African Union

Highlights for Monday, 11 November 2019 Mpho Parks Tau, President of UCLG, and Emilia Sáiz, UCLG Secretary-General, share a moment as the first day of the 2019 UCLG Congress begins. The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders convened Monday for the first of two days of preparatory sessions, leading up to the official opening of the Summit on Wednesday.At an opening press briefing, the President of UCLG Mpho Parks Tau, Deputy Minister, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, South Africa, outlined the highlights of the UCLG’s work over the past three years, including input to the New Urban Agenda (Habitat lll). He said the UCLG – a “network of networks” – was at the forefront of mobilization of local government associations. Tau noted significant strides in enhancing the voice of local and regional governments within the UN system, and highlighted the relevance of local inputs on the SDGs, climate change, housing, migration, and local finance.Approximately 20 sessions took place throughout the day, organized around four “Tracks,” as well as the Local4Action Hub, an informal meeting place, and related events organized by themes and constituencies due to take place through the week. The Tracks are: Assembly Track – Local Action for the People; Town Hall Track – Cities are Listening; Local4Action Track – A multi-format collaborative track to facilitate partnerships; and Statutory Track – A decision-making track for UCLG members, comprising meetings of governing bodies responsible for shaping UCLG policies and work plans. Following the informal launch of the Local4Action Hub, several events took place in the Summit “Agora” that included sessions on: Mayors for the Future, Cities Panels addressing regional collaboration on multilevel governance and informality, and an enabling environment for local human development, and the launch of the Call to Action after the Marrakesh Mayoral Declaration. A special session on the future of local finance convened in the afternoon. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the #UCLGCongress Durban 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report from the Congress, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Local4Action Hub Participants gather for the Local4Action Hub inaugural celebration. Jean Baptiste Buffet, UCLG Emilia Sáiz, UCLG Secretary-General, and Mpho Parks Tau, President of UCLG Panel speakers for the session 'Mayors for the Future.' Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, The Gambia Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, UK Participants during the session. Special Session: The Future of Local Finance Panel speakers during the special session (L-R): Moderator Judy Nkosi, Director, National Treasury, South Africa; Sameh Wahba, Global Director, Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice, World Bank; Michel-André Volle, Meridiam; Christel Alvergne, Regional Coordinator West and Central Africa, UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF); Hanitra Raharinjatovo-Rasamison, Director-General, Local Development Fund, Madagascar; Rodica Rossu, Mayor of Telita, Moldova; Mohamed Boudra, Mayor of Al Hoceima, Morocco, and President of the Moroccan Association of Communal Council of Presidents (AMPCC); Ahmed Aziz Diallo, Mayor of Dori, Burkina Faso; Isaac Musumba, Minister for Urban Development, Uganda. Delegates listen to the presenters during the session. Local4Action Track Panel speakers for the session 'Localizing the transformative Agenda: scaling up and out social and solidarity economy and finance' (L-R): Judith Hitchman, President, Urgenci, The International Network for Community Supported Agriculture; Carlos de Freitas, Global Fund For Cities Development (FMDV); Laurence Kwark, Secretary General of the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF). Panel speakers for the session 'Delivery of inclusive and sustainable cities - theory and practice using multi-criteria and geospatial tools' (L-R): Ashley Hay, Celiwe Kgowedi, and Mannini Makhele; Gauteng Office of the Premier, South Africa; Irene Josa, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain; and Santiago Uzal, International Congress of Urban Landscapes. Claudia Baranzelli, European Commission Edgardo Bilsky, UCLG Panel speakers for the session 'Shaping resilient cities' (L-R): Craig Laird, UN-Habitat; Rene Peter Hohmann, Cities Alliance Secretariat, UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS); Vinesh Chintaram, Secretary General, African Union of Architects; Fatimatou Abdel Malick, President of Nouakchott Regional Council, Mauritania; Najat Zarrouk, Director, ALGA; Sikhumbuzo Mtembu, Deputy President, South African Institute of Architects; and Mzwandile Masina, Executive Mayor, City of Ekurhuleni, South Africa. Participants gather for the session 'Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) - building blocks for a community of practice.' Panel speakers during the session 'Community of pactice on local finance: the landscape of urban transition financing.' Mannini Makhele; Gauteng Office of the Premier, South Africa Santiago Uzal, International Congress of Urban Landscapes Ronald Wall, University of Witswatersrand, South Africa Changhee Lee, Seoul Metroplitan Government, South Korea Ibticem Atitallah Regaieg, Deputy Major of Sfax city, Tunisia; Christopher Kang’ombe, Mayor of Kitwe, and President, Local Government Association of Zambia; and Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General, UCLG Africa, during the session on 'Young African local elected offficials facing the challenges of territorial governance.' Panel speakers for the session 'Cities at the center: how 'state of cities' reports influence urban policy and governance' (L-R): Ronald Wall, University of Witswatersrand, South Africa; Mbali Hlophe, Gauteng Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Arts and Culture, South Africa; Beryl Mphakathi, Deputy City Manager, eThekwini Municipality; and Mzwandile Masina, City of Ekurhuleni, South Africa. Sofia Moschin, Italian Youth Delegate, speaks during the session 'Raising awareness on youth.' Town Hall Track Participants gather for the preparatory meeting of the Town Hall Track. Eugenie Birch, University of Pennsylvania, US Federico Batista Poitier, World Enabled Massima Perrino, UCLG Emilia Sáiz, UCLG Secretary-General Participants gather for a family photo showing that "Cities Are Listening." Around the Venue Media Briefing on the UCLG Congress and World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders (L-R): Mxolisi Kaunda, Executive Mayor eThekwini Municipality, South Africa; Sebenzile Ngangelizwe, Deputy President, South African Local Government Association (SALGA); Mpho Parks Tau, President of UCLG; and Emilia Sáiz, UCLG Secretary-General. Participants network between sessions. Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, The Gambia (L), speaks with a delegate. Delegates between sessions.

