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The former President, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings arrived in Morocco on Monday, December 14, to participate in the Africities Summit taking place in the historical Moroccan market city of Marrakech. A statement issued in Accra by the Office of the former President, said he would deliver the keynote address at the grand opening ceremony on Wednesday December 15, which is being held under the auspices of King Mohammed VI of Morocco. The five-day summit is on theme: "The Response of African Local and Regional Governments to the Global Crises: Promoting Sustainable Local Development and Employment." The event is organized every three years, with more than 5,000 participants drawn from all over Africa and other regions of the world. The Africities summit is the most recognized forum for dialogue on decentralization and local government development on the continent. Apart from giving the main address at the summit inauguration, former President Rawlings would participate in panel discussions on diverse issues to be discussed around the theme for the five-day conference. He is also expected to hold a meeting with King Mohammed IV. Other key participants for this year's event are Nobel Laureate Wangari Mataai, former Nigerian Minister of Finance and current Managing Director of the World Bank, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Dr Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank; Muhammed Yunus, Nobel Laureate, Professor Amartya Sen, Nobel Economy Prize winner and Prof. Joseph Stiglitz another Nobel Economy Prize winner. Initiated in January 1998, the Africities summit is organized by the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa. The first summit was hosted by Abidjan- Cote d' Ivoire, the second by Windhoek- Namibia and the third by Yaounde in Cameroon. In 2009, Nairobi-Kenya hosted the event. Participating in the summit is the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin.