City-to-city cooperation discussed at ‘Meeting of Mayors’, part of Brussels conference on least developed countries

Third UN Conference on LDCs
15 May 2001 - AM





BRUSSELS, 15 May -- The central role of cities and their leaders in global development efforts was emphasized today, as some 300 mayors from throughout the world discussed various aspects of city-to-city cooperation in a day-long meeting, as part of the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, which is being held in Brussels, Belgium, from 14 to 20 May.

Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), stressed at the outset of the event -- described as a “Meeting of Mayors” -- that cities had a key role to play in efforts to fight poverty throughout the world. While globalization had placed many cities in a highly competitive framework, those in least developed countries (LDCs) often lacked the experience and capacity to compete. Key issues included: the ability of cities to access financial assistance; and capacity-building through city-to-city cooperation.

If decentralization was to work in LDC cities, local capacities must be strengthened, she said. The Habitat had worked extensively to address that issue. Among the key initiatives she cited was the Habitat II Conference (Istanbul, 1996), during which issues of partnership and development in the face of urbanization had been discussed.

Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), speaking at the start of the second half of the day-long meeting, said it was absolutely time that representatives of national governments meeting elsewhere in the building were challenged by the expression of city-to-city cooperation being seen here today.

The shift away from the countryside to the mega-cities of the developing world was changing the face of poverty, he said. In light of the great global changes being seen -- including in the areas of finance, information technology and trade -- cities emerged as the critical social and economic structures. There was much that the international community could learn from cities and their leaders, who had a great deal of specific knowledge about conditions on the ground.

Eddy Boutmans, State Secretary for Development Cooperation of Belgium, said that, in a context of world society becoming ever more complex, local authorities were gaining in importance. Development could only succeed if it was based on grass-roots involvement and the participation of all involved. Countries only developed if their cities and villages were developing. There and decentralization must be accompanied by a real transfer of authority and resources.

Partnership between developed and developing countries was not a one-way street, he emphasized. It was based on the conviction that both partners were contributing to a shared outcome.

Joan Clos, Mayor of Barcelona, representing the World Association of Cities and Local Authorities, pointed out that the cities of the world did not have their own status within the United Nations system -- they were obliged to express themselves under the banner of non-governmental organizations. He called for a mechanism to make it possible for towns and cities to speak under their own aegis in the United Nations context.

There was strong determination on the part of most city associations to come together as valid partners in the global dialogue, he said. He stressed the need to have an international charter for local government, which would greatly help with cooperation. He also recommended the establishment of stable bilateral relationships between cities, in partnership with a financial organization. This triangular relationship would promote concrete and local development.

A representative of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which serves as the United Nations focal point on LDCs, said the discussion today would have a major impact on the results of the whole Conference. The United Nations wanted to diminish the number of LDCs, so that if there was another conference in 10 years there would only be a few LDCs left, if any. The President of the United Republic of Tanzania had stressed yesterday the importance of ownership, based on partnership, of the development process. The participants in today’s meeting were a core part of the process.

During a discussion of the methodology for city-to-city cooperation, representatives Quebec City, Canada, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Lomé, Togo, Mainz, Germany, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Bangkok, Thailand, among others, gave overviews of their experiences in cooperating with other cities. It was stressed that such cooperation provided excellent opportunities for an exchange of information in a variety of areas, including skills and management techniques. The importance of including women in cooperation programmes was essential. Success in programmes was based on the quality of the partnership and coordination between the players.

The Mayor of Ouagadougou, who is also President of the Federation of Cities in Burkina Faso, said his city’s partnership with Quebec was a relationship of equals and contributed to the advancement of citizenship on both sides. Quebec’s Mayor, for his part, also stressed the reciprocal nature of the relationship. It was important in cooperation between cities to listen to differences, to respect each other’s backgrounds, and to work together towards solutions. An understanding of the aim of the cooperation exercise was key. It was also important to have an understanding of how mutual financing and aid was used.

