Peer-to-peer learning across the ocean

At the meeting in Vietnam representatives of the City of Hoi An, Delegates from Dumangas, Muñoz and Lubang (Philippines) and Hoan Kiem District of Hanoi (Vietnam) took part. The objective of the meeting was to reflect on the work done within the Municipal Climate Partnerships since the kick-off of the fifth phase in July 2016 and to facilitate peer-to-peer learning among the Southeast Asian municipalities. The meeting was conducted by the Service Agency Communities in One World of Engagement Global in cooperation with the sustainability network LAG 21 NRW and ICLEI Southeast Asia.

The host city Hoi An is located in central Vietnam and is the partner city of Wernigerode, Germany. Both cities have something in common: their well-preserved old city centers which function as a tourist attraction. In his welcome address the Honourable Chairmen of the People’s Committee of Hoi An City, Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, highlighted that the ancient city of Hoi An is recognized as an UNESCO World heritage site and that its preservation is of high priority for the municipal authorities. He elaborated furthermore that as a coastal city, Hoi An is highly affected by the consequences of climate change like coastal erosion and frequent flooding.

The participants from Vietnam and the Philippines discovered various commonalities between their two countries, which are only separated by the South China Sea. Ray Morales, Planning Officer in the municipality of Lubang noted: „If you travel from Hoi An straight through the ocean to the East, you would eventually reach Lubang.“ Indeed there is only around 1.300 km linear distance between both municipalities. The various experiences of Hoi An city with regard to climate change adaptation were explored during a field trip on the second day of the network meeting. Participants learned about different ways of coastal protection using sandbag or concrete embankment. In some areas of Hoi An the ocean engulfed up-to 200 meters of the coastline between 2004 and today, due to coastal erosion. Furthermore, participants from Vietnam and the Philippines discussed their approaches to disaster risk reduction. Both countries experience typhoons every year, with an increasing frequency and intensity due to climate change.

In several group work sessions, participants were exchanging their impressions and experiences during their delegation visits to their partner municipalities in Germany. „When we first went to Herdecke, Germany, we expected to learn about technical solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation. But we were very surprised, when we realized that in the highly industrialized country of Germany, municipalities are now aiming to go ’back to nature’, for example with the ecological restoration of their natural river systems“, explained Ronaldo Golez, Mayor of Dumangas, Philippines. Jefferson Ongoco from the Science City of Muñoz (Philippines) added: „Our German partners from Marburg were impressed by the way we mobilize the participation of citizens in Muñoz for example for tree planting or awareness raising activities. Marburg can learn from us regarding citizen participation.“

Moreover, the delegates planned the next steps to finalize their Joint Action Programmes. Steering committee meetings and delegation visits will be held in order to discuss the first drafts of the joint programme of action within the municipality as well as with the German partners. The delegates agreed also on ways to link the Municipal Climate Partnerships to their municipal development planning. For instance the municipality of Lubang is planning to integrate the planned projects of the Joint Programme of Action into their six years development plan. The results of the fifthe phase will be presented at the occasion of an international workshop in Germany in March 2018.