Supporting municipal development cooperation worldwide

Context

German municipalities are sought-after partners globally when it comes to sharing knowledge and experience. They benefit from this dialogue, expand their networks, and work closely with civil society, for example through solidarity initiatives for partner communities in regions affected by disasters or crises.

When municipal budgets are strained, there are often insufficient resources to implement municipal development cooperation initiatives, as they are regarded as voluntary tasks. The potential offered by dialogue and networking, for example, is not yet being harnessed fully. This is where the project comes in.

Objective

Selected municipal actors in cooperating countries, Germany and Europe can better implement effective municipal development cooperation.

Approach

The project engages municipal advisors at German umbrella organisations and at the German Association of Local Public Utilities (VKU). It supports the organisations by

• Advising member municipalities on municipal development cooperation
• Representing interests in the political arena
• Connecting municipal projects with governmental development cooperation projects

The project develops and implements innovative cooperation platforms to foster the specialist and methodological expertise of managers and specialists. It connects municipal practitioners in development cooperation countries, Germany and Europe to develop and expand partnerships with one another.

It supports the development of an overarching strategic framework and the growth of what is still a young policy field. This aims to improve the scope for municipal development cooperation in Germany, Europe and the Global South. The advisory services are supplemented by cooperation on decentralised development cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR).

Last update: July 2024