On 26 November 2020 the North Rhine-Westphalian project municipalities, the Association of German Cities, the BMZ and the federal state of NRW convened for their virtual network meeting. The roughly 15 participants were welcomed by Nicole A. Hofmann (BMZ) and Nicola Schwering (State Chancellery of NRW). As well as an update on the programme from the Service Agency, the meeting also focused on dialogue among the participants on current partnership activities and prospects.
In the course of the year the interested municipalities began creating structures for the future work of their partnerships. They also already began thinking about possible topics for their joint work, such as fair trade, the environment or implementing the 2030 Agenda.
Looking ahead in 2021
The partnership between NRW and Ghana rests on a solid foundation. The two sides have been working together closely for more than 20 years. The official partnership agreement between the North Rhine-Westphalian State Chancellery and the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in place since 2007. The actors on both sides recognise the potential of such a multi-level partnership, in which the country/federal state, local government entities and civil society can work together with great dedication – and remain motivated to drive the partnerships forward.
As a result, plans for early 2021 include virtual dialogues within the individual partnerships, which will also be facilitated by the Service Agency. Until reciprocal visits and fact finding missions become possible once again, these formats will be used to enable partners to get to know each other and define key areas for their joint work. This year training courses, which also had to be postponed, will either be held in person or alternatively on virtual platforms.
The year 2020 demonstrated to all participants that dialogue can also be continued and launched virtually – in the hope that in the future it will once again be possible to work together as partners in person.
