GOLD Report I - UCLG

AFRICA46 United Cities and Local GovernmentsThe UCLGA represents all local governments inAfrica and seeks recognition from the African Unionas the voice of African local governments withinthe Pan-African organizationfrom anglophone countries, the Union desVilles Africaines (UVA) for francophonecountries and the União dos ciudades y CapitaesLusofono Africana (UCCLA) for Portuguese-speakingcountries.This initiative reflects a recognition of increasingglobalization, a comparativelynew phenomenon that cannot fail to affectlocal governments. 6 The UCLGA foundingcongress took place in Tshwane in May2005, marking the starting point of theunified African municipal movement. TheUCLGA represents all local governments inAfrica and seeks recognition from the AfricanUnion as the voice of African localgovernments within the Pan-African organization.IV.4.2. African Conference onDecentralization and LocalDevelopment (CADDEL)In the spirit of African unity, African ministersset up a Pan-African platform for discussionand sharing experience ondecentralization and local development inAfrica.Meeting in Windhoek, Namibia, at the secondAfricités summit in May 2000, AfricanMinisters for Decentralization and financeministers decided to move the decentralizationprocess forward in Africa by settingup a political body at continental levelknown as the African Conference on Decentralizationand Local Development(CADDEL).At that meeting, proponents of decentralizationexpressed the wish that the AfricanUnion should be the reference body for thenew platform.They set CADDEL the following objectives:• Persuade governments to list decentralizationamong their priorities and pushfor greater awareness on the part ofboth leaders and citizens of the centralrole played by decentralization in theeconomic development process;• Keep decentralization and local developmenton the national policy agendasof member states, and at continentallevel within the African Union;• Make sure that African states maintaintheir commitment to the decentralizationprocess;• Act as liaison between the organizationof African local government associationsand their central governments forall issues involving decentralization andlocal development;• Mobilize resources from developmentpartners in order to implement decentralizationand local development programmes.6. The first Pan-African summit “Africities” took place in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) in 1998, gathering togethervarious African municipal unions. During the 2nd Africities summit organized in Windhoek (Namibia) in2000, the three main municipal organizations agreed upon the creation of an African Union of Cities. In2003 a first founding assembly took place, during the 3rd Africities summit, in Yaoundé (Cameroon). Thecommon declaration of Yaoundé was adopted with the following principles:· to promote to local authorities of Africa the founding congress of the association “United Cities and LocalGovernments”· to set up the statutes of the new Pan-African organization· to decide on the definitive name of the organization and prepare its founding congress.