Articles et interventions

Introducing Africities, AF8 New York press conference – EN – 20p – 30.09.2018 – Africités

Introducing africities
New York Press Conference

Gustave Massiah
30-08-2018

AF8 NY press conference

Allow me to introduce, briefly, on four topics

UCLGA and Africities ; Africities and Local Africa ; Africities 8 and Transition ; Youth at Africities

UCLGA and AFRICITIES

United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) is the umbrella organization of African local governments since May 2005. It is the Africa section of the World organisation of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

The organization represents 47 national associations of local and subnational governments, and 200 subnational and city governments with more than 100, 000 inhabitants from all regions of Africa.

The vision of UCLG Africa is to build african unity and driving development from the grassroots.

The Africities Summit, organized by UCLGA, is a major pan-African event, held every three years, in one of the five regions of Africa, mobilizing local authorities, sub-national governments, cities and a range of community stakeholder groups from across the continent. This Summit is strengthening local and regional governments and contributing to building Africa from its local governments.

This 8th edition of the Summit will be held in Marrakech, Morocco on November 20th to 24th, 2018. It is the celebration of twenty year of Africities that sart in 1998 in Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire. Africities put Local Africa at the heart of a new approach to achieve sustainable development on the African continent.

Around 5,000 participants are expected at the event, coming from 2500 cities and local government, 1000 mayors, 50 ministers, 500 exhibitors, 40 institutional partners.

These participants represents all the stakeholders of African local life as well as their partners from other regions of the world, including: African Ministers for Public Service, Urban Development and Housing, Decentralization and Local governments; African leaders of subnational and local governments; Representatives senior staff of national and local and subnational governments administrations; Representatives of the Business Sector; Civil Society Organisations; African Traditional and Moral Authorities; Researchers and Academia; Development Partners and International Cooperation Agencies, among others.

They will debate apropriate policies and strategies, at local, subnational, national, regional, and continental levels, to improve living conditions of african people, to contribute to integration, unity and peace in Africa, starting from the grassroots

AFRICITIES IS LOCAL AFRICA

Africa had 1.2 billion inhabitants in 2015. It should have between 2 and 3 billion inhabitants in 2050. Africa represented 16 % of the world's population in 2016; it could represent 39% in 2100. The urban framework of Africa has rapidly evolved. In 1960, at independencies, Africa had two cities with more than one million inhabitants, Cairo and Johannesburg. In 2015, there are 79 African cities with more than one million inhabitants and 21 cities with more than two million inhabitants. There are 139 cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants. Five cities have more than 8 million inhabitants, one per subregion: Lagos, Cairo, Johannesburg-Gauteng, Kinshasa, and Nairobi. Urbanization is not just about big cities; 70% of the urban population lives in secondary cities.

Africities is a space to build, from local governance, an African governance. To rethink governance at the national level of each State, at the level of the African sub-regions and regional economic communities, and at the level of the governance architecture of the entire continent. The proposal is to link the respect for the societies and local contexts, the essential national territory and the necessary integration of Africa.

Africities helped to identify and disseminate the major innovations in the action of African local and regional governments

Africities helped to consolidate the alliances for local development and democratization between the local and regional elected officials and the African stakeholders intervening in the local territories. Its legitimacy is based on the opening of exchanges to the civil society and all networks of stakeholders: peasants, youth, women, trade unionists, academics and researchers, entrepreneurs and businessmen. All these stakeholders, regardless of opinion, address the same generic theme to present plural insights.

In the 54 countries on the continent, there are 16,186 local authorities, including 15,536 basic communes, 135 intermediate level communities, and 515 higher level communities (Regions, Federated States, Provinces, etc.).

Nearly 2,500 local and regional elected officials, including almost 1000 mayors from 50 African countries, participate in Africities. This meeting concerns nearly one out ten of the local and regional governments in Africa. It is regrouping most elected officials from the largest number of countries. Africities is, without doubt, the most important democratic and panafrican event in Africa.

TRANSITION

The theme of this Africity is “The Transition to Sustainable Cities and Territories, the Role of Local and Sub-National Governments of Africa.” This Summit will address the need for Africa to embark on a sustainable development, in accordance with the provisions of the African Agenda 2063, the UN Agenda 2030 on sustainable development goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the New Urban Agenda. It is a space open to all those who wish, in alliance with African local and subnational governments, to build alternative policies leading to environmental sustainability and social inclusion in Africa.

