For release: Immediate 20 April 2006
More than 200 participants are expected to attend a major symposium on Local Democracy, Good Governance and Delivering the MDGs in Africa, being held in Kampala, Uganda from 26 to 28 April 2006 at the Speke Conference Centre. The symposium is organised by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) in conjunction with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the government of Uganda and the Uganda Local Government Association.
Participants, including many ministers of local government, mayors, council leaders and senior council officers, will discuss decentralisation in Africa and the support that national governments, donor agencies and international organisations such as the Commonwealth can give to local government to strengthen local democracy and boost local services development to help deliver the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Keynote speakers include:
- Uganda President Yoweri Museveni
- Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Florence Mugasha
- HE Julia Dolly Joiner, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Commission of the African Union
- Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, President, United Cities and Local Governments Africa
- Dr Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-Habitat
- Ministers of Local Government from Uganda, Ghana, Lesotho, South Africa
- Mayors and city leaders from Kenya, Namibia, South Africa,
and other speakers from the UN, Uganda, other countries in Africa, donor organisations and the private sector.
The symposium follows the CLGF Commonwealth Local Government Conference 2005 at which ministers and local government leaders from more than 40 Commonwealth countries agreed a set of principles that give a framework for local democracy and good governance, called the Aberdeen Agenda. These were subsequently endorsed by the Commonwealth heads of Government at their meeting in Malta in November 2005.
The Kampala symposium will look at how these principles can be used to help strengthen local government in Africa and achieve the MDGs, to improve the quality of life for the people of Africa. participants will also hear about examples of decentralisation such as Uganda’s decentralised approach to poverty reduction.
At the end of the symposium participants will agree an action plan on the way forward to strengthen local democracy to help achieve the MDGs in Africa.
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“Local governments are most suited for delivering services as they are close to the people they serve and thus have a better understanding of local priorities and needs, “ says CLGF Chair, John Otekat.
“While there is a consensus on promoting local democracy and good governance to achieve local development and the MDGs, there is less consensus on how to go about this. There has been a trend in Africa towards decentralisation, though how this is done differs from country to country.”
CLGF Secretary-General Carl Wright said:
“This symposium will look a the benefits of devolving power to local government, how we can strengthen local government and how we can measure local democracy and good governance to provide a framework to support our colleagues in Africa.”
For further information contact:
Sue Rhodes
Communications consultant, CLGF
Tel: +44 20 7934 9696; +44 7669 332544
Note to editors:
- The symposium will take place from 26-28 April 2006 at the Speke Conference Centre, Kampala, Uganda. Please contact CLGF or the Uganda Local Government Association if you would like to send a photographer or reporter to the event.
- The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), has headquarters in London and project offices in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. It is recognised by the 53 Commonwealth Heads of Government as the Commonwealth organisation for promoting local democracy and good governance.
- The MDGs – are the pledges of the UN nations to, by 2015:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDs, malaria and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability, and
- Develop a global partnership for development.
- The CLGF Aberdeen Agenda: Commonwealth Principles for Good Practice on Local Democracy and Good Governance was published by CLGF in 2005. Copies are available from CLGF.
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