Striving for equal municipal partnerships

It is rare for municipal partnerships to be no more than cultural exchanges. They create a framework for peer learning between experts and encourage partners to share their knowledge and experience. In addition to this, they open up new perspectives and promote sustainable local development. However, municipal partnerships also face global structural inequalities, such as the power imbalance between “donor” and “recipient” roles in development partnerships. In addition to this, colonial histories and the mindsets which emerge from those histories also remain challenges to municipal partnerships. To overcome these, municipal partnerships must prioritise equality, both as a means of making sustainable development policy impacts, and also to ensure that both municipalities involved can contribute actively to their partnership. In this article we present some concrete steps that stakeholders in municipal partnerships can take to put equality at the heart of how they design and develop their partnerships.

Structural inequalities and power imbalances still exist, even in a highly networked world. For example, expertise from the Global North is often treated with greater respect than expertise from the Global South, despite there being no good reason for doing so. Countries in the Global North commonly have access to greater financial resources, a source of potential influence which can be evident in municipal partnerships. Financial power imbalances can affect decisions about project priorities and focuses, for example, or sway the choice of project partners when a municipality in the Global North is looking at several potential partners in the Global South. Such imbalances can also impact compliance reviews for funded projects. Moreover, these inequalities can further compound existing power imbalances.

This makes it vital to actively reflect on these global power relations and be mindful of them in partnership work. It is also important to avoid speculating about a partner municipality’s interests and motivations, as there is a risk that one municipality might be guided by its assumptions about the interests of its municipal partner, rather than discussing the question openly and directly. There will be a range of different perspectives, views and positions of power within any municipality and not all statements will reflect the whole picture. This makes it particularly important to take the time to understand a municipal partner’s interests, expectations, policy requirements, and existing development plans, and to compare them with those of one’s own municipality. After all, for a project to make an impact and be relevant in terms of development policy it must be rooted in the needs of both municipal partners and embedded in both partners’ local contexts.

Even at an individual level, stakeholders should always be aware of the risk that what they say could unwittingly be discriminatory or sexist. How individuals speak and write is often structured by established mindsets which are not essentially individual in nature. Rather, these mindsets emerge from perceptions that exist in society as a whole and which have their roots in history, such as assumptions about lived reality in partner municipalities. It is important to reflect on these mindsets, for instance in the context of intercultural training, and every effort should be made to avoid reinforcing established patterns in the work of a partnership. Instead, the goal should be to open up new perspectives for thinking and acting.

Mutual understanding, respect and openness are absolutely vital to equal partnerships, where each partner accepts and respects the other’s political structures, responsibilities and decision-making processes. This includes respecting a partner’s individual responsibilities, existing development plans and strategies, and also seeing their potential. In addition to this, partners should make an effort to understand differing local realities and to develop approaches which are tailored to them. More than anything, what matters is dialogue with a range of stakeholders in a partner municipality. This requires taking an interest, asking questions and listening attentively without making value judgements or drawing comparisons with one’s own the situation. Moreover, solutions which work well in one municipality can never just be transferred 1:1 to another. Each solution needs to be assessed carefully to see how well it can be adapted to a different context. It may be necessary to allow for different municipal structures, as areas of responsibility and the stakeholder landscape may differ between municipalities in Germany and in partner countries.

This makes it particularly important to take time at the start of a partnership or new partnership project to become familiar with structures and working practices in the partner municipality and country. This can include researching information about municipal administrative structures (for more information about these structures in Germany, see “Further Information” at the end of this article).

When meeting partners in person, be aware of and respect cultural practices and matters of protocol, such as by wearing appropriate clothing or greeting others in the correct order. In addition, meetings should involve stakeholders of similar grades and levels of responsibility wherever possible.

A municipal partnership will bring together many different stakeholders, interests, needs, expectations and objectives. Working with partners to define objectives, activities and working practices at an early stage lays the groundwork for the work of a partnership and establishes a shared sense of direction. This can include drafting a joint statement or agreement which sets out the topics, objectives and nature of the partnership, such as whether it is an official sister city partnership or a project partnership. In the spirit of promoting equal partnerships, the priority should be to facilitate a genuine sharing of expertise between partners which goes beyond merely transferring money, expertise or goods from North to South. Sharing expertise and experience with a partner on a mutual basis also affords an opportunity to learn about another municipality’s experiences and solutions. It is also a means of deepening understanding of global contexts and using those contexts on a local level to promote sustainable development. The work of the partnership should therefore also address topics where German municipalities can learn and benefit from their partners’ experience and expertise.

