UCGL Africa: Efforts to make of African Cities without street Children a world campaign

The Network of Elected Women (REFELA) seeks to make of the campaign “African Cities without Street Children” launched at the 8th Africities Summit held in Marrakesh in November 2018 a world campaign.

The issue was brought up during the statutory meetings of the United Cities Local governments, UCLG Africa, held prior to the UCLG World Congress taking place in Durban Nov.11-15.

The statutory meetings of Rabat-based UCLG Africa included the 22nd session of the Executive committee and the meeting of the Pan-African Council.

A point was made regarding REFELA campaigns for African Cities without Street Children that registered the signature of 60 cities.

“REFELA want this campaign for African Cities without Street Children to become a world campaign. We should remember the message of the King of Morocco in Africities 2018. It’s a matter of dignity for our self not to be ashamed to have children sleeping in the street”, the UCLG Africa Secretary General, Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, said.

In a message to 8th Africities Summit, King Mohammed VI had spoken out against the phenomenon of street children, which is sparing no city in Africa.

“To accept – through denial, capitulation or indifference – that children be abandoned to the street amounts to condoning, on a daily basis, an insult to our own humanity. Such an attitude is unacceptable!” the Moroccan Sovereign had said at the launch from Marrakech of the pan-African campaign for “African Cities without Street Children”.

The campaign aims to put child-related issues at the heart of the continent’s urban development policy. As put by the King, African cities need to make sure concrete substance is given to the effective, structured and sustainable commitment of cities to reduce child vulnerability within a three-year period.

Of the 120 million street children in the world, more than 30 million are scraping a living on the African continent.

“One in four street children in the world is therefore African. This figure is not only shocking, it also runs contrary to the time-honored values of our African societies, which are based on solidarity and the pre-eminence of the family,” the Monarch had noted, warning that “if Africa’s children are not protected, the continent will not rise successfully to the challenge of achieving its emergence. Without a more resolute protection of future generations, Africa will not capitalize on its demographic dividend. Now is the time for action. It is our duty to make sure African cities are truly worthy of their children.”

Migration was also one of the key issues on the agenda of development in Africa. Considering the fact that African people move mainly inside the continent, the UCLG AFRICA meetings appealed to Local Authorities to increase the number of the signatory cities for the Charter of Local and Regional Governments of Africa on Migration. Only 30 cities have signed this Charter since its adoption during the 8th edition of Africities summit in Marrakech. Yet, every major city in Africa has to deal with the growing impact of urban population growth through economic migration.

The Leaders of African Local Government also decided to issue a declaration to condemn the terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and other African countries, noting that these attacks have resulted in the death of many people including several Mayors.

Other items on the agenda included the Campaign for African Cities’ Zero Tolerance to Violence against Women and Girls with 22 cities signing up; the Campaign for African Cities for Women’s Economic Empowerment, and the program of African Capitals of Culture.

In this connection, they finalized the activities of the multi-year program that will see Marrakech awarded the 2020 title of African Cities of Culture 2020-2021.