Category: City networks / Urban Diplomacy

Cities as pioneers for a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future

Posted on by burkhard

From 12 to 14 September 2025, the Urban 20 (U20) Mayor Summit took place in Johannesburg as part of South Africa’s G20 presidency. The mayors of the C40 cities came together to strengthen the voice of cities at the global level. The U20 is a diplomatic initiative jointly supported by C40 Cities and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). This year, the cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane took the chair.

Connective Cities and the City of Bonn participated in the panel discussion organised by SALGA (South African Local Government Association) on the topic ‘From Goals to Impact: Advancing Urban Sustainability and Resilience through the SDGs’. The discussion highlighted the central role of local governments in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): more than 65% of the SDG targets are directly linked to municipal and regional responsibilities, as SALGA Vice-President Flora Mabea-Baltman emphasised.

The panel participants provided a wide range of insights. Aaron Maluleka from the City of Tshwane presented energy programmes and partnerships in the field of sustainable energy. Dr Angela from São Paulo discussed the importance of philanthropic initiatives in achieving the SDG goals. Verena Schwarte from the City of Bonn emphasised the importance of data and international cooperation, and Sibylle Loyeau from Connective Cities stressed the significance of partnerships, professional exchanges, and peer learning.

The communiqué, the summit’s joint outcome document, recognises the importance of the local perspective in the G20 agenda. Four priority areas for action were defined: economic opportunities and financing; climate protection and urban resilience; social inclusion and justice; and digital transformation and innovation.

The Urban 20 Summit 2025 confirmed impressively that cities are at the forefront of solving global challenges locally, working towards a sustainable, inclusive and resilient future.

Peer-to-peer learning and networking – in the focus of municipal development cooperation

Posted on by erik

The OECD report “Reshaping Decentralised Development Co-operation in Germany” was presented at the “6th OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs” in Brussels on 20 April 2023. It assesses decentralised development cooperation (DDC) policies, strategies, programmes and financing in Germany, as well as the challenges they face, and provides concrete recommendations on how to increase the effectiveness and impact of DDC policies and programmes.

It is the result of an 18-month policy dialogue with more than 100 stakeholders from all levels of government in Germany. The OECD conducted two surveys: one with the federal states and one with the municipalities. The OECD survey of the federal states, conducted between November 2021 and January 2022, was targeted to the development cooperation focal points in the 16 German federal states. The survey was answered by the departments responsible for development cooperation in the state ministries of 14 of the 16 federal states, as well as by representatives of the Federal Government (BMZ) and the implementing organisations. A similar survey was extended to the German municipalities and addressed to the respective persons responsible for development cooperation on the ground. This second survey was conducted between April and June 2022.

Since the 1950s, the DDC has become increasingly important within German development cooperation. Compared to other members of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, German municipalities and regions provide by far the highest Official Development Assistance (ODA) in absolute terms, totalling approximately €1538 million in 2020 followed by Spain with €369 million. Most federal states and municipalities focus their development cooperation on technical cooperation, advisory services and peer-to-peer learning as well as networking, especially in the policy areas of education, environment and health.

Results at the municipal level

At the municipal level, building and promoting networks and peer-to-peer learning are the two most used types of technical assistance for municipal DDC activities. About 75% of municipalities responding to the OECD survey engaged in building and promoting networks in 2018, 2020, or both. Peer-to-peer learning is the second most important type of technical assistance for municipalities’ DDC projects. About two-thirds of municipalities used collegial advice in their DDC programs. Roundtables and platforms that bring together actors from different sectors are tools used by municipalities that can improve communication and knowledge sharing, especially during crises and emergencies.

In this context, the cooperation of the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW) of Engagement Global and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) was explicitly mentioned: “There are several forms of collaboration between Engagement Global and GIZ when it comes to international development co-operation. This encompasses SKEW projects with GIZ offices in certain partner countries such as in the Maghreb region, Ukraine and in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as projects such as the Connective Cities programme that promotes the global exchange of municipal expertise and supports learning and peer-to-peer exchange between German and international urban practitioners geared toward the needs of municipalities.”

Technology and know-how transfer plays a similarly important role as peer-to-peer learning: around 60% of municipalities used it as part of their DDC activities in 2018 and/or 2020. Other relevant types of technical assistance that are important for municipalities’ DDC activities include, in particular, vocational training, advisory services, organisational development and change management.