At all levels it is the time for paradigm changes. It is the sense of transitions. The Summit will consider and articulate five dimensions of transition: écological, social and economic, democratic and political, cultural and communicational, and demographic. For each of these dimensions, participants in Marrakesh will have to define what characterizes the transition in question, especially in the African context and its specificities, and the role that local and subnational governments of Africa will play.

- The ecological transition reflects how society is changing and questioning dominant production and consumption systems confronted with climate change. It transforms all meaning of development.

- The economic and social transition explores new forms of growth and dvelopment, It deals with the necessary process of industrialization that cares about energy efficiency, sobriety in waste production, and the circular economy. It addresses the issue of inclusiveness and fight against inequalities, injustice and all forms of discrimination.

- The democratic and political transition addresses on the high demand for more participation by the people and, on the other part, the difficulties of representation that tends to separate the political elite from the people they are supposed to represent. The difficulties to complement representative democracy with participatory democratic processes.

- The Cultural and communicational transition is decisive and involves the adoption of new cultural, scientific or philosophical references. Cities will be upset by scientific and technological developments. New technological packages will mark the cities of the future.

- The demographic transition is characterized by five main transformations: the increase of Africa's share of the world population, the rapid urbanization of the continent, the decisive evolution of the place of women in the political and social field, the migrations, and the generational changes and mutations of African youth.

Four themes will be at the center of Africities 8 : Climate ; Women ; Migrations ;Youth

YOUTH

The debates during this Africities will be crucial, in particular for the youth. And the Summit will host the first Youth Forum and Creative Lab to help young people contribute and “imagine a sustainable future for Africa and its cities and territories, in 2030 and 2063.”

We are able to announce the partnership between UCLGA, UN Habitat, UNODC and UNESCO in the upcoming Africities Youth Forum in Marrakech, Morocco on the 20th -24th of November 2018. The partnerships aims to develop innovative solutions for young people in Africa with a focus on the UN Habitat Safer Cities Programme, UNDOC’s mandate on Anti-corruption and Urban Crime Prevention and UNESCO under their framework of Science, Technology and Innovation. The aim of the partnership is to develop innovative youth driven solutions that will shape the Africa we want by 2063 with a milestone by 2030. The Youth Forum will include The Creative Lab a competition targeting young people aged between 15 and 35 from all regions of Africa and the diaspora that have innovative solutions to drive entrepreneurship and contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals in Africa.

The programs developed for youth must be comprehensive and multifaceted, building on the assets and strengths of Africa: 60% of Africa’s current population are under the age of 25 In recognition and nearly 70% is currently under 35 years UCLG Africa have made youth a primary focus for the development of Local Africa. Joining forces with UN Habitat, UNODC and UNESCO to organize youth development and leadership programs.

The competition will select 20 young Africans that will be invited to participate in Ideation workshops and a Creativity Lab consisting of a Cartoon Camp Challenge and a Virtual Reality Contest, around the topic of “Imagine a sustainable future for Africa and its cities and territories, in 2030 and 2063”. Young people will be invited from across the continent and the diaspora to participate in workshops, discussion forums and side events that explore 5 areas; Economic and Social Empowerment ; Education and Capacity Building ; Good Governance, Integrity and Anti-corruption ; Entrepreneurship, Employment and Job Creation ; Urban Crime Prevention and Safer Cities (addressing the health and wellbeing of youth populations in cities and urban spaces)

At the end of the Summit we will have a youth development strategy and a set of project proposals to address and meet the needs of young people that has been identified for them by them.

AF8 NY press conference

Allow me to emphasize, briefly, on four topics

UCLGA and Africities ; Local Africa ; Africities 8 and Transition ; Youth

UCLGA and AFRICITIES

The organization represents 47 national associations of local and subnational governments, and 2000 subnational and city governments with more than 100, 000 inhabitants from all regions of Africa. It is the voice for over 350 million African citizens and has regional offices across the continent.

The vision of UCLG Africa is, “b_u_i_l_d_i_n_g_ _a_f_r_i_c_a_n_ _u_n_i_t_y_ _a_n_d_ _d_r_i_v_i_n_g_ _d_e_v_e_l_o_p_m_e_n_t_ _f_r_o_m_ _t_h_e_ _g_r_a_s_s_r_o_o_t_s_._” _

Africities is the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa's flagship pan-

African event that is held every three years in one of the five regions of Africa,

mobilizing local authorities, sub-national governments, cities and a range of

community stakeholder groups from across the continent.

