The Municipal Know-how for Host Communities in the Middle East Programme

The neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey are the main first host countries. Here, a large proportion of the refugees do not live in camps, but in cities, towns and municipalities. These local authorities face many challenges in providing basic services of general interest. They lack resources and expertise, for instance to ensure an adequate water and energy supply, functioning waste management and efficient local governance for their inhabitants, whose numbers have grown rapidly.

Numerous German municipalities possess in-depth knowledge on essential municipal services, as well as the experience currently required in Syria's neighbouring countries. This is where the programme comes in, to support mutual and joint learning. The focus is on establishing and further developing municipal partnerships between German municipalities and the host municipalities in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

The partner municipalities work together to develop constructive solutions to local challenges that have been exacerbated by the rapid increase in the refugee population. Together, the partners can thus address the need to improve public service delivery and integrate the various population groups in the municipalities.