Consultative Group Meeting Marrakech, Morocco 10 – 11 November 2005

The CITIES ALLIANCE - Global Coalition of Cities and their Development Partners Committed to Urban Poverty Reduction LOCAL:  Community Based Decision Making  Community Groups  NGOs  Business Leaders  Mayors LOCAL:  Community Based Decision Making  Community Groups  NGOs  Business Leaders  Mayors GLOBAL: Strengthening Coherence of External Support  Investment banks  U.N. agencies  Bilateral agencies  International NGOs  Local Authority Associations GLOBAL: Strengthening Coherence of External Support  Investment banks  U.N. agencies  Bilateral agencies  International NGOs  Local Authority Associations Global Public Policy ForumAdvancing Collective Know- How Cities Alliance Consultative Group Cities Without Slums

Number of Poor in Africa Has Nearly Doubled Since 1981 Millions of People Living on Less than US$1 Per Day Source: Annual Review of Development Effectiveness, World Bank, 2004.

Accra, Ghana Source: The Dynamics of Global Urban Expansion, Solly Angel et al, 2005

Bamako, Mali Source: The Dynamics of Global Urban Expansion, Solly Angel et al, 2005

Casablanca, Morocco Source: The Dynamics of Global Urban Expansion, Solly Angel et al, 2005

Economic Growth Needed to Sustain Poverty Reduction Remains Elusive for the Majority of Developing Countries Source: Annual Review of Development Effectiveness, World Bank, 2004.

The Cities Alliance Supports… Citywide & Nationwide Upgrading City Development Strategies (CDS) Sustainable Financing Strategies Funding criteria enhance prospects for sustainable change:  Government commitment  Linkages to investments  Positive environmental impacts  Scaling up  Coherence of effort

Unleashing the Potential of Cities Increase focus on:  Higher quality CDS and policies predicated on the growth of cities to achieve poverty reduction objectives and prevent the growth of new slums  Engaging organised local government in national PRS process and supporting CDS as local poverty reduction strategies incorporating MDG targets/indicators  Developing city-level investment climate assessments and tools to promote local economic development and informal sector inclusion strategies

Unleashing the Potential of Cities Support systemic changes to strengthen financial devolution:  Dialogue and partnerships between Local Government Associations and Ministries of Finance  Incentives for improved performance at local level and city creditworthiness  Cities as proactive developers of infrastructure to prevent the growth of new slums and to mobilise domestic capital

Cities Alliance Financing Strategy: Empowering Cities to Attract Finance Consent of governed for sound pricing policies Strengthened and stable revenue streams Accountability for service delivery Creditworthy cities Accessing domestic capital provides significant incentives for improved urban governance