The Africities Summit embodies a choice and a will. It is strengthening local and regional governments and contributing to building Africa from its local governments.

The Africities Summit is proudly celebrating its 20th Year ; this 8th edition of the Summit will be held in Marrakech, Morocco on November 20th to 24th, 2018.

Starting in 1998 in Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire this triennial summit has grown

significantly at each juncture and is without doubt, the most democratic

gathering in Africa. Our 20 year celebration of Africities will showcase Local

Africa and will put them at the heart of a new approach to achieve sustainable

development on the African continent.

Around 5,000 participants are expected at the event, representing all the stakeholders of African local life as well as their partners from other regions of the world, including: African Ministers for Public Service, Urban Development and Housing, Decentralization and Local governments; African leaders of subnational and local governments; Representatives senior staff of national and local and subnational governments administrations; Representatives of the Business Sector; Civil Society Organisations; African Traditional and Moral Authorities; Researchers and Academia; Development Partners and International Cooperation Agencies, among others.

5000 participants ; 2500 cities and local govt ; 750 mayors, 35 ministers

500 exhibitors ;100 sessions ;40 partners

To be a dilogue platform for debating apropriate shared policies and strategies

At local, subnational, national, regional, and continental levels

To improve living conditions of african people

To contribute to integration, unity and peace in Africa, starting from the grassroot

LOCAL AFRICA

Africa had 1.2 billion inhabitants in 2015. It should have between 2 and 3 billion inhabitants in 2050. Africa represented 16 % of the world's population in 2016; it could represent 39% in 2100.

The urban framework of Africa has rapidly evolved. In 1960, Africa had two cities with more than one million inhabitants, Cairo and Johannesburg. In 2015, there are 79 African cities with more than one million inhabitants and 21 cities with more than two million inhabitants. There are 139 cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants. Five cities have more than 8 million inhabitants, one per subregion: Lagos, Cairo, Johannesburg-Gauteng, Kinshasa, and Nairobi. Urbanization is not just about big cities; 70% of the urban population lives in secondary cities. Urbanization is mostly coastal, with 20% of urban dwellers living in non-coastal countries.

There are 54 countries on this continent, this is the number of countries in Africa. And that's more than a quarter of the number of countries in the world. The area of Africa is still 30 415 873 km². And on this continent live more than 1.3 billion inhabitants or 17% of the world population.
There are 16,186 local authorities in Africa, including 15,536 basic communes, 135 intermediate level communities, and 515 higher level communities (Regions, Federated States, Provinces, etc.).

Africities is a space to build, from local governance, an African governance

Africities brings to the fore building a continuum in public governance, based on local governments to rethink governance at the national level of each State, at the level of the African sub-regions and regional economic communities, and at the level of the governance architecture of the entire continent. By starting from the territories, it links up at the different levels, the institutions and the forms of administration and governance that bring together Africa. The proposal from the local level and the local territories aims at reconciling the respect for the societies and local contexts, the essential national territory and the necessary integration of Africa.

Africities helped to identify and disseminate the major innovations in the action of African local and regional governments

Africities is the most important democratic gathering in Africa

Nearly 2,500 local and regional elected officials, including almost 1,500 mayors from 50 African countries participate in the Pan-African gathering. It is the most important democratic gathering in Africa, regrouping most elected officials from the largest number of countries. This meeting is very significant as it concerns nearly one out ten of the 15,000 local and regional governments in Africa.

The Africities legitimacy is also based on the opening of its exchanges to the civil society and all networks of stakeholders: peasants, youth, women, trade unionists, academics and researchers, entrepreneurs and businessmen. All these stakeholders, regardless of opinion, address the same generic theme to present plural insights.

TRANSITION

- The demographic transition is characterized by five main transformations :

the increase of Africa's share of the world population, the rapid urbanization of the continent, the decisive evolution of the place of women in the political and social field, the generational changes and mutations of African youth, and migration.

- The ecological transition reflects how society is changing and questioning dominant production and consumption systems which has increasing global warming, and fuelling climate change.

- The democratic and political transition addresses the growing mismatch between the high demand for more participation by the people at the grassroots level and the difficulties witnessed in patterns of representation that tends to separate the political elite from the people they are supposed to represent. Hence the need to find ways and means to complement representative democracy with participatory democratic processes.

- The economic and social transition explores new forms of growth and development, It deals with the necessary process of industrialization that cares about energy efficiency, sobriety in waste production, and the circular economy. It addresses the issue of inclusiveness and fight against inequalities, injustice and all forms of discrimination. It pays special attention to the poor, to people with disabilities and to the elderly.

- Cultural and communicational transition: This transition is decisive and involves the adoption of new cultural, scientific or philosophical references. Cities will be upset by scientific and technological developments. New technological packages will mark the cities of the future.

For each of these dimensions, participants in the 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakesh will have to define what characterizes the transition in question, especially in the African context and its specificities, and the role that local and subnational governments of Africa will play.

The end goal of the 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakech will be to contribute to :

A #LocalAfrica that is inclusive and improves the quality of life for all
A proud #LocalAfrica that harnesses the energy of its youth
A confident #LocalAfrica that can drive local economic development and job creation.
A creative #LocalAfrica that can change its future through technology and innovation
A connected #LocalAfrica linking all cities and territories within Africa and to the world.

Four themes will be central in Africities 8 : Climate ; Women ; Migrations ;Youth

YOUTH

This is why the debates that will take place during the 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakesh is so crucial, in particular for the youth, which is why at this year's

summit we will host our first ever Youth Forum and Creative Lab to help young

people contribute their ideas and “imagine a sustainable future for Africa and its

cities and territories, in 2030 and 2063.”

The purpose is to announce a partnership between the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa, UN Habitat, UNODC and UNESCO in the upcoming Africities Youth Forum in Marrakech, Morocco on the 20th -24th of November 2018. The partnerships aims to develop innovative solutions for young people in Africa with a focus on the UN Habitat Safer Cities Programme,_ _U_N_O_D_C_ _‘s_ _mandate on Anti-corruption and Urban Crime Prevention and UNESCO under their framework of Science, Technology and Innovation. The aim of the partnership is to develop innovative youth driven solutions that will shape the Africa we want by 2063 with a milestone by 2030. To be specific UCLG Africa along with our strategic partners will host the Youth Forum at the Africities Summit in Marrakesh, Morocco on 20 November. The Youth Forum will include The Creative Lab a competition targeting young people aged between 15 – _35 from all regions of Africa and the diaspora that have innovative solutions to drive entrepreneurship and contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals in Africa.

The programs developed for youth must be comprehensive and multifaceted, building on the assets and strengths of Africa: 6_0_%_ _o_f_ _A_f_r_i_c_a_’s_ _c_u_r_r_e_n_t_ _p_o_p_u_l_a_t_i_o_n_ _a_r_e_ _u_n_d_e_r_ _t_h_e_ _a_g_e_ _o_f_ _2_5_._ In recognition nearly 70_%_ _o_f_ _A_f_r_i_c_a_’s_ _p_o_p_u_l_a_t_i_on is currently under 35 years UCLG Africa have made youth a primary focus for the development of Local Africa. To ensure that the voice of youth is heard, UCLG Africa has joined forces with UN Habitat, UNODC and UNESCO to organize youth development and leadership programs.

The Youth Forum includes a competition that is opened to young Africans aiming at harvesting as many new ideas as possible to accelerate the transition towards sustainable cities and territories in Africa, targeting Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the Agenda 2063 of the A_f_r_i_c_a_n_ _U_n_i_o_n_ _f_o_r_ _t_h_e_ _r_e_a_l_i_z_a_t_i_o_n_ _o_f_ _“T_h_e_ _A_f_r_i_c_a_ _We W_a_n_t_”,_ _a_n_d_ _o_f_ _t_h_e_ _High Five priorities proposed by the African Development Bank to accelerate its implementation.