When setting up a new partnership and designing projects, stakeholder analysis and actor mapping can provide an overview of all those directly or indirectly involved in or affected by the work of the partnership. Once this is in place, it is helpful to work with partners to decide who will be involved in the partnership at any given time and what their involvement will be, and to determine who needs to be informed of this.

It is also important to clarify expectations of the partnership and the municipal partners at an early stage. This should be put in writing with regular reviews and updates where appropriate. An expectations survey can identify each municipality’s expectations in order to gauge whether their interests align and to develop shared objectives. Expectations surveys also make it possible to identify which individuals or municipalities can contribute to achieving a given expectation or objective. In this context RACI matrices are a useful tool for defining roles and responsibilities.

The donor/recipient hierarchy is a significant challenge to equality within funded partnership projects. As funding applications may only be submitted by German municipalities, the donor/recipient hierarchy creates a structural dependency in project funding in terms of applying for funding and carrying out the project. One consequence of this is that accountability runs from South to North. Municipalities need to be alert to this structural dependency and discuss it openly, particularly because it is inherent to existing funding mechanisms. Nevertheless, there is scope for municipalities to create partnership projects that are both as equal and as successful as possible.

The key to this is to start discussions early when conceptualising the project and before submitting an application. Even if municipalities in the Global South cannot formally apply for funding themselves, partners should work together to prepare the application based on a significant development policy need. Partner municipalities should sign a project agreement in the form of a private contract at an early stage to define responsibilities and obligations on all sides. Such agreements also make it possible to underline that both municipalities are equally responsible for the success of their project. For this to succeed, German municipalities need to give their partner access to all important information on the requirements and organisation of the funding in their partner’s official language. Translations are available for projects funded by the Service Agency. Attending video conferences (or similar) with partners to get advice on applications is also worthwhile in this regard.

Clear agreements on roles and responsibilities are also important within municipalities involved in partnerships. In this it is vital that each municipality identifies a lead contact as the first port of call for the partner municipality to ensure effective and timely communication. Wherever possible, both partners should name individuals on the same grade or with similar authorities to ensure they work together as equals.

Linking partnership work to roles rather than individual persons can help ensure that working structures remain in place when policymakers and staff change. This can include linking partnership work to pre-existing structures such as working groups within a municipality. Ideally, a partnership would also involve technical departments and policymakers such as mayors, municipal leaders, council members and traditional leaders. Where appropriate, other stakeholders should be brought on board to ensure that the work of the partnership is set up for the long term with the broadest possible stakeholder base on both sides. Civil society actors, some of whom may have longstanding contacts with the partner municipality, can also be involved. They are often able to provide support thanks to their knowledge of Germany’s structures and processes.

Open and transparent communication between stakeholders is vital to a trusting and robust partnership. The first step is to agree a working language with the partner. If necessary, individuals who can interpret and translate can be identified and included in the partnership. Using a professional interpreter is particularly advisable for detailed technical discussions to ensure all involved have an equal chance to participate.

It is important to request information from partners to ensure each partner understands and respects partners’ standard channels of communication. Partners should also agree the forms of communication (such as email, phone, SMS, messenger apps, social networks and video conferences) to be used for the project. One important aspect of this is to allow for different technological and cultural contexts. For example, some individuals may have limited access to certain forms of communication or a municipality may suffer regular power cuts. It is also vital to consider the degree of formality or the significance of spoken and written language.

Language is both the expression of a culture and a means of conveying it, so it is essential to recognise and acknowledge aspects of culture that have a significant impact on communication. For example, communication in Germany is often very direct and can be considered rude. If in doubt, therefore, it is advisable to always ask before interpreting what someone says or how they are acting. Here it can be helpful to disclose one’s own ways of communicating, such as one’s normal level of directness.

Equality is not just a key aspect of communications within partnerships. It should also be a priority that reporting on the work of the partnership should promote and create opportunities for equality. The remnants of colonialism are still present in language and can create boundaries between “us” and “others”, so stakeholders should reflect critically on the content and language of reports on partnerships, projects and activities. The aim should be to convey a nuanced picture of municipal partners and activities and to refrain from reproducing stereotypes. Reports which are superficial and contain only limited information should be avoided. Individuals and roles should be named on an equal basis; for example, avoiding references such as “Mayor X meets the delegation from X”. Quotations from stakeholders in partner municipalities (with appropriate usage rights, which are particularly relevant to German stakeholders) should be included.

Ideally, reports on a partnership should be a joint effort, so that instead of reports being about a partner municipality, both partners should contribute to them.