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Decentralised cooperation and especially city-to-city cooperation is nowadays recognised as an important means to achieving development in the world. This cooperation modality increasingly allows international solidarity to express itself directly between communities of the North and of the South. National governments from developed countries increasingly encourage this type of cooperation by complementing budget allocated by local authorities with additional resources to support decentralised cooperation. Decentralised cooperation is becoming in fact one of the important mechanisms of international cooperation along side with multilateral and bilateral cooperation.
However establishing decentralised cooperation, beyond traditional twining arrangements, is often facing a number of obstacles. On the one hand, cities from the South have often difficulties in defining clearly their priorities and in identifying strategic activities contributing to urban development. On the other hand, cities from the North are not necessarily equipped to support cities from the South in institutional strengthening in order to optimise support offer through city-to-city cooperation.
Using the preparation of Local Agendas 21 as a common element between cities of the North and cities of the South, to develop decentralised cooperation is a very promising response to these obstacles. Working on a Local Agenda 21 in both cities allows them to communicate on the basis of a common language, to exchange tools, approaches and methodologies that they are using and to locate city-to-city cooperation activities within the context of their respective Local Agenda 21. In addition it allows the city from the South to identify clearly priority needs through a strategic and participatory process. Finally it allows to readily establishing links between a large number of actors in both cities already mobilised around respective Local Agendas 21 platforms.
The Localising Agendas 21 Programme is making a particular effort to promote decentralised cooperation. For many years already city-to-city cooperation is taking place among cities from the South that the programme supports. This cooperation mainly takes place through exchange of information and experiences. However the potential of city-to-city cooperation with cities from the North has not yet been fully utilised. It could allow establishing long term relationship around the issue of sustainable urban development going beyond the limited time cities are being supported by UN-HABITAT programmes. To promote this cooperation mechanism, contacts are being taken with National Associations of Local Authorities to facilitate establishing decentralised cooperation between the South and the North.
UN-HABITAT is very conscious of the will of local authorities to establish direct contacts among themselves and to keep full control of decentralised cooperation arrangements. UN-HABITAT does not intend to interfere in these aspects. It is only offering to facilitate decentralised cooperation with cities from the south that it supports towards sustainable urbanisation. These cities have built and institutional infrastructure enhancing participation, identified priority issues and developed strategic directions and action plans to promote sustainable urban development. They are usually well prepared to articulate their needs and to maximise support that they can mobilise through city-to-city cooperation.
Cities interested to develop decentralised cooperation with cities supported by the LA21 Programme are invited to get in touch with them directly through the contact indicated in each “ city page ” or through the Programme Coordinator . |