Highlights for Tuesday, 15 October 2019 Budapest-based modern circus company, Recirquel, opened BWS 2019 with a mesmerizing water-themed performance. The third Budapest Water Summit opened in Budapest, Hungary on Tuesday to a mesmerizing water-themed dance performance by the Budapest-based and world-renowned modern circus company, Recirquel.Hungarian President János Áder gave opening remarks. He stressed that technologies are needed to mitigate and adapt to emerging water crises. Among the country’s successes, he noted Hungary has built over 4,200 kilometers of dykes, as well as water reservoirs to manage floods, and its investments in water quality mean that “rivers leaving our country are cleaner than when they arrive.”Samdech Hun Sen, Cambodian Prime Minister, discussed joint approaches and implementation mechanisms to promote cooperation and water security at regional and global levels.Via video message, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres expressed support to the Summit’s objective, noting that water is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and pointed to the UN’s commitment to pursue the human right to water. UN-Water Chair and International Fund for Agricultural Development President, Gilbert Houngbo, stressed the need for new political momentum and a transformational shift in how we value water.Jin Liqun, President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), said water disasters cost the Asian economy US$360 billion per year, and reported that AIIB is developing a water strategy to guide the investment sector.Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation, India, reported that water security is at the center of India’s development agenda, and underlined efforts to decentralize water governance and a campaign to “make water everyone’s business.”In the morning and afternoon, participants attended three sessions that brought together ministers and high-level representatives from Ghana, Jordan, Slovakia, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Slovenia as well as representatives of the EU and African Union (AU), multilateral development banks, the World Bank Group, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), among others, to discuss water crises. During the sessions, participants heard keynotes followed by panel discussions on: Can Water Crises Be Prevented? Value of Water vs. Costs of a Water Crisis - Are we Talking About the Same? Water Crises - What is the Economically Rational Behavior? On crises prevention, discussions included: technology to improve efficiency, promoting water as a tool for peace, behavior change via education of youth, investment that builds resilience, tiered pricing systems, and transboundary water governance. On water valuation and costs of crises, panelists raised a number of topics, including: reducing water consumption, valuing water at the individual level, access to water as a human right, local water governance, unlocking funding for water investment, building synergies such as the water-energy-climate nexus, and multistakeholder initiatives to address pollution.On economically rational behavior in water crises, discussion focused on how to deal with complexities in policy processes and the financial sector, including: voluntary agreements, economic incentives and models for integrated water resources management, flood forecasting and early warning systems, and risk assessments.A series of side events took place in parallel with the Summit. In the evening, participants attended a cultural programme and reception at the Palace of the Arts. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ meeting coverage, provided daily digital coverage and daily reports from BWS 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary report in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Inauguration Session Zsófia Tomaj, Master of Ceremonies János Áder, President of Hungary António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, addressed participants via a video message. Gilbert Houngbo, UN-Water Chair and IFAD President Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister, Cambodia Jin Liqun, AIIB President Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation, India Press Conference János Áder, President of Hungary, and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation, India, addressing a press conference following the opening of the Summit. The media at BWS 2019 Session 1 - Can Water Crises Be Prevented? L-R: Moderator Bai-Mass Taal, Former Executive Secretary, African Ministers’ Council on Water; Raed Abu Al-Saud, Minister of Water and Irrigation, Jordan; Norbert Kurilla, Ministry of Environment, Slovak; Youssef Filali-Meknassi, UNESCO; Li Yong, UNIDO Director General; Rodolfo Lacy, OECD; and Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Ghana Moderator Bai-Mass Taal, Former Executive Secretary, African Ministers’ Council on Water Raed Abu Al-Saud, Minister of Water and Irrigation, Jordan Session 2: Value of Water vs. Costs of a Water Crisis – Are We Talking About the Same? L-R: Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, South Africa; Ahmat Awad Sakine, Permanent Representative of the AU to the EU; Pio Wennubst, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), IFAD and the World Food Programme (WFP); Frank Rijsberman, Director General, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI); Moderator Aaron Salzberg, Director, Water Institute, University of North Carolina; Olcay Ünver, Vice Chair, UN-Water; Elisabeth van Duin, Director, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands; and Rochi Khemka, 2030 Water Resources Group Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, South Africa Ahmat Awad Sakine, Permanent Representative of the AU to the EU Session 3: Water Crises – What is the Economically Rational Behaviour? L-R: Martin Frick, Senior Director, Policy and Programme Coordination, UNFCCC Secretariat; Jennifer Sara, Global Director, Water Global Practice, World Bank Group; Simon Zajc, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Slovenia; Monika Weber-Fahr, Executive Secretary, Global Water Partnership (GWP); Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Executive Chairman, The Jospong Group; Ciarán Ó Cuinn, Director, Middle East Desalination Research Center; Karine Méasson, Head of Water Management Division, European Investment Bank (EIB); and Moderator María Concepción Donoso, Institute for Water and Environment, Florida International University, and Member of the International Programme and Drafting Committee of BWS 2019 Martin Frick, Senior Director, Policy and Programme Coordination, UNFCCC Secretariat Jennifer Sara, Global Director, Water Global Practice, World Bank Group Around the Venue