The Cities Alliance is pleased to welcome Ms. Lajana Manandhar and Mr. Nicéphore Soglo to its Policy Advisory Board (PAB), to replace two of the original and extremely active members of the PAB, M. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi and Ms. Sheela Patel, who have just rotated off the Board.

Ms. Manandhar, Director of the Lumanti Support Group for Shelter NGO in Kathmandu, Nepal since 1996, has been a strong advocate for housing and other rights for the urban poor at the city, national and international levels. She has also worked to implement community-based upgrading projects in Nepal's slum and squatter communities. The 'Slum and Squatter Community Empowerment Programme', a programme initiated in Kathmandu under her leadership, and which has brought change in the living conditions of slum dwellers through improving access to housing and basic facilities, empowering women through microfinance and improving relationships with government, has now been replicated in three cities in Nepal. From 1993-1995, she was a Programme Officer with Oxfam UK in Nepal. Ms. Manandhar holds a Masters of Philosophy in Agricultural Economics from The Papua New Guinea Institute of Technology.

Benin's Prime Minister from 1990 to 1991 and President from 1991 to 1996, Mr. Soglo was elected Mayor of Cotonou in 2003 by the city's council. During his earlier years in government, he worked within the Ministry of Finance between 1963 and 1978, becoming Minister of Economy and Finance. With an educational background in private and public law from the University of Paris, Mr. Soglo has served in numerous international financial institutions, including at the International Monetary Fund, as a member of the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors, and as an Executive Director of the Central Bank of West African States. He was also involved in drafting the Articles of Agreement of the African Development Bank.

Both will join the other members of the Board for the Spring meetings coming up in Tunis, Tunisia late April 2007. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi will attend the Tunis meeting, which he has been involved in organising. He recently moved from Benin to South Africa to formally take up his position as Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), and which is likely to keep him in close contact with the Cities Alliance. Unfortunately, Washington's November PAB meeting was Sheela's last, as she will be unable to attend the Tunis meeting. However, with her active involvement in CA-related activities, such as CLIFF, we know we will also be in regular contact with Sheela. Jean Pierre's and Sheela's contributions to the Cities Alliance have been enormous, and we have all been privileged to work with them.

Comprising eminent urban experts from each region of the world the Cities Alliance Policy Advisory Board provides guidance to the Consultative Group on key strategic, policy and regional issues and support the implementation of Cities Alliance activities. For more information on the PAB click here:

http://www.citiesalliance.org/about-ca/org.html#the_policy_advisory_board.