"Over the years, we have experienced many personnel changes at the working level, and that's been quite challenging at times. But we've maintained continuity," says Verena Schwarte. She is responsible for the municipal partnership with La Paz in Bolivia at the Office for International Affairs and Global Sustainability of the City of Bonn. This partnership has been in place since 2002, with initial contacts established as early as 1996. "Fortunately, we've always found new colleagues in La Paz, who have picked up where we left off," says Verena Schwarte. "Sometimes that has simply meant emailing someone, when all we knew about them at that stage here in Bonn was their name."
Personnel changes over time are the norm rather than the exception in most partnerships. When new mayors are elected or contact persons and responsibilities change, the same question arises each time: what keeps projects running and municipal partnerships together?
In the case of Bonn's cooperation with La Paz, challenging political developments also come into play. "It's not easy to implement projects right now; even bank transfers are complicated. This is frustrating for both sides because, naturally, we all want to see visible results," says Verena Schwarte. She emphasises that this makes it all the more important to think long term and continue to build trust between the partners. The goal of working together on future-proof urban development remains unchanged, despite the obstacles.
"In my view, the partnership has remained stable despite the various personnel changes," says Verena Schwarte. "This is primarily due to our shared will to work together and learn from each other: with every project, encounter and success, the bond between Bonn and La Paz grows stronger." This connection has proven itself time and again during challenging periods: together, the cities have developed a natural disaster early warning system for La Paz, worked on a programme of action for waste management and environmental education as part of the Municipal Climate Partnerships and provided new impetus for climate resilience and eco-efficiency in the "Resilient Cities" project. Most recently, six electric cars manufactured in Bolivia were procured for the new "Médico en tu casa" mobile health service.
The continuous sharing of expertise is particularly valuable for Bonn, as it brings new perspectives and ideas from La Paz to the city administration. Take for instance the topic of an urban cable car network – a concept that has already been successfully implemented in La Paz. This has been discussed in Bonn for years as a vision for an environmentally friendly mobility solution.
"We've learned that cooperation is successful when it directly benefits the people in the municipality – and when it rests on many shoulders: the partnership is supported by the administrations, but also by universities, associations and committed citizens," says Boris Gonzales Daviglus, Coordinator of the Municipal Cooperation Agency at La Paz city council. "This ensures that our partnership stays strong, regardless of who is in office."