Impulses for the Future of Decentralized Cooperation

Global challenges require local solutions—and these solutions require partnerships. Partnerships enable strategic collaboration that promotes sustainable development. By efficiently pooling resources and facilitating the transfer of specialized knowledge, new sustainability concepts can be implemented more quickly at the local level. At the same time, partnerships raise awareness of the global impact of local actions, thereby legitimizing strategic sustainability efforts at the local level. They not only strengthen local development policies but also promote civic engagement and international solidarity.

Although development cooperation is considered a voluntary municipal service, the diverse expectations placed on the global engagement of cities, counties, and municipalities are high. German municipalities have been active in development cooperation since the 1960s and are sought-after partners for knowledge exchange around the world. Today, nearly all municipalities with more than 50,000 residents are actively involved in development policy. These municipalities, along with many others, are engaged in local initiatives such as information and education campaigns for sustainable development, projects on fair public procurement, and strategy development to implement the 2030 Agenda at the local level. However, the specific nature of city-to-city partnerships often remains vague and refers to all possible forms of relationships between local authorities at any level in two or more countries that collaborate on matters of mutual interest. Furthermore, there is little empirical evidence of the effectiveness of the various forms of bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral cooperation. In addition, studies often focus on knowledge transfer and institutional support, but frequently neglect the issue of governance.

The project “Impulses for the Future of Decentralized Cooperation” commissioned by GIZ, addresses this issue: Its goal is to identify innovative governance concepts for sustainable development through municipal partnerships and international relations, evaluate them for different types of municipalities, and further develop them. Through surveys, document analysis, and focus groups, the Difu project team is developing recommendations for new and adapted forms and models of international engagement aimed at local governments, particularly smaller municipalities and municipal enterprises.