
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and development banks at the sub regional level with the goal of significantly improving access of local collectivities to loan and financial markets. During the next meetings of the African Development Bank in Marrakech, from 27th to 31st May 2013, UCLG Africa co-organizes with UCLG and the ADB a special session on the implementation of a specific instrument for local government finance. The third major pivot that I give priority to, in this mandate, is the professionalization of local administraton with the purpose of incorporating good governance and efficiency into the heart of local public service. In this regard, I take a great interest in the establishment of the African Academy of Local Authorities, that should be able to begin its operations in 2014. Finally, in an international system conceived more than sixty years ago for relations between sovereign nation states, which shows signs of weakening, it becomes increasingly necessary to place local communities at the heart of the cooperation project for a new world order. That is why, I think that throughout the duration of my mandate, we will have to engage in reflection processes with UCLG and other organizations that should lead to recommendations of a reform of the international system; in order to enhance local collectivities’ position and role and other non-state
Focus
actors in international cooperation.
Focus: A TRIBUTE TO AFRICA IN MOROCCO
During the last World Congress of UCLG, in Mexico City, in November, 2010, Rabat was unanimously elected to host the 4th UCLG Congress, representing Africa for the first time. An additional opportunity for the Kingdom of Morocco to demonstrate its commitment to the African continent, a characteristic it never ceases to reaffirm. Indeed, for many years, the Kingdom of Morocco has put its continental affiliation at the top of its development priorities and at the heart of its international diplomatic preoccupations.
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Last March, on an official visit to Senegal, Ivory Coast and Gabon, His Majesty King Mohammed VI confirmed the richness and strength of relations between Morocco and the rest of Africa, which are built on geographical, historical, religious, human, linguistic, cultural and economic ties.
Morocco currently maintains cooperative relations with more than forty countries, regulated by a legal framework that includes nearly five hundred cooperation agreements in the fields of economic, technical, social, cultural and human development such as the fight against poverty and diseases, agriculture and agribusiness, fisheries, education and training, water management and irrigation, basic infrastructure and urban planning, information technologies and financal management and banking.

Africa day in Morocco
On May 23, Morocco actively celebrated Africa Day, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the formerly named Organization of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU), of which Morocco was one of the founding members. An exhibition of photographs and several conferences were organized. Additionally, a square was named “African Unity� in the heart of the capital-Rabat.
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
Rabat, headquarters of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa
United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) is the umbrella organization and the united voice and representative of local government in Africa. UCLGA gathers 40 national associations of local governments from all regions of Africa, as well as 2000 cities that have more than 100,000 inhabitants. Therefore, UCLGA represents nearly 350 million African citizens.
It is a founding member of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) world organization, and its regional section for Africa. Since 2008, its headquarters have been based in Rabat, where it enjoys diplomatic status as a Pan-African International Organisation. The members of the presidency are nominated by the Pan African Council among the members of the Executive Committee and, chair the five sub-regions of the continent: North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and Southern Africa. The President is nominated by the Pan African Council among the members of the Presidency for a period of one year, which is renewable.

Morocco, guest of honor at the 6th Africities Summit in Dakar
A delegation of more than 300 people led by Mohand LAENSER, Minister of the Interior and Fathallah OUALALOU, President of the urban municipality of Rabat and President of Rabat 2013 Association took part in the 6th Africities Summit held in Dakar from 4 to 8 December 2012, under the theme "Building Africa from its territories: what challenges for local communities?"; alongside nearly 5000 participants from fifty states, half of whom were African politicians. On this occasion, Morocco has marked its presence by installing a lively large-scale pavilion at the Africities Exhibition, and by organizing a number of meetings aimed at presenting the experiences of the Kingdom and its recent reforms in the field of governance and local management: advanced
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regionalization, decentralized cooperation, capacity building of elected representatives, and the promotion of elected women…etc.
Final declaration of Africities Summit:
http://www.africites.org/an/communication/actualites/final-declaration-africities-summit
Moroccan
territorial
communities
at
the
heart
of
South-South
cooperation In April, the Moroccan Association for Eco-Cities (AMEV) held the first field trip to the Kingdom of Morocco for several senior government officials and mayors from Cameroon. Led by Mister Jules Doret NDONGO, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization in charge of Regional and Local Authorities, the delegation included several government delegates from urban community governments and a dozen of mayors from Cameroonian municipalities. Over 10 days, the delegation visited 10 Moroccan cities (Rabat, Casablanca, Laayoune, Es-Semara, Akhfenir, Guelmim, Sidi-Ifni, Tiznit, Agadir and Kénitra) with the goal of highlighting Moroccan experience in the field of decentralization and management of local affairs. Through this mission, AMEV established conditions for exchange and cooperation between its member municipalities and several Cameroonian municipalities, such as the case of Yaoundé and Kénitra that signed a letter of intent for future establishment of a partnership. Next July, it is the Cameroonian Association of Eco-Cities (ACEV) that will host a Moroccan delegation composed of Walis, Governors, Presidents of municipalities, universities Presidents and CEO’s. In general, Moroccan commitment to the African continent has highly developed at the local level, particularly through decentralized cooperation: for instance, there are 53 twinning agreements and 11 decentralized cooperation agreements that unite Moroccan local authorities with their African counterparts. To illustrate the active involvement of Moroccan territorial collectivities in South-South cooperation, it is necessary to mention the recent tripartite partnership between the Cities of Marrakech, Marseille and Dakar. This agreement, which is focused on high-priority axes such as culture, tourism, capacity building and local economic development, will lead to projects that should receive the support of the French Development Agency, the French Development Agency and the International Association of Francophone Mayors.
