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Municipal Partnerships with the Middle East – Building Resilience in Crises

Middle East Networking Conference

German municipalities and their project partners from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey work in highly dynamic settings with a history of coping with crises. These partnerships address instability and identify creative solutions, especially in the areas of vocational training, youth development, waste management and renewable energy. Participants at the conference discussed how they go about it.

The participants discussed equality in municipal partnership projects. Foto: Engagement Global/ Lobani Consultants

Amman, 27 to 29 September 2022. Since 2016, German municipalities and municipalities in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have been working together in partnership to identify joint solutions to local challenges. They are doing so through the 'Municipal Know-How for Host Communities in the Middle East’ programme. The situation in the partner countries and in each individual partnership is dynamic and unique. Nevertheless, there are similar challenges at the local level.

All conference participants were therefore united by the questions: How can partnerships be strengthened and deepened, especially in times of local and global crises? How can municipalities build resilience within their partnerships despite crises, and what do they need to promote in order to build strong partnerships?

»Our municipalities face the same challenges and have the same aspirations.«

Maroun Antoun, Mayor of El Qrayeh

At the Middle East Networking Conference in Amman – a follow-up to the online conference of partnerships held in November 2021 – participants discussed these issues face-to-face.

Involving civil society and young people in partnerships

Vocational training is an important concern of many partnerships. The Mayor of El Qrayeh in Lebanon, Maroun Antoun, emphasised: 'We've done a good job of launching partnerships and projects [with Traunstein]. Now it's time to bring our communities together, because the political leaders will change. It is now a matter of connecting the inhabitants of our towns and cities. Our municipalities face the same challenges and have the same aspirations.'

This is also closely related to youth development, because youth empowerment at the local level is very important, emphasised Muna Queteishat from the Jordanian youth organisation Loyac. If we can involve young people today, show them we value their ideas and support them in implementing those ideas, they are more likely to become actively engaged in solving local problems in the future, rather than migrating.

Empowering local women and building on existing structures

The collaboration between Munich in Germany and Gharb Irbid in Jordan also follows this mandate. On the last day of the conference, participants visited the advisory centre for business start-ups. Set up during the course of the partnership, the advisory centre is primarily aimed at women.

The participants also visited the reactivated factory for metal container production which is attached to the centre. During the technical dialogue that followed, further waste management challenges for the partner countries were discussed. These included a lack of funding, inadequate resource management, changing government priorities and low public awareness of environmental issues.

Learning together

During the exchange in the conference breakout groups, the working group on 'renewable energy' concluded that resilience also means that in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we all need to get involved. The participants noted: 'We must always remain flexible, which also means being ready to make mistakes and changes'. This also means finding new solutions together by dealing constructively with those mistakes.

»Germany can learn a lot from the municipalities in the Middle East.«

Markus Reichart, Mayor of Heimenkirch

Knowledge transfer in a partnership is not one-way traffic, though. As Markus Reichart, the Mayor of Heimenkirch, put it: 'Germany can also learn a lot from the municipalities in the Middle East, for example on how to manage refugees and maintain social peace.'

Stronger for the future

For many of the initial questions on sustainable and resilient partnerships, the conference in Amman was able to provide answers and possible solutions. The impressions gained on the ground from non-governmental organisations working in conflict prevention, women's empowerment and youth also proved motivating and inspiring.

Over the three days of the conference, the network of the 'Municipal Know-How for the Middle East' programme grew closer together. The conference generated ideas for the future design of municipal partnerships. The participants left knowing that they held the key to successful, sustainable and resilient partnerships in their own hands: continued dialogue in partnership, financial support, and more involvement of civil society actors.

IMPRESSIONS OF THE PARTNERSHIP CONFERENCE

The Citadel of Amman is enthroned upon Jebel el Qala'a, one of the seven hills on which Amman was once built. A landmark of the Jordanian capital.
Six people are sitting in armchairs next to each other and listening attentively to one other. A man sitting on the far left is speaking to them through a microphone, and gesticulating. It is a panel discussion.
In the foreground, a man and a woman are standing with their backs to the camera and talking. In the background you can see a large poster.
A woman is standing in front of a flipchart. She is speaking into a microphone that she is holding in her left hand. With her right hand she is pointing to coloured cards stuck on the flipchart.
Four people are standing at a round table. One man is holding up balloons shaped like a bridge.
About 120 people are lined up in three rows for a group photo. They are smiling at the camera.
A group of people are standing in a circle listening to a man speaking. Behind them, you can see two mounds of compost.
A man is welding on a silver garbage container. He is wearing a yellow high-visibility vest and a protective mask.
In the foreground, 3 women sit at a table. The woman in the middle speaks into the microphone and gestures. In the background are interpretation booths.
The Citadel of Amman is enthroned upon Jebel el Qala'a, one of the seven hills on which Amman was once built. A landmark of the Jordanian capital.

The Citadel of Amman is enthroned upon Jebel el Qala'a, one of the seven hills on which Amman was once built. A landmark of the Jordanian capital. Foto: Anika Mahla

Six people are sitting in armchairs next to each other and listening attentively to one other. A man sitting on the far left is speaking to them through a microphone, and gesticulating. It is a panel discussion.

Panel discussion on the role of partnerships for sustainable development. From right to left: Andre Sleiman, Amal Hawarat, Mohammad Saadiyeh, Areej Zorayqat, Markus Reichart, Fulden Eskidelvan. Foto: Engagement Global/Lobani Consultants

In the foreground, a man and a woman are standing with their backs to the camera and talking. In the background you can see a large poster.

Gallery Walk: At the 'Market of Partnerships', the partnerships attending introduced themselves to each other through poster presentations, and engaged in conversation. Foto: Engagement Global/Lobani Consultants

A woman is standing in front of a flipchart. She is speaking into a microphone that she is holding in her left hand. With her right hand she is pointing to coloured cards stuck on the flipchart.

In the open discussion groups, the participants shared ideas on how to involve young people in the work of the partnerships. Foto: Engagement Global/Lobani Consultants

Four people are standing at a round table. One man is holding up balloons shaped like a bridge.

After the lunch break, the participants got creative: How do you work together well to build a bridge out of balloons as quickly as possible? Foto: Engagement Global/ Lobani Consultants

About 120 people are lined up in three rows for a group photo. They are smiling at the camera.

The conference brought together municipal delegates from Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Germany. Foto: Engagement Global/Lobani Consultants

A group of people are standing in a circle listening to a man speaking. Behind them, you can see two mounds of compost.

Excursion to the composting plant of the municipality of Irbid. Foto: Engagement Global/ Lobani Consultants

A man is welding on a silver garbage container. He is wearing a yellow high-visibility vest and a protective mask.

Excursion to a factory for the production of metal containers in Gharb, a project of the partnership Munich- Gharb. More women are to be recruited for production. Foto: Engagement Global/ Lobani Consultants

In the foreground, 3 women sit at a table. The woman in the middle speaks into the microphone and gestures. In the background are interpretation booths.

The participants discussed gender equality in municipal partnership projects. Foto: Engagement Global/Lobani Consultants

Further Information

Project page of the 'Municipal Know-how for the Middle East’ programme

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