Learning from each other, acting together: partnerships for future-proof municipalities

"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."

Continuity of personnel is also an issue in other partnerships. Thiago de Carvalho Zakrzewski, Climate Protection and Sustainability Officer in Rhein-Kreis Neuss, describes how important it was to act quickly when a new mayor was elected in the Colombian partner city of Campohermoso at the end of 2023. "During the post-election transition phase, we publicly brought both sides – the outgoing and incoming mayors – together via video conference. We wanted to highlight our shared history, the mutually beneficial exchanges we had all enjoyed to date and the projects we have undertaken," said Thiago Zakrzewski. The intention was also to show why the Municipal Partnership for Sustainability should continue and to ensure that this expectation was communicated to the new administration by the population from the outset.

In Colombia, when a mayor's term of office ends, most city officials change as well – which poses a challenge for municipal partnerships. Nevertheless, Rhein-Kreis Neuss and Campohermoso (whose partnership has been in place since 2018) are focusing on long-term joint projects: from equipping the health centre, several schools and the Campohermoso town hall with solar energy to promoting fair trade. "We're currently developing our own sustainability strategy here in Rhein-Kreis Neuss and some of our inspiration for this has come from our partner city’s development plan," emphasises Thiago Zakrzewski. "Our partners in Colombia are ahead of us in this regard: Campohermoso already has such a plan in place. This aligns the city's planned activities with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals."

Through their joint commitment, Campohermoso and Rhein-Kreis Neuss are contributing to future-proof local development that is designed to last beyond election cycles.

Whether large or small, population size is irrelevant when it comes to co-operative partnerships for future-proof municipalities. This is demonstrated by the cooperation between Bad Köstritz in Thuringia and Huamantla in Mexico, which has been in place since 2020 and is a Municipal Partnership for Sustainability. What connects them both is a plant – the dahlia. While Bad Köstritz is known as the "dahlia city", Huamantla is located in the plant's region of origin. This common ground has given rise to a vibrant partnership, which played a key role in Bad Köstritz winning first place in the small municipalities category of the 2024 "Kommune bewegt Welt" competition organised by SKEW.

"We have around 3,700 residents in Bad Köstritz, whereas Huamantla has over 90,000 – but that doesn't matter," says Andreas Hartmann, former Local Development Policy Coordinator in Bad Köstritz. "The crucial thing is that we learn from each other: we share our knowledge about cultivating and propagating dahlias, while our partners in Huamantla, with their nearby Technological University of Tlaxcala, contribute valuable insights into the plant's medicinal, cosmetic and nutritional uses."

The joint project to grow dahlias in greenhouse conditions is creating new career opportunities for socially disadvantaged families in Huamantla and deepening cooperation in the areas of education, biodiversity and fair production methods. "Both cities are benefiting from the close professional and personal collaboration," says Isabel Aquino, who is responsible for the partnership in Huamantla. The establishment of a school partnership and the planned return of fragments of the Codex Huamantla (an original manuscript covering the city's history and culture) from Berlin State Library to Mexico also demonstrate the diversity of this cooperation.

"It's important to get everyone on board – schools, associations, churches, daycare centres, businesses, the intercultural centre (Eine-Welt-Haus)," says Andreas Hartmann. "When ten to twenty committed parties come together as a core group, they spread the idea further within their networks. And that is our strength as a small municipality: we are close to the people."

The partnership between Monheim am Rhein and Hatillo de Loba in Colombia also demonstrates that population size is not a prerequisite for successful cooperation. While Monheim, a town in an urban region between Cologne and Düsseldorf, has around 47,000 residents, Hatillo de Loba in rural northern Colombia has a population of only around 12,500. The partnership has been in place since 2024. It has developed from a reforestation project in the El Garcero nature reserve, which is located in the municipality of Hatillo de Loba and has been supported by Monheim since 2021.

"Thanks to our cooperation with Monheim, we've been introduced to innovative ideas that were new to our municipality, especially in the areas of spatial planning, environmental management and citizen participation," says Maxwel Raad Hernández, who is responsible for coordinating the partnership in Hatillo de Loba. "The partnership motivates us to continue working in an even more structured manner and with a contemporary vision of sustainable urban development."

According to Martina Beltran, Local Development Policy Coordinator in Monheim am Rhein, the exchange also offers Monheim valuable learning opportunities: "We're putting these to specific use in our work to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality education), 10 (Reduced inequalities) and 17 (Partnerships for the goals)."

In addition to the current exchange formats, the first visible result will be the project "Ein Raum zum Lernen – Eine Welt zum Teilen" [A space for learning – a world for sharing], which will transform the municipal library in Hatillo de Loba into a modern, digital meeting place. The partners are engaging closely with Monheim municipal library on this.

"In Hatillo de Loba, a single person is responsible for so many things: from the environment and education to international projects," says Daiana Castillo, who shares the position of Local Development Policy Coordinator in Monheim with Martina Beltran. She adds: "Despite limited resources, the commitment there is enormous." Or, as Martina Beltran puts it: "Different sizes and structures are no obstacle. What matters is a shared will to learn from each other and find creative solutions."

Municipal partnerships promote future-proof urban development. At the same time, many citizens know little about what lies behind the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the co-operative partnerships of their municipality, city or county. That is why it is important to make these tangible and part of everyday life. This requires communication that is varied and easily accessible.

The municipal partnership between Schwabach and Coronel Suárez in Argentina is showing how this can be achieved. The two cities have been working together since 2018, and since 2020 within the framework of a Municipal Partnership for Sustainability. "It's precisely because our social and environmental conditions differ that exchanges with our partners are so valuable," says Juan Ignacio Conlon, Head of the Environmental Agency in Coronel Suárez. "Schwabach offers experience in urban planning and established methods of solid waste management, while Coronel Suárez can contribute local strategies for citizen participation and for overcoming economic and environmental challenges in an Argentine context." The partners also communicate this value of the partnership externally.

In Schwabach, this is done via the city's monthly newsletter, which is distributed free of charge to all households. In addition, information about partnership activities is available on social media channels, in a school podcast and at events such as the International Christmas Market. "This is how we create transparency and show how embracing global responsibility has an impact locally in Schwabach," says Anna Spaulding, Local Development Policy Coordinator. Photo nights and joint online activities with Coronel Suárez also demonstrate the vitality of the connection between the two municipalities.

The municipality of Bad Köstritz published a Voluntary Local Review (reporting on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the local level) in 2023, demonstrating just how effective communication can be. This city in Thuringia thereby achieved something usually reserved for large cities: the report drew nationwide interest, and Andreas Hartmann, then Local Development Policy Coordinator for Bad Köstritz, was invited to present it at a side event at the German Mission during the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York.

This clearly demonstrates that even small municipalities can attract global attention – and show that the 2030 Agenda begins locally – with a clear stance and good communication.