The competition will select 20 young Africans that will be invited to participate in Ideation workshops and a Creativity Lab consisting of a Cartoon Camp Challenge and a Virtual Reality C_o_n_t_e_s_t_,_ _a_r_o_u_n_d_ _t_h_e_ _t_o_p_i_c_ _o_f_ _“Imagine a sustainable future for Africa and its cities and territories, in 2030 and 2063”._ _

With the support of partners, UN Habitat, UNODC and UNESCO young people will also be invited from across the continent and the diaspora to participate in workshops, discussion forums and side events that explore what we have coined the 5 areas;- -Economic and Social Empowerment ; Education and Capacity Building ; Good Governance, Integrity and Anti-corruption ; Entrepreneurship, Employment and Job Creation ;- Urban Crime Prevention and Safer Cities (addressing the health and wellbeing of youth populations in cities and urban spaces)

At the end of the Summit we will have a youth development strategy and a set of project proposals that attempts to address and meet the needs of young people that has been identified for them by them.

Outlines its principal goals to

Unite African local government; place it in the continental and global political and economic development context and represent it in all relevant forums
Strive for the establishment of local government as a distinct sphere of government working in support of national and other spheres of government in Africa
Ensure that local and subnational governments are reliable stakeholders working in partnership with the other actors to deliver on national, regional, continental and global agendas
Promote democracy, equality and respect for human rights at the local and

subnational governments level

Support sharing of human and intellectual capital as well as other resources among local and subnational governments in Africa
E_m_p_o_w_e_r_ _l_o_c_a_l_ _g_o_v_e_r_n_m_e_n_t_s_ _t_h_r_o_u_g_h_ _r_e_s_e_a_r_c_h_,_ _t_r_a_i_n_i_n_g_ _a_n_d_ _c_a_p_a_c_i_t_y_ _d_e_v_e_l_o_p_m_e_n_t_ _
Pursue sustainable development in partnership with institutions, structures and programs of the same mission.

To implement its vision and missions, UCLG Africa has adopted a 15-year long term perspective strategy spanning from 2008 to 2021, also known as the Governance, Advocacy & Decentralized Development Program for Africa (GADDEPA). GADDEPA lays out the objectives of the organization and how it aims to deliver and activities around the three priority pillars: Pillar 1: UCLG Africa institutional development; Pillar 2: Advocacy and Lobbying; 3. Capacity Building and Knowledge Management. 4

This project was rolled out through the successive Africties Summits and the depicting central themes.

Africities 1, in Abidjan, in January 1998, had as central theme: Recognizing the essential role of local governments in the development of Africa.

Africities 2, in Windhoek, in May 2000, had as central theme: Funding African local governments to ensure the sustainable development of the continent.

Africities 3, in Yaoundé, in December 2003, had as central theme: Speeding up access to basic services within African local governments.

Africities 4, in Nairobi, in September 2006, had as central theme: Building local coalitions for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals within African local governments.

Africities 5, in Marrakech, in December 2009, had as central theme: The response of African local and territorial governments to the global crisis: promotion of sustainable local development and employment.

Africities 6, in December 2012, in Dakar, had as central theme: Building Africa from its territories: Which challenges for the local governments?

The demographic question is essential. Africa had 1.2 billion inhabitants in 2015. It should have between 2 and 3 billion inhabitants in 2050. It had 100 million inhabitants in the 19^th century, 275 million in 1960, and 640 million in 1990. Africa represented 16 % of the world's population in 2016; it could represent 39% in 2100.

The urban population is growing by 3.4% per year. In 2009, the urban population, which represents 40% of the total population, represented 400 million people. By 2040, it should reach, with 1 billion inhabitants, 60% of the world’s population.

The world's urban framework is characterized by metropolization. In Africa, as elsewhere, the urban framework reflects a trend towards metropolization. A first level of the world's urban framework groups together the 27 megacities with 10 to 20 million inhabitants. There are only four in the countries of the North; the other 23 are in the South. Megacities are " City states », whose populations and wealth, as well as civil servants, are superior to those of many states. Urban planning and programming in these megacities are new developments, all the more so since they are linked together by a global urban framework. So there are sketches of urban planning around the world.

The second level of urban reinforcement is that of metropolises. It is more the function than the number of inhabitants that counts. Metropolises are linked to the organization of the national territory, and the administrative functions are important there. In metropolises, the question that arises is that of the evolution of these cities with respect to their periphery.

The third level is that of the central or secondary cities which, even more, are cities where space is articulated and organized which one now hesitates to describe as " rural ", given the fact that this category has become difficult to define. These cities do structure a region and give it its momentum.

There are 16,186 local authorities in Africa, including 15,536 basic communes, 135 intermediate level communities, and 515 higher level communities (Regions, Federated States, Provinces, etc.).

