PSI Africa & Arab Countries Region is organising a public panel discussion to bring the voice of LRG/municipal workers of the African continent to the 9th Edition of the Africities Summit. The panel "Decent Work and Equitable Access to Quality Local and Regional Public Services in African Cities: The Transformative Power of Constructive Social Dialogue" will take place in the afternoon of Wednesday 18 May 2022 in Kisumu, Kenya.

This panel organised by PSI Africa & Arab Countries Region in partnership with the African Local Governments Academy (ALGA) of UCLG Africa will highlight the critical challenges faced by Local and Regional Public Service workers as they provide vital services to communities and at the Territorial level and to explore ways to promote a constructive and transformative Social Dialogue.

MAIN OBJECTIVE

To highlight the critical challenges faced by Local and Regional Public Service workers as they provide vital services to communities and at the Territorial level and to explore ways to promote a constructive and transformative Social Dialogue.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

• To bring and make heard the voice of Local and Regional Public Service workers and their unions from African cities and local communities at Africities 9;

• Highlight the critical work challenges that Local and Regional Utility workers face when providing vital services to communities (e.g., Local Government, Emergency Services, Community Health Services, Fire Fighters, Water and Sanitation, Solid Waste Collection and Disposal, Municipal Police, Energy Workers, Traffic Control, Education Support, Social Care and Services, etc.);

• Demonstrate how these challenges-if left unresolved-can undermine joint PSI-UCLG Africa efforts to (1) provide equitable access to public services for all; (2) foster inclusive socio-economic development; (2) strengthen local democracy and participation; and (3) empower local communities and territories;

• To explore and propose, in dialogue with the public, solutions on how UCLG Africa and PSI Africa and Arab Countries and their constituencies can be stronger together when their respective members commit to building and engaging in constructive and good faith Social Dialogue and collective bargaining in the GRL workplaces, as they are both called upon to confront the multiple crises facing the world and the continent (Covid pandemic, rampant urbanization, climate, war, employment, human rights, migration and displacement, financing, equality and non-discrimination, digitization, etc. ) ;

• Open perspectives on how the constituent groups of PSI-UCLG Africa can support each other to ensure quality access to public services and equitable delivery to the communities they serve, post-Covid recovery and localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the African Agenda, possibly making proposals on specific cities.

 MAIN ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE SESSION

• What are the main challenges of the LRG workers in African cities and territories face that are related to quality local public service delivery and access?

• How a Decent Work deficit (as per the definition of the International Labour Organisation, ILO) can jeopardise the good delivery of quality local public services and the good local governance in African cities and territories?

• How can the PSI-UCLG-Africa regional dialogue and cooperation concretely help? Where could our respective memberships work constructively together towards their shared objectives?

• How can we empower together LRG workers including women, young officials – in both blue- and white-collar professions - to empower them to deliver quality local public services and to nurture and strengthen future LRG leadership and good governance in the African region?

• How can we build joint dialogue and advocacy with institutions such as the African Union, the African Regional Bank as well as partners such as the European Union (EU) in favour of adequate funding for Adequate staffing and quality local public services in Africa, including in a post-Covid scenario?

• How miscan we improve public emergency responsiveness through constructive dialogue and collective bargaining geared at enhancing local public service quality and access, while keeping LRG staff motivated, skilled, safe and in decent working conditions?

• How can we unlock the potential of local public service to fight territorial inequalities in Africa?

• Which cities in Africa represent a blueprint and/or a low-hanging fruit opportunity to establish strong, progressive and good faith social dialogue in LRG workplaces?

This public panel discussion is being organised within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding that PSI Africa and Arab Countries Region signed with United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) in 2021.

The 9th edition of the Africities Summit organised by UCLG Africa will be held from 17 to 21 May 2022, in Kisumu, Kenya. The main theme will be "The Role of Intermediary Cities of Africa in the Implementation of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Union Agenda 2063".