Other important policy areas for German municipalities are governance and democracy. Nearly 30 % have been active in the areas of local governance, democracy and decentralisation in the last five years. Around 27 % have focused on social inclusion in their development cooperation activities in both 2018 and 2020. Other relevant areas of municipalities participating in the survey include urban development (20%), health, especially since the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic (22% active municipalities under SDC), and economic development, water, gender and culture. In general, it is important to find a common understanding of the objective of an DDC project in order to avoid a mismatch in priorities.

Criticism and recommendations

However, the report also sees weaknesses in the German DDC system: most of the states would coordinate their policies with the federal government through the federal-state programme. However, there is hardly any policy coordination between the states and the municipalities. This could lead to scattered small projects, unused synergy potential in the partner countries and duplication of work. In addition, the DDC still has room for improvement, especially at the country level.

Furthermore, there is no uniform definition of decentralised development cooperation and insufficient data for impact monitoring. Appropriate evidence of impact could increase the overall attractiveness of DDC. Another point of criticism was the bureaucratic hurdles associated with financial support, which is often limited to one financial year.

The resulting policy recommendations are therefore in brief:

  • Strengthening cooperation between federal states and municipalities on DDC.
  • Strengthen DDC at the state level by promoting more direct cooperation with local and regional governments in partner countries.
  • Clarify the definition and boundaries of DDC in Germany to promote action and strengthen existing DDC guidelines.
  • Enhance policy dialogue on the results and mutual benefits of cross-border DDC projects for federal states, municipalities and implementing organisations.
  • Establish a more flexible framework to expand co-financing of DDC projects and address the challenge of one-year funding agreements.
  • Simplify the bureaucratic and application procedures for funding programmes and strengthen the capacity of staff to manage development assistance at the municipal level.
  • Develop a harmonised approach to monitoring and evaluating DDC results in all countries and municipalities.

Despite all the criticism in detail, however, the effectiveness of DDC is not called into question; on the contrary, its potential for implementing the 2030 Agenda is highlighted and further expansion is recommended.

To the study: OECD: Reshaping Decentralised Development Co-operation in Germany

Good practice: Euroregion Pomerania

Posted on by erik

The Euroregion Pomerania has existed for 25 years and has given rise to many cross-border friendships and cooperations. The region includes the German districts from Rügen on the Baltic Sea to the district of Barnim near Berlin, and on the Polish side the entire West Pomeranian Voivodeship. When the borders were closed during the Corona pandemic, it was a shock for both sides. But necessity is the mother of invention – through a series of innovative measures such as the “special call”, the region grew even closer together.
For its outstanding achievements and peaceful, people-uniting cooperation, the partnership was awarded the municipal science prize of the Carl and Anneliese Goerdeler Foundation. See here how both cities went through the crisis together and benefit from their experiences!
German, Polish and English subtitles available.

Watch video at YouTube:
 https://youtu.be/0DaR5MS7Tz0

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Dobra praktyka: Euroregion Pomerania – pokonywanie granic poprzez współpracę Euroregion Pomerania istnieje od 25 lat i w jego ramach powstało wiele międzynarodowych przyjaźni i kooperacji. Region obejmuje niemieckie powiaty od Rugii nad Bałtykiem do dzielnicy Barnim pod Berlinem, a po stronie polskiej całe województwo zachodniopomorskie. Kiedy podczas pandemii Corony zamknięto granice, był to szok dla obu stron. Ale konieczność jest motorem wynalazku – dzięki serii innowacyjnych działań, takich jak “specjalne wezwanie”, region jeszcze bardziej zbliżył się do siebie.
Za wybitne osiągnięcia i pokojową, jednoczącą ludzi współpracę partnerstwo otrzymało miejską nagrodę naukową Fundacji Carla i Anneliese Goerdeler. Zobacz tutaj, jak oba miasta wspólnie przeszły przez kryzys i skorzystaj z ich doświadczeń!
Dostępne napisy niemieckie, polskie i angielskie.

Unturning the Stones

Posted on by erik

The virtual dialogue event “Unturning the stones – Exploring Climate Finance for Asian Cities” was held on the Connective Cities platform from the 28th to the 30th of September 2021. It was jointly hosted by Connective Cities and TURBOCLIC (Transformation – Urban Opportunities – Climate Change), an initiative from GIZ’s sector networks TUEWAS (Transport Environment Energy and Water in Asia) and SNGA (Governance Asia).

