Presentation of The High Council of Local Authorities (HCLA)

Monday, October 31 2016, the President of the Republic proceeded with the installation of the High Council of Local Authorities (HCLA). Here is the presentation of this institution, which sets forth a new facet of Act III of decentralization.

1 / Why a new Institution?

HCLA was established to support the territorial development process. HCLA is a consultative assembly that complements our institutional architecture. It intervenes, appropriately, through the formation of opinions reflective of the people's concerns.

2 / How does it work?

HCLA has 150 counselors who hold the title of "Senior Advisors." Its members are appointed for a term of five years. The bodies and structures of HCLA are: the Plenary Assembly, the Bureau, the Conference of Presidents, commissions, and administrative services.

3 / What is the profile of its members?

HCLA is composed of elected officials from the people and for the people. Of the 150 members, 80 are elected by indirect universal suffrage. To ensure further equilibrium, 70 are appointed by the Head of State from members of civil society, socio-professional organizations, and various sectors of society.

4 / What is its mission?

HCLA’s mission is to strengthen the active participation of local players in the definition, implementation, and evaluation of territorial public policies. It fosters dialogue, consultation, and consensus in decision-making processes that engage local authorities with the objective of more effectively incorporating citizens’ need in the identification, prioritization, design, and implementation of decentralization policies.

"Politics must be the expression of what citizens live and want," President Macky Sall at the HCLA installation speech October 31, 2016 at Diamniado.