¬ In 1997, the city of Abidjan, in collaboration with UNDP, initiated a consultative process with mayors and municipal leaders in Africa to explore how they could become more effectively involved in an expanded response to the epidemic in their communities.

¬ This stimulated the organisation of a Symposium on HIV, Development and the Role of Local Government held during the 10^th International Conference on HIV/AIDS in Abidjan, in December 1997. One outcome of this symposium was the "Declaration of Abidjan", a political statement of concern and the launch of the Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders.

¬ In January 1998, the Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders was officially launched during the Africities Meeting in Abidjan with support from UNDP (HIV and Development Programme, Country office, Urban Management Programme). Over 1000 government and political leaders in Africa attended this meeting.

¬ The statutes and a two-year workplan of the Alliance were presented to its members by the Coordinator, Mayor Mobio of Abidjan, approved and adopted.

¬ A report on the Alliance was published, providing a summary of the Alliance's purpose and goals.

¬ In September 1998, the Alliance issued its first Newsletter, highlighting work undertaken at community level.

¬ In October 1998, a meeting of the Coordinating Committee of the Alliance was held during the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP) Forum in Lyon, at which time the Alliance participated in a plenary panel presentation on HIV, Poverty and the Role of Local Government and endorsed a strategic framework (called the African Mayors' Initiative for Community Action on AIDS at the Local Level (AMICAALL)) developed with support from UNDP and other partners within the framework of UNAIDS.

¬ In November 1998, the multisectoral, capacity building strategy embodied by the Alliance of Mayors was presented during a meeting of the Committee of Co-sponsoring Organisations of UNAIDS, and strongly endorsed by the UNAIDS Secretariat.

¬ The Alliance Coordinating Committee also decided to launch a logo contest as part of its strategy to raise awareness among individuals and organisations on issues related to HIV/AIDS, its developmental implications and the role of local government. It was also an opportunity to contribute actively to UNAIDS 1999 Campaign "Listen, Learn and Live: World AIDS Campaign with Children and Young People".

¬ In May 1999, in Sénégal, the AMICAALL strategy was shared at a working meeting with UNDP HIV and Development National Programme Officers and Focal Points, as well as Information Officers working in Sub-Saharan Africa as part of a larger briefing on expanding multisectoral activity linked to the Africa Partnership Initiative.

¬ In August 1999, Tanzania launched the Tanzanian chapter of the Alliance of Mayors, issued a Declaration, and prepared a strategy to respond to the epidemic at local level, based on AMICAALL. Mayors and municipal leaders, UNAIDS Co-sponsors, NGOs, researchers and other partners, as well as UNDP Country Staff from neighbouring countries were invited to share experiences and lessons learned.

¬ In November 1999, a group of five African mayors and civic leaders representing five different cities (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Tanzania; Lusaka, Zambia, Manzini, Swaziland) visited the United States to raise awareness among various groups of the devastating socio-economic impact of the HIV epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa.

¬ In New York, mayors met with city officials, the research community, NGOs, UN officials and the media. They were also interviewed by the United Nations Radio.

¬ In Washington, a breakfast meeting was held with members of Congress, representatives of the Global Health Council, members of the organising committee for the 2000 International Conference on AIDS in Durban, South Africa, and the Director of the White House AIDS Policy Office.

¬ The mayors also participated in a "Congressional HIV/AIDS Taskforce Briefing on Regional Approaches to the HIV Epidemic in Africa" organised by the House International Relations Committee and the Global Health Council.

¬ They met with Africare Vice-President and regional directors, and discussed Africare's involvement in the area of HIV/AIDS.

¬ At the United States Conference on AIDS in Denver, the mayors spoke during a plenary session to an audience of over 3000 people, and held a workshop on local government responses to HIV/AIDS. They also participated in a one-hour live interactive discussion on the web.

¬ During the US Conference on AIDS, they also had the opportunity to meet with Peter Piot, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, and with representatives of USAID, and other groups. They discussed ways that municipal leaders can become more involved in responding to the HIV epidemic, in particular through AMICAALL, an innovative initiative that the Alliance, in collaboration with UNDP, has designed to support inter-sectoral action at local level.

¬ In November 1999, Côte d'Ivoire launched the Ivorian chapter of the Alliance, and is currently preparing a national strategy of action at local level based on AMICAALL.

¬ Following the United States visit, United States Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (37^th District, CA) invited Fisho Mwale, Deputy Coordinator of the Alliance, to give a presentation on World AIDS Day in her district. She also nominated the Alliance for the Hilton Foundation Award.

¬ On January 28-29, 2000, Swaziland launched the Swazi chapter of the Alliance. The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, local government representatives from neighbouring countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa), UNAIDS co-sponsors, NGOs and other partners were in attendance. The launch was immediately followed by an action programme development mission supported by UNDP and working with other partners to help translate the goals of AMICAALL-Swaziland into an action programme.

¬ The Alliance has contributed to raising awareness of the development impact of the epidemic on African societies. It has also been an important vehicle for mobilising partnership at the local level and stimulating linkages between local, national and international partners. In addition, its outreach and mobilisation efforts are beginning to result in the mobilisation of financial resources from various groups.

¬ Today, the Alliance comprises 70 member municipalities in 17 African countries.