4th United Cities and Local Governments – World (UCLG) Congress in Rabat |02 November 2013

Mayor of Victoria, first woman from Africa and other regions to be elected co-president

At the 4th World Congress of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) in Rabat, Morocco, earlier this month, the Mayor of Victoria, Jacqueline Moustache-Belle, was the first female Mayor to be elected as a Co-President of the UCLG - World.
 
The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is a prestigious United Nations’ affiliated body which represents over half the world's population. The cities and association members of UCLG are present in over 120 UN member states, across seven world regions - Africa (UCLG Africa), Asia-Pacific (UCLG-ASPAC), Europe (CEMR), Eurasia (UCLG EuroAsia), Middle East and West Asia (UCLG MEWA), Latin America (FLACMA) and North America. Seychelles has been represented for several years on UCLG  by the Mayor of Victoria, who is also the President of the Association of the Districts of Victoria.

The other elected Co-Presidents were Augusto Barrera, Mayor of Quito (Ecuador); Anne Hidalgo, 1st Deputy Mayor of Paris (France); President of UCLG Standing Committee on Gender Equality Chen Jianhua; Mayor of Guangzhou (China); Alain Juppé, Mayor of Bordeaux (France), President of French Association of Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AFCCRE), a former Prime Minister of France; Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan (Russian Federation).

The Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and President of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey, Kadir Topbas was re-elected as President of UCLG.

“I was elated and it was a historic and overwhelming moment not only for Seychelles but for other African countries as I was the first woman from Africa and other regions to be elected to such post.  Considering the vast advantages of Europe and other regions, this was indeed a remarkable accomplishment,” said the Mayor of Victoria.

What was it that made this possible?
“Since taking office in March 2012, I have attended several international Mayoral meetings and actively participated in the discussions and deliberations. Many Mayors have greatly appreciated my active role following which I was appointed as one of the executive members for East Africa. In this role I have represented the UCLG- Africa at two high level meetings with World Bank and Cities Alliance in Washington DC and with the European Union in Belgium,” she continued.

She said that in the second quarter of this year, it was recommended that she put her candidature for the post of Co-President for UCLG World, a very prestigious post which is sought after by members and considered as the ultimate accomplishment. She accepted the challenge and at the World Summit of local and regional and international leaders in Rabat at the beginning of this month, she was elected as one of the Co-Presidents, alongside Alain Juppé, the former Prime Minister of France.

Much publicity for Seychelles
“This position has no doubt brought much publicity for Seychelles and we are now in a position to gain further political and economic mileage for the country. With Government determined to raise Seychelles profile on the international arena and its aim to be a member of the UN Security Council in 2017, a lot of lobbying is presently being carried out on the African continent, to seek support of our candidature within the African Union. It is therefore expected that other arms of government follow suit.”

“Securing places on key international Mayoral Committees will allow Seychelles to be visible and in a position to influence the decision making progress, and lobby countries’ support for Seychelles in achieving some of the goals set out by our Government,” said the Mayor of Victoria.

A world position and not a localised one
The Co-President of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) acts on behalf of this world organisation and not of a specific country or region. Therefore he or she takes the lead in shaping the agenda of UCLG. UCLG represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage, regardless of the size of the communities they serve.

The UCLG’s work programme focuses on a number of subjects and this includes the support the international cooperation between cities and their associations and facilitates programmes, networks and partnerships to build the capacity of local governments. One of the objectives of UCLG is to develop mutual training and help promote the implementation of best practices, good governance and lesson learned.

It has its headquarters in Barcelona, Spain and its World Congress is held every three years.

Duties of the Presidency
Among the numerous duties the President and his Co-Presidents should abide by are the following: They should attend at least one of the statutory sessions of UCLG. They should further attend one session of the Section in their respective world regions. They can be invited to identify three work areas that they would be willing to take the lead on. This would imply maintaining structural dialogues with key partners in the respective issue, hosting meetings on the topic and providing expertise to explore a theme.