Newsletter – n°29 – January 2015

Headlines

PLATFORMA-CEMR, AIMF, CLGF, UCLG and UCLG Africa have entered into the first ever Strategic Partnership with the European Commission Directorate for International Development and Cooperation (DG DEVCO-EuropeAid), representing the culmination of a long journey to secure the recognition of local and regional governments (LRG) in the European Union’s external action as political actors and as components essential to the development of democratic societies.

Through this agreement the European Commission acknowledges that sub-national governments contribute to social cohesion, to the economic development of territories, to equality, to the fight against poverty and to citizens’ participation in democratic life.

“By strengthening the structure and capacity of local authorities, as well as their capacity to influence the interests and practices of national governments, we can make a real difference in development” said Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development.

While discussing the many opportunities that lie ahead for LRGs, Anne-Marie Jorritsma, Mayor of Almere (Netherlands), President of the CEMR and representing PLATFORMA, reminded that development can only be achieved through collective action and affirmed that, through this Strategic Partnership, the signatory networks are standing at the forefront of much needed change by proposing unprecedented and modern forms of cooperation.

DG DEVCO-EuropeAid Director for Human Development and Migration, Lotte Knudsen, added that this Strategic Partnership will be a game changer in international development and represents, above all, the recognition of decentralised cooperation as a means of implementation of European development policy.

WHAT IS A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

The Strategic Partnership is a seven year political agreement, which lays out the bases for collaboration between the five networks and the European Commission, and which embodies their shared values: democracy, freedom, justice, solidarity and human dignity.

For CEMR-PLATFORMA, the Strategic Partnership represents the EC’s determination to continue working with European local and regional governments to increase their mobilisation in the further capacitation and empowerment of their counterparts in partner countries.

The five agreements were signed on January 28 in Brussels, during a ceremony which was presided by Commissioner Mimica and by the representatives of the five signatory networks, most notably Annemarie Jorritsma-Lebbink, Mayor of Almere (Netherlands), President of the CEMR and representing PLATFORMA; Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris (France) and President of AIMF; Kadir TopbaÅŸ, Mayor of Istanbul (Turkey) and President of UCLG;  Khalifa Sall, Mayor of Dakar (Senegal) and President of UCLGA; and Lazaros Savvides, Mayor of Strovolos (Cyprus) and board member of CLGF.