July 2008 - Contribution of Decentralized Cooperation to Decentralization in Africa
The study “Contribution of Decentralized Cooperation to Decentralization in Africa” aims to assess whether the Euro-African decentralized cooperation activities have an impact on decentralization process in the African nations. It highlights that decentralized cooperation can be considered as one of the main strategies and tools for achieving the eight Millennium Development Goal which among other targets, aims at promoting commitment to good governance, development, and poverty reduction through partnerships and collaboration.
It was produced under the aegis of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) within the framework of the Euro-African Partnership for Decentralized Governance and Decentralized Cooperation project.
19 June 2008 - The Impact of Decentralized Cooperation on the Process of Decentralization in Africa, Florence
Within the context of the Study Tour a seminar titled “The Impact of Decentralized Cooperation on Decentralization Process in Africa” was organised on 19 June. The seminar had the specific aim of stimulating discussions on many concrete aspects of Africa realities and enriching the debates between different national and international actors involved in this topic.
11 – 21 June 2008 - Exchange of experiences and open dialogue with representatives of local authorities associations of four African Countries: Tanzania, Mali, South-Africa and Senegal. A study tour for a delegation of four representatives of the African local authority associations was organised in order to promote the exchange of experiences and an open dialogue between Italian and African local governments. In particular, the study tour aims at providing hands-on experience with the Italian local governments’ associations and promoting a mutual understanding on the topics of local government networks and decentralization processes.
The study tour took place in Italy from 11 to 21 June 2008.
Against this background, UN/DESA and the Regional Assembly of Tuscany invited four African representatives of local authorities associations to join this ten-day initiative to gain experience on the current organizational approach and on issues related to the established networks of Italian local authorities.
Furthermore, within the context of the Study Tour a seminar titled “The Impact of Decentralized Cooperation on Decentralization Process in Africa” was organised on 19 June. The seminar had the specific aim of stimulating interest discussions on many concrete aspects of Africa realities and enriching the debates between different national and international actors involved in this topic.
12-13 June 2008 - Stakeholder Forum on Development Cooperation"Role of national and local stakeholders in contributing to aid quality and effectivness"
In preparation of the biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum (DCF), the ECOSOC office of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) organized a Stakeholder Forum on Development Cooperation, held on 12-13 June 2008 at the FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy
The Stakeholder Forum on Development Cooperation aimed at ensuring the substantive contribution of relevant stakeholders and represented an important opportunity to advance specific proposals for consideration by the DCF on how to further strengthen the role and impact on development cooperation of non-traditional or emerging development actors.
28-30 May 2008 - Ministerial Conference on Leadership Capacity Development for Decentralized Governance and Poverty Reduction in Africa
A Ministerial Conference on “Leadership capacity building for decentralized governance and poverty reduction in Africa” was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 28 to 30 May 2008, on the theme “From Policy to Implementation: Challenges and Strategies for Effective Implementation of Decentralized governance in Africa”
The event was organised by the Municipal Development Partnership in close collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). It was hosted by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization of Cameroon.
26-27 May 2008 - Pre-Conference Seminar for Elected Women Local Government Leaders
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), UNDP and the Euro-African Partnership for Decentralized Governance, in collaboration with the Government of Cameroon, organized a Pre-Conference Seminar for Elected Women Local Government Leaders “Strengthening Women leadership in Local Government for Effective Decentralized Governance and Poverty Reduction in Africa: Roles, Challenges and Strategies”, was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on 26-27 May 2008.
The purpose of the Seminar was to provide a platform for an exchange of experiences among women local government leaders from Africa and Europe on their respective challenges and to discuss strategies for strengthening leadership capacities in Africa to effectively implement decentralization governance programs for poverty reduction.
The recommendations of the Seminar were presented during the Ministerial Leadership Capacity Building Conference on the theme: “From Policy to Implementation: Challenges and Strategies for Effective Implementation of Decentralized governance in Africa” during the session on the role of women in successful implementation of decentralization policies.