The active participants consisted of 25 urban practitioners and experts from 6 countries (Nepal, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Philippines and Germany) working in the sectors financing, public works / infrastructure, greening and planning departments. They were united by the fact that all of them are working at the forefront of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in their cities. In order to implement green and sustainable solutions that leapfrog current unsustainable patterns, it is essential to develop innovative and efficient financing approaches to build climate resilient and low-carbon cities.

Crisis Management – Cross Border Solidarity in time of crisis

Posted on by erik

The event series “Insight Sessions: Post-COVID Urban Futures” is part of this year’s Connective Cities Corona programme and facilitates a regular, open exchange on relevant topics of the post-COVID-19 era for municipal practitioners and relevant experts worldwide. Different topics of sustainable urban development during and after the COVID-19 pandemic will be discussed and innovative approaches in this regard will be shared in brief and concise virtual exchange formats. The aim of these events is to provide impulses that encourage participants to reflect on their progress so far and think about innovative solutions. The open discussion rounds will take place on Wednesdays once every three weeks. 

We are pleased to invite you to the fifth event in the series on „Crisis Management – Cross Border Solidarity in time of crisis“ on Wednesday, September 29st, 2021 from 10:00 – 11:30 CEST.

The Covid-19 pandemic challenge international cooperation. Namely, border closure at the beginning of the pandemic, different national regulations and the lack of adequate communication tools made collaboration difficult. Moreover, not only the pandemic but also conflicts and political dynamics challenge cooperation between cities, countries, and neighbour regions. Cities cooperation can play and certainly played an essential role during the pandemic. Cooperation between cities can strenghen multilaterlism as municipalities have, in comparison to national governance, often a closer partnership with other cities and can react faster to crises. At the beginning of the Covid-outbreak, cities worldwide supported each other, e.g., by admission of patients in hospitals and donations.

The session will focus on international cross-border solidarity among cities in times of crisis and beyond. Challenges and opportunities from cities cooperation will be discussed, and best practices and lessons learned will be presented from different world regions.

A detailed agenda will be provided shortly. The event will take place virtually in the Connective Cities Community.

Date: Wednesday, September 29th

Time: 10:00-11:30 CEST (tba)

Event language: English, German

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Contact: paulina.koschmieder@giz.de

Principles for Better Cities

Posted on by erik

We are now living through a period during which we are both struggling to find adequate ways to characterize the dominant urban challenges and to respond adequately to those challenges. It is indicative of this complexity that we live in a period that is simultaneously being criticized as ‘the Anthropocene’ and, more optimistically, called ‘the Urban Age’. This is the era in which humans have had a profound impact upon the earth’s ecological systems. It is also the period during which the planet has become overwhelmingly urbanized. Likewise, social relations are ever more global, and thus, at one level, diffuse. To address local challenges, global targets have been set up to inspire and guide common efforts in sustainable development.

Arguably, responding well to the current challenges is best achieved by a set of integrated principles that firstly link highlevel aspirations to on-the-ground practical guidelines. Secondly, it is best realized through recognizing global and generalizing patterns while being sensitive to local particularities and priorities. Thirdly, it requires simple and aspirational principles at the top level but, at the same time, a grounding in more complex detail as the process goes deeper.

Principles for Better Cities is a collective response to that set of tensions. The document attempts to meet those contradictory needs by outlining a set of layered principles (Part I) while providing a method for translating between other existing charters, frameworks and sets of principles such as the Sustainable Development Goals (Part II).

Rethinking the ecosystem of international city networks

Posted on by erik

Cities have emerged as major players on the international scene in recent years. Yet, their ambition to project themselves internationally and to influence global agendas is not a new phenomenon. Cities have operated through organised networks for decades. The first international organisation of cities was the International Union of Local Authorities, created in 1913. Towards the end of the past century, the regional integration processes of the 1990s engendered a proliferation of city networks, especially in Europe but also in Latin America, Africa and Asia. In 2004, the founding of United Cities and Local Governments as a platform for international municipalism marked a turning point.
Today city networks play a growing role in defining and implementing some of the main global agendas. Their involvement in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, their success in adding a territorial dimension to the UN 2030 Agenda, and their participation in the Steering Committee of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, are good examples of how city networks are making their voice heard. But the increasing importance attributed to urbanisation processes on international development agendas has also caused a reconfiguration of the ecosystem of city networks that brings with it both risks and opportunities.
This volume seeks to analyse the changing dynamics of the ecosystem of city networks, focusing on how the main platforms operate, what influence they have on global agendas, what services they provide and how they coordinate their efforts. By zooming in on the strategies networks have been developing to enhance their influence and make their operations more effective, the volume examines the added value they provide.