The theme of this year's Summit is “The Transition to Sustainable Cities and Territories, the Role of Local and Sub-National Governments of Africa.” The 2018 Africities Summit will address the unavoidable need for Africa to embark on a sustainable pathway to development, that complies with the provisions of the African Agenda 2063, the UN Agenda 2030 on sustainable development goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the New Urban Agenda. Africities is a space open to all those who wish, in alliance with African local and subnational governments, to build alternative policies leading to environmental sustainability and social inclusion in Africa. At this juncture in the history of humanity, the African continent is due to become the leading demographic force of the world, where it is predicted that the population will reach 4 billion inhabitants by 2100. In other words the choices in models of production and consumption, more or less energy efficiency, lowering or increasing our ecological footprint; and in that more or less equitable and just societies on the continent, will determine to a large extent the sustainable or unsustainable nature of the future of humanity.

“The choices that will be made in the areas of transition will have a major impact on the organization and functioning of cities and territories in Africa. This is why the debate on the transitional process that will take place at the 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakesh on 20 to 24 November is so crucial for not only the future of Africa, but also for the future of the entire world: Come and be part of this historical moment”.

The 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakech will set the tone for the development of local and sub-national governments transitional policies and strategies. It will come up with a new narrative reconciling the quest for growth and development with the need to drastically interrogate current models of production and consumption, in particular in the energy sector, in order to keep the balance between current consumption and deterioration of limited natural resources and the need to protect natural assets for future generations.
The 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakech will deal with different dimensions of this transition, and will serve as a starting point for identifying changes and linking these transformations with policies, strategies and tools to enhance implementation.

The demographic transition is characterized by five main transformations : the increase of Africa's share of the world population, the rapid urbanization of the continent, the decisive evolution of the place of women in the political and social field, the generational changes and mutations of African youth, and migration.

The ecological transition reflects how society is changing and questioning dominant production and consumption systems which has increasing global warming, and fuelling climate change.

The democratic and political transition addresses the growing mismatch between the high demand for more participation by the people at the grassroots level and the difficulties witnessed in patterns of representation that tends to separate the political elite from the people they are supposed to represent. Hence the need to find ways and means to complement representative democracy with participatory democratic processes.
The economic and social transition explores new forms of growth and development, It deals with the necessary process of industrialization that cares about energy efficiency, sobriety in waste production, and the circular economy. It addresses the issue of inclusiveness and fight against inequalities, injustice and all forms of discrimination. It pays special attention to the poor, to people with disabilities and to the elderly.

Cultural and communicational transition: This transition is decisive and involves the adoption of new cultural, scientific or philosophical references. Cities will be upset by scientific and technological developments. New technological packages will mark the cities of the future. Examples include robotics, communications satellites, laser and fibre optics, microprocessors and memories, biotechnologies, new materials and high-resistance ceramics, renewable energies, etc.

The end goal of the 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakech will therefore be to contribute to :

The theme of this year's Summit is “The Transition to Sustainable Cities and Territories, the Role of Local and Sub-National Governments of Africa.” The 2018 Africities Summit will address the unavoidable need for Africa to embark on a sustainable pathway to development, that complies with the provisions of the African Agenda 2063, the UN Agenda 2030 on sustainable development goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the New Urban Agenda. Africities is a space open to all those who wish, in alliance with African local and subnational governments, to build alternative policies leading to environmental sustainability and social inclusion in Africa. In other words the choices in models of production and consumption, more or less energy efficiency, lowering or increasing our ecological footprint; and in that more or less equitable and just societies on the continent, will determine to a large extent the sustainable or unsustainable nature of the future of humanity. The 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakech will set the tone for the development of local and sub-national governments transitional policies and strategies.

This is why the debates that will take place during the 2018 Africities Summit in Marrakesh is so crucial, in particular for the youth, which is why at this year's summit we will host our first ever Youth Forum and Creative Lab to help young people contribute their ideas and “imagine a sustainable future for Africa and its cities and territories, in 2030 and 2063.”

Developing and implementing appropriate strategies, policies and programs to mitigate the risks and challenges the youth face is a key priority not just for national states but also for local governments, cities and sub-national governments. Failure to provide appropriate opportunities for this target group could ultimately have enormous economic, political, cultural and social consequences. By working closely with UN Habitat, under the framework of the Safer Cities Programme, the partnership aims to strengthen local authorities and key stakeholders to be better equip them to deliver urban safety in particular for the most vulnerable groups that include youth, especially young girls.

