Summit of African Cities and Regions for Climate, Yamoussoukro (Ivory Coast) 24-25 June 2015

The Association of Regions and Districts of Ivory Coast (ARDCI), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the Global Fund for Cities Development (GFCD) are co-organising the
Summit of African Cities and Regions for Climate.

An opportunity for african local authorities to make their voices heard

The summit will take place in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, on the 24th and 25th of June 2015. It will be an important step for the African continent, before the World Summit Climate and Territories (to be held in Lyon on July 1st and 2nd), as well as for the COP21 happening in Paris in December 2015.

Local governments, financial institutions, private sector representatives and international stakeholders will have the chance to present and understand existing and future challenges that Urban Africa will be facing. The main objective is to clarify African States’ position, and especially West African States’ position, regarding climate change, before COP21. The summit will tackle many issues of great importance for the African continent.

Urban transport as a central challenge

CODATU is already involved in the process, and takes part in the discussions related to urban mobility issues in Africa. The session focusing on innovations in the transport field will enable cities and countries to introduce their recent and ongoing programmes and projects, along with their achievements and related outcomes. Being source of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, urban transport in Africa requires urgent reforms. These reforms must take into account the urban context and the existing transport organization.

Urgent solutions and long-term solutions must be combined to cope with African urban transport challenges. The summit is a place where transport stakeholders and decision-makers will be able to learn from a myriad of initiatives and programmes in order to make them their own and, later on, improve their urban transport system. Improvements will take the form of sustainable solutions in line with local needs and climate change challenges.

The Summit of African Cities and Regions for Climate will also be an opportunity for CODATU to introduce and promote its initiative “Sustainable Urban Mobility: What is your plan?“. The objective of this initiative is to develop in Africa, and elsewhere in the Global South, urban mobility plans that are aligned with urban planning approaches supporting the reduction of CO2 emissions, air pollution, congestion, road-safety problems, etc. The summit will be a place to engage with African cities and countries willing to initiate the development of sustainable and equitable urban mobility policies.