Lomé’s Mayor described his city’s cooperation with Lyon, especially its technology exchange programme. Lyon had given Lomé 10 buses to help improve the public transportation system, he noted, in citing several initiatives. A Mayor from Lommel, Belgium, giving a description of his city’s partnership -- or “twinning” -- with Ongwediva, Namibia, said ambition, comprehension, skill and sustainability were needed to ensure a successful partnership.

City-to-city cooperation could only be achieved if it was endorsed by those who governed, the Mayor of Buenos Aires, Argentina, said, adding that more political than technical will was needed. He called for solidarity between the wealthy and less wealthy cities. Freetown’s mayor noted that his city’s partnership with Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom, had been the world’s first between the North and South. He pointed out that the twinning had continued in recent years, despite the conflict in his country.

Nigel Ringrose, an expert from the UNDP, presented a UNDP study on “the challenge of linking”. He stressed the importance of careful preparation before entering into partnerships. Twinned cities should also avoid falling into traps, like thinking the exercise would be easy or limiting the partnership to a simple arrangement between two city halls -– all sectors of both societies should be involved. Partnerships between cities, even in North-South arrangements, were a “two-way street”, he noted. The material and spiritual benefits that could be gained from twinning could be a powerful tool for peace.

When the discussion shifted to support from governments and international institutions for city-to-city cooperation, Shabbir Cheema of the UNDP said mayors were at the frontline of the fight against poverty, providing, among other things, basic services to the urban poor. To be players in development efforts, cities must have a resource base, access to information technology and substantial autonomy. Local dialogue among the various sectors in cities was also key.

Gilles Desesquelles, European Commission, said new forms of cooperation for development were needed. The Cotonou Agreement, which was at present being ratified by the various parliaments of the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) trade arrangement, should not remain a document -- it must be implemented. The new cooperation papers drawn up as a result of the Agreement were, thus, being made available to non-governmental actors, including local collectivities. Donors must reassess their approach and find ways to ensure that local officers were the authors of development efforts.

Edmundo Werna, United Nations Volunteers (UNV), said his organization was very much interested in activities involving solidarity between peoples –- and city-to-city cooperation was such an instance. The UNV had programme officers in many developing countries and could provide important input to grass-roots development efforts, including in cities. The UNV was building its portfolio as a partner in city-to-city cooperation through the support of individual projects and also through larger initiatives.

Manuel Tornare, Councillor of the City of Geneva, beginning the last segment of the meeting, on financing cooperation initiatives, said poverty was the scourge of the next decade and urban centres often paid a very heavy price in the face of globalization. The cities of Geneva, Switzerland, Lyon, France, and Bamako, Mali, had set up an international solidarity fund for cities, where financial support would go hand in hand with the transfer of technical skills. The aim was to contribute to the emergence of a new international tools in the fight against poverty. The fund would be notable for its impact on the everyday life of the beneficiaries, he noted. The initiative was the first time that local authorities had decided to join at the international level to fight poverty.

Dominique Laurent of the Union of Belgian Cities and Communities, introduced the Belgian Pilot Project, which he said placed great emphasis on the role of local government in the development process. The Project embraced the concept of the world as a global village and decentralized cooperation. Successful links between cities had four main features -- necessary resources, broad participation, mutual understanding and reciprocity. Presentations were also made during the financing segment by a representative of Sister-Cities International, USA, and Lyonnaise des Eaux.

Also during the meeting, participants heard from, among others, representatives of the World Federation of Cities, the International Union of Local Authorities, the Mayors Alliance against HIV/AIDS in Africa, Citynet and Bremen Initiatives.

Freddy Thielemans, Bourgmestre of Brussels, chaired the meeting and made opening remarks. Marie-Yves Pouponneau Duperval, Mayor of Port au Prince, Haiti, served as vice-chair.

Mohan Cherifi, Coordinator of the World Alliance of Cities against Poverty, presented a guide developed by his organization and the UNDP on successful city-to-city cooperation.

The meeting of mayors will continue at 9 a.m. tomorrow, 16 May.



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