Founded in 1979, the AIMF is an association (under the law of 1901) which has evolved to reflect changes in the political leadership and activities of local authorities. It is a welcoming space of exchange and solidarity for Mayors of francophone cities that has developed alongside city environments and international solidarity between cities. In 2021 the AIMF had 305 members in 54 countries.
1979
The AIMF is created in Quebec.
1990
The Cooperation Fund is created in Tunis. An instrument of international solidarity between cities, resourced by AIMF’s members, it enables cities to realize urban projects.
1995
The AIMF becomes an operational unit of La Francophonie (Resolution 19 of the Summit of Heads of State and Governments of La Francophonie).
2015
The AIMF signs a seven year Strategic Partnership with the European Commission.
2017
The AIMF signs a four year partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve key urban social services.
VISION
Between 2014 and 2020, the AIMF added a dimension to its range by strengthening its political capacity. It is no longer just an acknowledged and reliable project partner and forum for sharing good practice, but articulates a way of seeing cities, of doing international cooperation led by values. AIMF has firmly stepped away from being only a ‘technical’ agency and has a political presence, reflecting permanently on cities and their needs. Its great contribution to city networks is its power to put shared values into action via prominent and emblematic projects.
PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES
In a globalizing world, mayors play an increasingly important role in linking different levels of decision-making and creating bridges between local, national, and international action.
AIMF’s aims are: to combine energies; promote ambitious and responsible urban policies that are more respectful of human beings, the environment and the living world; and take forward collectively projects that create new visions of living together, gender equality, and diversity.
For cities, the AIMF is a space of voluntary cooperation. Rather than thinking in terms of North and South, ethnicity or religion, rather than focusing on what divides us, it gathers people together around a certain way of seeing the world.
“The AIMF is a shared project. It offers each of our territories the opportunity to develop itself, in a world facing major challenges.”
ANNE HIDALGO, PRESIDENT OF THE AIMF, MAYOR OF PARIS
KEY PROJECTS
AIMF enriches its social and economic activity by promoting openness among its members, encouraging cities to adapt to climate change, and helping them to manage risk by strengthening social cohesion.
By remaining faithful to a grassroots projects approach, AIMF is able to reflect more deeply on what it means to ,work together – as elected local officials, parliamentarians, government officials, scholars, journalists, experts – and analyse and improve the environment in which local authorities operate.
This reflection integrates mayors in institutional development. AIMF enables municipal authorities to exercise their powers, evolve legal and regulatory frameworks, and articulate their views through the review Raisonnance.
To improve our ability to live together in harmony, AIMF fosters and supports innovative city programmes to fight racism and ethnic conflicts, to affirm the role of women, and make inclusive and sustainable cities become real.
9 rue des Halles, 75001 Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 44 88 22 88
Fax: +33 1 40 39 06 62