City-to-City Cooperation for Sustainable Cities - Strengthening Cities through Collaborative Projects.

Marlene Holzner

Moderator

November 6, 2024 | 09:00 - 10:30

Voices from Cities - room E

Municipality of Tyre

Lebanon

English

Reference:

VC-E 6

WUF12

Voices from Cities

Summary

City-to-City Cooperation, in its various modalities (South-North, North-North, South-South), stands as a promising cornerstone for addressing contemporary urban challenges and fostering sustainable development. In an era marked by rapid urbanization, environmental concerns, climate change, crises, and mass displacement, the potential of city-to-city partnerships should be explored further for mutual benefit.
The event will highlight the importance of city-to-city cooperation and the central role of local authorities in achieving the 2030 agenda goals. The session will include dynamic exchanges of views and expert knowledge relating to concrete local projects advancing sustainable urban development. It will specifically showcase two active city-to-city cooperation cases:
The Zurich (Switzerland) – Tyre (Lebanon) project partnership, initiated in 2017, includes expert exchanges on refugee reception, initiatives to promote sustainable mobility, and the development of an inclusive tech hub for digital entrepreneurship and social networking.
On the other hand, the Reggio Emilia (Italy) – Pemba (Mozambique) collaboration, which began in 1975 and formalized in 2012, encompasses participation in sustainable urban planning, peer-to-peer exchanges for solid waste management policies and environmental education, and the co-design of educational preschool services. This collaboration has been further supported by the "Partnerships for Sustainable Cities" Programme funded by the European Commission, which enabled the realization of the project "MAISPEMBA-Cities in dialogue for a sustainable, inclusive and resilient development in Pemba”. With overall objective to foster urban development of the city of Pemba in Mozambique.

The event aims to discuss the fundamental features that characterize these partnerships and add value to initiatives between Reggio Emilia and Pemba, as well as between Tyre and Zurich. These include:
(1) Urban pragmatism,
(2) A consistent whole of society approach,
(3) Mutual learning at eye level,
(4) Innovative social inclusivity,
(5) Meaningful participation of refugees,
(6) Process-orientated sustainability.

Objectives

The objective of the event is to encourage reflection on the value, methods, and approaches of decentralized cooperation. It explores how cities of diverse backgrounds can effectively collaborate to promote sustainable urban development. This initiative aims to foster shared learning, collaborative planning, and the implementation of best practices among cities.

The key objectives of the event include:
• Sharing best practices and lessons learned in sustainable urban development, including economic growth, cultural exchange, public transportation, and disaster resilience.
• Fostering partnerships to leverage resources and expertise in addressing common challenges.
• Encouraging joint projects across diverse city contexts to accelerate sustainable development.
• Promoting inclusivity in city planning to benefit marginalized groups, including refugees.
• Advocating for financial support, exemplified by the 'Partnerships for Sustainable Cities' programme funded by the European Commission, which has facilitated 57 global partnerships.

The panelists will share their unique experiences, approaches, and evidence from their respective city-to-city cooperations as well as the 'Partnerships for Sustainable Cities' programme, involving 57 active partnerships. Their insights aim to enrich the global discussion on sustainable urban development through collaborative city initiatives.