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Morocco hosts the 48th annual meetings of the African Development Bank Group
Marrakech hosted, from 27 to 31 May, the workshops of the 48th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB). The meetings were attended by many heads of state, including Senegalese President Macky Sall, Gabonese Presdent Ali Bongo, and Rwanda's President, Paul Kagame. Several meetings under the theme “Africa's Structural Transformation" were attended by more than 2,700 delegates from over 78 countries, including ministers, African central bank governors, heads of international financial institutions and global development agencies, presidents of private industrial groups and civil society representatives. On this occasion, in a conveyed message, His Majesty King Mohammed VI emphasized that Africa stands out now as a very appealing alternative with respect to partnership and economic growth, due to its remarkable growth in recent years and the many advantages the continent has to offer. Furthermore, Morocco has welcomed the decision of the AfDB Board of Governors to reinstall its headquarters in Abidjan, where
Newsflash
security conditions are met again, and this, after ten years in Tunis .
Newsflash: First National Congress of Municipal Councils Presidents: The first National Congress of Presidents of Municipal Councils was held on May 27 in Skhirat, under the chairmanship of Mr Mohamed Sajid, President of the Urban Municipality of Casablanca. This meeting intended to create the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils (AMPCC), was attended by nearly 900 participants, including Mr Mohand LAENSER, Minister of the Interior, and Mr Mohammed Ouzzine, Minister of Youth and Sports.
In parallel with the main theme of the meeting,"The contribution of Moroccan Municipalities to the workshops of the World Summit of Local and Regional leaders: what are the prospects for the
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decentralization process in the light of the new constitution?", the members of the Preparatory Committee of the Constitutive General Assembly continued to exchange views on the status of the Association, the integration of certain provisions and validated the principle of automatic representation of women, Presidents of Municipal Councils, within the board of directors. The members of the Association’s Board were also designated by region and, will soon elect the President of the Association and the Executive Board. According to the Minister of the Interior, the AMPCC represents a new mechanism of cooperation between local actors, reflecting the determination of the presidents of municipal councils to strengthen the ties of solidarity and cooperation between terrtorial collectivities.
Participation of a Moroccan Delegation in the 16th General Conference of the Arab Towns Organization -ATO-: A large Moroccan delegation took part in the 16th General Conference of the Arab Towns Organization -ATO- workshops, held in Doha-Qatar from 14th to 16th May 2013, under the theme:“The
Cities
and
the
Challenges
of
Sustainable
Development”. The delegation was composed of 17 Presidents of municipalities and representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, and led by Mr. Fathallah OUALALOU, president of the Urban Municipality of the city of Rabat. During the opening ceremony, Mayor Fathallah OUALALOU delivered a keynote speech recalling the recommendations made in Doha to create a network of cities aimed at promoting environmental development. He also recalled the initiative taken by the ATO to establish the network of Arab cities that are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. The Qatari Government’s authorities and the participants in the Conference visited the Moroccan pavilion, organized by Rabat 2013 Association with the goal of promoting the International Exhibition of Local Authorities “Rabat Expo”, to be held from the 1st to the 4th October 2013. A number of Qatari cities expressed interest in establishing partnerships and cooperative relations with Moroccan cities, notably the case of Larache. At this Conference, Rabat was confirmed as a green city with respect to the Green Area Ratio (20m2 of green area per inhabitant), and was admitted as a member of the Environmental Council of Arab towns. Subsequent to the workshops of the General Conference of the Arab Towns Organization –ATO, a number of decisions have been made: -
The Secretary General of the Arab Towns Organization, Mr Abdul Aziz Yousuf AlAdsani, was unanimously re-elected for the next two sessions.
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-
The city of Constantine has been chosen as the host city of the 17th General Conference of the Arab Towns Organization –ATO, to be held in 2016.
