Intermediate cities. A boost to achieving the MDGs in Africa
Small and so-called secondary cities in Africa, characterized by a faster pace of development than large cities, can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through innovative mechanisms for efficient services, according to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
Intermediate cities occupy a strategic place in Africa's urbanization. Current and future trends indicate that the majority of new urban dwellers will move to cities with populations of less than
500,000. They are expected to absorb nearly two out of three new urbanites. It is therefore clear why intermediate cities must be at the heart of global agendas and sustainability strategies for the planet. Whether or not the global agendas are implemented in intermediate cities depends on whether or not the goals are achieved. "Intermediate cities help reduce the pressure on large cities to provide social services to an ever-increasing population due to rural-urban migration. They are essential because they can help localize the SDGs. They are thus likely to propose innovative mechanisms for effective services by strengthening citizen engagement in the public space," said Oumar Sylla, Director of theUN-Habitat Regional Office for Africa, during a meeting of the East African region for the preparations of the 9th edition of the Africities-9 Summit.
This means that it is more crucial than ever to strengthen the role of these intermediate cities in the development and integration of Africa. On the other hand, intermediate cities are an essential link in the structuring of the urban framework, making urban Africa less and less the continent of national capitals, but more and more the continent of intermediate cities which double in population and area every 10/15 years and which, paradoxically, receive very little attention from public policies.
As a reminder, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), held in Quito in October 2016, resulted in the adoption of the New Agenda for Cities (Quito Declaration on Cities and Sustainable Human Settlements for All).tablishments for All), which aims to determine how urban spaces (from settlements to villages) are planned, designed, financed, built, managed and administered. The New Urban Agenda recognizes the important contribution of cities and human settlements to the implementation and localization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030).The New Agenda for Cities recognizes the important contribution of cities and human settlements to the implementation and localization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) and to the achievement of the SDGs, including Goal 11, which is to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
The "territorialization" or "localization" of the SDGs refers to the process of defining, implementing and monitoring local strategies to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs.strategies to contribute to the achievement of the development goals at different scales (sub-national, but also national and global) (UNDP, UN-Habitat, UCLG 2015). This approach consists of implementing the 2030 Agenda to achieve concrete results at the local level via the implementation of various innovative mechanisms, such as the creation of platforms. The concept is understood in a global way and does not only concern local governments and communities: it includes all actors participating in the local development ecosystem (including national and regional government representatives, civil society, the private sector, academics, etc.).
Entering into force in January 2016, the SDGs comprise a set of 17 universal goals and 169 targets. They build on the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expired at the end of 2015, and aim to complement them (particularly in the fight against poverty, health, education, and the environment).The goals build on the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expired at the end of 2015, and aim to complement them (e.g., poverty reduction, health, education, food security and nutrition), while incorporating new concerns (e.g., focusing on a wide range of economic, social and environmental goals). There is now a consensus that the 17 goals are in areas that are largely within the scope of local governments, and that their achievement depends on the involvement of a wide range of local actors. These new sustainable development goals present major challenges for the African continent, given the low level of human development in Africa, the large number of people living in poverty and the lack of access to basic services.These new sustainable development goals present major challenges for the African continent, given the low level of human development in Africa, the large number of fragile and/or conflict-affected states, the high level of rural-urban migration and the often limited economic development.
Role of local governments in localizing the SDGs
Over the past three decades, with a general trend towards decentralization, local governments have been given more powers and responsibilities, and haveIn the last three decades, marked by a general trend towards decentralization, local governments have been entrusted with more competences and responsibilities, and have progressively been considered as key actors in promoting local development. According to many studies, local public investments are indeed more economically efficient than public investments implemented at a centralized level (by agencies).According to many studies, local public investments are more economically efficient than public investments implemented at a centralized level (by national agencies, for example), in particular because local decision-making tends to better reflect the local preferences of citizens: It therefore allows for a better allocation of resources. The growing role of local governments also operates in a context where people's expectations of democratic progress are high, and where representative democracy is being imposed through the geThe growing role of local governments also operates in a context where people's expectations of democratic progress are strong, and where representative democracy is gaining ground through the generalization of elections, but also through more direct forms of citizen participation in planning and decision-making (for example, through the development of participatory budgets), particularly at the local level. Because of their increasing responsibilities, local governments will, in many cases, be directly responsible for achieving a large part of the national governments' commitments to the SDGs. They will also play a central role in coordinating the actions of all actors in the local development ecosystem to achieve the SDGs. A United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) motion, adopted in December 2015, thus emphasized that "localizing the 2030 Agenda is not about implementing a global or national agenda at the local level but more about creating the right conditions at the local level to achieve the global goals." Localization is therefore highly dependent on improving the skills, capacities and resources of local governments, and is essential to initiate effective governance mechanisms.
Source: afrimag.net