U_C_L_G_ _A_f_r_i_c_a_ _a_l_s_o_ _a_l_i_g_n_s_ _i_t_’s_ _v_i_s_o_n_ _w_i_t_h_ _U_N_O_D_C_’s_ _m_a_n_d_a_t_e_ _i_n_ _s_t_r_e_n_g_h_t_e_n_i_n_g_ _t_h_e_ _r_o_l_e_ _o_f_ _c_i_t_i_e_s_ _i_n_ _dealing with crime and violence, UNODC also emphasizes on building resilience of communities and youth by addressing structural issues such as corruption and lack of transparency, and in providing a space free of drug use, terrorism and organised crime. The programs developed for youth must be comprehensive and multifaceted, building on the assets and strengths of Africa: 6_0_%_ _o_f_ _A_f_r_i_c_a_’s_ _c_u_r_r_e_n_t_ _p_o_p_u_l_a_t_i_o_n_ _a_r_e_ _u_n_d_e_r_ _t_h_e_ _a_g_e_ _o_f_ _2_5_._ _

Our youth development strategies will aim to tackle problems in a holistic way and provide unique opportunities for young people that will empower, drive entrepreneurship and the economic development of the continent for the next 3 years.

The Youth Forum at Africities will include 20 selected young Africans that will be invited to participate in a Creativity Lab consisting of an Ideation workshop, Cartoon Camp Challenge and a Virtual Reality Contest, around the topic of “I_M_A_G_I_N_E_ _A_ _S_U_S_T_A_I_N_A_B_L_E_ _F_U_T_U_R_E_ _F_O_R_ _A_F_R_I_C_A_ _A_N_D_ _I_T_S_ _C_I_T_I_E_S_ _A_N_D_ _T_E_R_R_I_T_O_R_I_E_S_,_ _I_N_ _2_0_3_0_ _A_N_D_ _2_0_6_3_” _5

In recognition nearly 70_%_ _o_f_ _A_f_r_i_c_a_’s_ _p_o_p_u_l_a_t_i_on is currently under 35 years UCLG Africa have made youth a primary focus for the development of Local Africa. To ensure that the voice of youth is heard, UCLG Africa has joined forces with UN Habitat, UNODC and UNESCO to organize youth development and leadership programs.

Therefore in order to celebrate its 20 anniversary, the Africities Summit has endeavored to set up and inaugurate the Youth Forum during this 2018 edition, in order to engage young people from across the continent and the diaspora to connect, share views and showcase innovative solutions that will create the Africa We Want. The Youth Forum includes a competition that is opened to young Africans aiming at harvesting as many new ideas as possible to accelerate the transition towards sustainable cities and territories in Africa, targeting Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the Agenda 2063 of the A_f_r_i_c_a_n_ _U_n_i_o_n_ _f_o_r_ _t_h_e_ _r_e_a_l_i_z_a_t_i_o_n_ _o_f_ _“T_h_e_ _A_f_r_i_c_a_ _We W_a_n_t_”,_ _a_n_d_ _o_f_ _t_h_e_ _High Five priorities proposed by the African Development Bank to accelerate its implementation.

The competition will select 20 young Africans that will be invited to participate in Ideation workshops and a Creativity Lab consisting of a Cartoon Camp Challenge and a Virtual Reality C_o_n_t_e_s_t_,_ _a_r_o_u_n_d_ _t_h_e_ _t_o_p_i_c_ _o_f_ _“Imagine a sustainable future for Africa and its cities and territories, in 2030 and 2063”._ _

Economic and Social Empowerment
Education and Capacity Building
Good Governance, Integrity and Anti-corruption
Entrepreneurship, Employment and Job Creation
Urban Crime Prevention and Safer Cities (addressing the health and wellbeing of youth populations in cities and urban spaces)

Renewal of elites
Changing paradigms
Afro-descendants
Local development
Territorialization and relocation
Cullture
Climat, migrations, femmes, jeunes
IT s time for africa
Diaspora 350 millions d’africains

← Article précèdentArticle suivant →

Rechercher

Recherche par mots clés :

Recherche par année :

Articles et interventions

Introducing africitiesNew York Press Conference

Recherche par langues :

Introducing africities
New York Press Conference