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.