-
Doha Declaration, the main resolution that was adopted, is of great importance and in perfect harmony with the aspirations and ambitions of the Arab city that aims, through its local development, to establish itself as a strategic player in the field of sustainable development while being actively present in regional and international forums. Essentially, through the Doha Declaration, the Arab Towns Organization has appealed to Arab financial institutions and international donors and investors, and encourages them to go beyond common methods of financing, to include cities and rural areas and to contribute to the development of programs related to local and regional activities.
On the occasion of the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank in Marrakech, a meeting was held between the Executive Board of Rabat 2013 Association and United Cities and Local Governments Africa (CGLUA) General Secretary, in order to define a strategy for mobilization of Ministers of the continent and Mayors of major African cities. In addition to formal invitations, and targeted communication action plans, it was agreed that on the sidelines of the Congress, a round table of Mayors of major African cities would be held, on themes specific to the continent. CGLUA would be responsible for the organization of the meeting.
Sao Paulo hosted the New Cities Summit 2013 organized by the New Cities Foundation under the theme: “The Human City”, and placing the individual and the community at the heart of discussions on the urban future. The summit approached the theme “Human City” from five key angles: ‘Build’, ‘Include’, ‘Participate’, ‘Play’ and ‘lead’.
Morocco's National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) and The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have signed Phase II of the Agreement on technical assistance of Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Development Program.
Election of the President of the Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech, Mr Abdellatif Miraoui, head of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie for the period (2013-2017), at its 16th General Assembly
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The annual conference of the platform of Smart Cities & Communities, recently held in Budapest, brought together the various actors involved in the development of smart cities, with the goal of promoting new integrated approaches on energy and transport questions in the cities. At this occasion, the creation of a new working group focusing on ICT for smart cities was announced.
In Morocco, Mr. Ismail Alaoui, President of the new committee of the National Dialogue on civil society and the new constitutional prerogatives, presented his strategy that aims to put forward, in March 2014, a legislative basis for the activation of Constitution Articles dedicated to civil society and its new roles, and to develop the debate on associative life, civil liberties, rights, responsibilities and governance. To this end, regional thematic consultation conferences, listening sessions, an international conference for Moroccans living abroad and a national colloquium will be organized with the goal of issuing memorandum proposals. According to statistics, there are nearly 90,000 non-governmental organizations and the number of entities created progresses annually by an avergae of 10%.
The European Commission has adopted a policy document entitled ‘Empowering Local Authorities in partner countries for enhanced governance and more effective development outcomes’. The document stresses the importance of Local Authorities as actors for development and presents the new EU approach that “would promote enhanced political, administrative and fiscal autonomy of Local Authorities through decentralization reforms, capacity and institutional development”. http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/civilsociety/documents/com_2013_280_local_authorities_in_partner_countries_en.pdf
With the support of the African Development Bank and Microsoft, the Moroccan city of Fez will be equiped with an urban dashboard, a platform that includes all urban indicators, also referred to as key performance indicators, such as health, education, population density and sanitation..etc. This new cloud-based tool, the first of its kind in Africa, aims to help the Bank and African policymakers improve urban management and governance, measure the progress of cities and facilitate planning, realization, sectoral synergy and monitoring of development projects.
Launch in Mexico of the Euro-Latin American Alliance for Cooperation between Cities (AlLas project). This cooperation project has received € 1.4 million in funding from the European Union and includes the French federation of local authorities Cités Unie France and the Fondo Andaluz de Municipios para la Solidaridad Internacional. This network that
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brings together the cities of: Mexico, Quito (Ecuador), Lima (Peru), Moron (Argentina), Belo Horizonte (Brazil) and Medelin (Colombia) and Montevideo (Uruguay), has three specific goals : - To strengthen the legal and institutional capacity of cities to work in a coordinated network. - To support the development of long-term participatory strategic planning for internationalization. - To accompany specific cooperation projects in three priority fields: sustainability, social inclusion and regional attractiveness.
Starting next July, the Federation of medium-sized cities (FVM), an association of French local elected representatives, will obtain a consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, for a period of four years.
Agenda From 1 to 2 July Paris
4th Forum of International Action of Local Authorities/General Assembly of CUE.
From 2 to 5 July Cascais
The XIII Annual Conference of the International Observatory on participatory Democracy (IOPD)
From 25 to 27 September Nantes
Association Rabat 2013 Immeuble High Tech – 5ème étage – Boulevard Annakhil – Hay Riad – Rabat
Eco-cities, 10th edition of World Summit of Sustainable Cities.
For any question / suggestion / comments on this publication,
website
or
2013
Rabat
Summit:
contact@rabat2013.com
Phone: +212 537 207 207 Fax: +212 537 700 545
For any information related to “Rabat Expo Fair”:
Web: www.rabat2013.com
Irena.Bardinet@mci-group.com
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