THE ALLIANCE OF MAYORS AND MUNICIPAL LEADERS ON HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA AND THE FEDERATION OF CANADIAN MUNICIPALITIES (FCM) SIGN A COOPERATION AGREEMENT

The Alliance, represented by its Coordinator, Ernest N’Koumo Mobio and the FCM, represented by its President, Mayor Yves Ducharme, signed a formal cooperation framework during the Alliance General Assembly which was held in conjunction with the Africites Summit in Yaounde, Cameroon on 4 December. The framework promotes collaboration between African and Canadian local authorities in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the local level and improving the quality of life of their citizens. The agreement was signed with a view to formally establish a work and cooperation link between the Alliance and FCM in support of the Alliance and AMICAALL in selected countries in order to develop and scale up multisectoral responses to HIV/AIDS at the local level. Objectives will be reached through actions and/or programs that will be mutually agreed upon by the Alliance and FCM and in collaboration with the UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme.

WINNIPEG, CANADA AND KAMPALA, UGANDA JOIN FORCES TO CONFRONT HIV/AIDS

A delegation from the city of Winnipeg in Canada traveled to Kampala, Uganda in December where they met with the Mayor of Kampala and the City Council, representatives of AMICAALL Uganda, community groups and NGOs, the Uganda AIDS Commission, the Uganda Local Government Association, the Ministry of Local Government and other key partners in the country. This visit also coincided with the Uganda Alliance Annual Meeting which brings together mayors and local government leaders from all over the country, providing an opportunity to interact with many mayors in the country and better understand the challenges they are facing in their cities and towns. A plan of action for city-to-city cooperation between Winnipeg and Kampala will be developed as part of a larger co-operation between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Alliance in collaboration with the UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme.

ASSOCIATION OF LOCALLY ELECTED OFFICIALS AGAINST AIDS, FRANCE INCREASES ITS SUPPORT OF THE ALLIANCE

The President of the Association of Locally Elected Officials against AIDS, France participated in the special session on HIV/AIDS and Local Government organized by the Alliance and UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme, during the recent Africites Summit, held in Yaounde, Cameroon from 2-6 December. He presented the Alliance with a second grant to support the institutional development of the Alliance Secretariat.

AFRICITIES SUMMIT HOLDS SPECIAL SESSION ON HIV/AIDS AND ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The 2003 Africities Summit, held in Yaounde, Cameroon from 2-6 December, included a series of thematic and political meetings focussed, inter alia, on expanding basic services to local populations. The Alliance and UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme organized a special session on HIV/AIDS and Local Government that examined progress and constraints with respect to decentralizing responses to HIV/AIDS and building foundations for scaling up. Panel presentations covered a range of issues that explored the implications of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on local government: urbanization and decentralization; how to bridge the “implementation gap” (capacity development and allocation of resources); multi-stakeholder collaboration; and city-to-city cooperation. The session also provided an opportunity for the Alliance to provide an update on its initiative (AMICAALL) to expand community action on AIDS at the local level. UNAIDS Director for Country and Regional Support, Mr. Michel Sidibe, made a passionate presentation on the “implementation gap” and called for greater action to translate the rhetoric of a multisectoral response into concrete actions on the ground. He congratulated the Alliance/AMICAALL for its pioneering work. This special session also included presentations by representatives of the World Bank, the US Conference of Mayors, USAID, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Association of Locally Elected Officials against AIDS in France, STOP AIDS NOW! in the Netherlands, CADRE in South Africa, amongst others. A report of the special session will be available on the website: www.amicaall.org

ALLIANCE MEETINGS DURING AFRICITIES SUMMIT – GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETINGS

The General Assembly of the Alliance met in Yaounde, Cameroon on 4th December 2003. The meeting was opened by the Minister of State for Local Government in Cameroon, the UN Resident Coordinator in Cameroon and the Alliance Coordinator. The Coordinator of the Alliance and the Executive Secretary of the Alliance Secretariat presented progress and audit reports to Alliance members and partners. This session of the General Assembly also adopted the revised Constitution of the Alliance; approved a proposal on membership fees, adopted a proposal to set up a Standing Technical Committee, held elections of office bearers and conferred honorary and co-opted memberships. Mayor Salim Kassim Kisauji from Tanga, Tanzania was elected as Alliance Coordinator. Mayor Ernest N’Koumo Mobio, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, first Coordinator of the Alliance, was given Honorary Membership and warmly thanked for his outstanding contribution to the Alliance during its formative years. Alliance co-founder, Mr. Fisho Mwale, former Mayor of Lusaka, Zambia, was approved as a Co-opted Member of the Committee. Mrs. Zénabou Drabo, Mayor of Bogodogo, Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, continues as First Deputy Coordinator and Mr. Boyd Mooka Muuka, Mayor of Mongu, Zambia, was elected as Second Deputy Coordinator. The other Coordinating Committee members include: Mr. Amondji Pierre Djedji, Governor of the District of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Mr. George Katole-Milner, Mayor, Zomba, Malawi; Mr. Abdel Kader Sidibe, Mayor, Commune 3 - Bamako, Mali; Mr. J. Ssebana Kizito, Mayor, Kampala, Uganda; Mr. Katjijova Rehabeam, Mayor, Gorbabis, Namibia; and Mr. Matheus K. Shikongo, Mayor, Windhoek, Namibia.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS AND MBABANE, SWAZILAND DEVELOP SISTER CITIES AGREEMENT

The Executive Committee of Fort Worth (Texas) Sister Cities International unanimously recommend Mbabane, capital of Swaziland, as its seventh sister city. During the summer of 2003, a delegation from Fort Worth Sister Cities International visited Mbabane to see first hand the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Education, leadership and exchange programs are being developed between the two cities, which will also address challenges arising from the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Swaziland is the second most affected country in the world.

NEW PUBLICATIONS

A case study on AMICAALL Swaziland which documents the development and implementation of the AMICAALL programme in Swaziland, achievements and emerging lessons is available on the AMICAALL website: www.amicaall.org.

CONDOLENCES

While attending the Africities Summit and Alliance meetings in Yaounde, Cameroon, Mayor of Windhoek, Matheus K. Shikongo, learned about the untimely death of his son. The Alliance and UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme extend their sincere condolences to Mayor Shikongo and his family--our thoughts and prayers are with you.

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The Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders on HIV/AIDS in Africa is a network of local government authorities and mayors. Established in 1998, it was formed to promote an expanded, multi-sectoral response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the local level. The Alliance works in partnership with government, civil society organizations, the private sector and local communities. National chapters of the Alliance have been launched in nine countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The Alliance Secretariat is located in Windhoek, Namibia.

AMICAALL (Alliance of Mayors’ Initiative for Community Action on AIDS at the Local Level) is the strategy for translating the goals of the Alliance into concrete actions in countries.

The UN-AMICAALL Partnership Programme was established in April 2001 to support development of the Alliance and its country programmes.

For more information, check out the website: www.amicaall.org

Or contact the UN-AMICAALL Partnership Programme Director Mina Mauerstein-Bail: mina.mauerstein-bail@undp.org

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