Triumph of Decentralised Cooperation

Between 25 February and 7 March, a delegation of officials and technicians from various Brazilian cities and institutions travelled to Mozambique to carry out technical missions and take part in the review workshop of the project to improve the capacities of local authorities in Brazil and Mozambique, which focused on the themes of cadastres, urban planning and participatory budgeting.

The seminar also gathered six mayors from Mozambique and technicians from all Mozambican cities participating in the project, as well as representatives from the cities of Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Blantyre and Durban’s Municipal Institute of Learning (MILE), who are active members of the UCLG Urban Strategic Planning Committee.

The seminar was an exceptional opportunity to learn first-hand about work that has been carried out over the last two years, from the perspectives of municipal leaders and technicians. Each pair of cities had the opportunity to explain their specific contexts, objectives, outcomes, challenges and lessons learnt during the exchange period, as well as to present their perspectives for future collaboration.

The presentations from the cities highlighted that a there isn’t a “unique formulaor methodology for collaboration between cities. It was emphasised that political support is extremely important, as is identifying experienced technicians that are willing and able to collaborate. It was also considered essential to dedicate time to understanding the specific contexts of each partner, as well as to create a relationship of trust that facilitates the flow of information and mutual collaboration. These factors were outlined as some of the main principles to ensure a fruitful exchange between cities.

In addition to the representation of the cities, the event was an opportunity for ministries and relevant institutions such as the European Union, GIZ, the Catalan Cooperation Agency, the Galician Fund for Cooperation and Solidarity, UCLG Africa, and others working for development in Mozambique, to meet. As well as the sharing of experiences and encouraging reflections through round tables and discussions on the current Mozambican context, dialogue was stimulated to evaluate future possibilities to ensure the continuity of the actions initiated by the project.

The project will continue until the end of April 2015 and UCLG will support the associations ANAMM and FNP, who, based on this positive experience, have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting decentralised cooperation between Brazil and Mozambique.

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