Local development policy

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Local development policy refers to the sum of all local policy measures, resources and programs that local authorities employ and take to promote sustainable development locally as well as in their partner communities in the Global South .

In addition to domestic measures, such as information and educational work, fair trade projects , strategy development for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the municipal level, and cooperation between municipalities and migrant organizations, municipal development policy also includes equal cooperation with partner municipalities abroad. The mutual exchange of experience and knowledge helps to improve local living conditions in Germany and in the Global South.

Limitation of the term

In contrast to the term local development cooperation, local development policy means not only activities abroad, but also at home. The aim of municipal development policy is to solve structural problems not only through aid projects abroad, but primarily through equal and sustainable cooperation between partner municipalities at home and abroad. In the resolution of the Federal-State Committee on Development Cooperation of June 7, 2010 on the implementation of the resolution of the Prime Ministers of the States of October 24, 2008 on local development policy, the following is stated: Local development policy means “the sum of the resources and measures used by the local authorities and take action to promote globally sustainable development in our own municipality as well as in partner municipalities in developing and transition countries. In addition to domestic measures, such as information and educational work, it also includes development cooperation, i.e. improving living conditions in partner communities abroad through the exchange of experience and knowledge at the corresponding level and the provision of resources " .

In the context of the term municipal development policy, the term municipalities is often used. In Germany, this term includes cities, districts, municipalities and associations of municipalities.

legal framework

Development policy is supported and legally required by the state (federal and state level). The federal and state governments work together in this area in a form of cooperative federalism. This takes place, among other things, through resolutions of the federal states ( Prime Minister's Conference ) and the federal-state committee.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) , which is responsible at the federal level, sees the particular importance of development cooperation in giving people in other countries the freedom to shape their lives independently and responsibly without material need and to enable their children to have a good future. In achieving these international goals, the municipalities are important actors due to their special municipal know-how and their closeness to the citizens, according to the Prime Minister's Conference.

Field of activity

As part of local development policy, German municipalities enter into partnerships with cities and municipalities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern and Southern Europe. You are involved in climate partnerships, participate in building democratic structures and impart communal know-how. In this way, knowledge and experience on topics such as climate change , infrastructure, mobility, migration and demographic change are exchanged.

Through their simultaneous commitment at home and abroad, municipalities contribute to achieving international goals of the world community, to developing themselves more sustainably and to promoting fair and sustainable development worldwide.

With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community is expressing its conviction that global challenges can only be solved together. Because of their proximity to citizens, businesses and local initiatives, municipalities play a crucial role in achieving these goals. At the European level, too, local authorities are recognized as important actors in development policy and they are encouraged to become more involved.

Milestones in municipal development policy

For some years now, cities, municipalities and districts in Germany have increasingly been actors in local development policy. The following milestones mark the path of municipal involvement in development policy:

  • September 1985, Cologne : First European conference on local development cooperation in Cologne.
  • June 1992: Adoption of Agenda 21 at the Conference on Environment and Development of the United Nations in Rio de Janeiro (UNCED) with Chapter 28 and the call to all municipalities worldwide to work out a "Local Agenda 21" by 1996.
  • June 1994: With the resolution of the German Bundestag “Strengthening the local North-South work - Promotion of the Local Agenda 21 - Implementation of the Charter of Berlin”, the Bundestag calls on the Federal Government to provide all necessary support to local development policy.
  • January 1996, Bonn: Foundation of the Center for Local Development Cooperation (ZKE). The aim of the ZKE was to organize an international and national exchange of experience, to set up a database and to establish an information service for local development cooperation.
  • April 1999, Bonn: The Bonn City Council adopts the “Concept for International Contacts”. The concept contained the first concrete approaches for the communal exchange of experience in projects.
  • December 2001, Bonn: Establishment of the Service Agency for Communities in One World (SKEW). The service point, based in Bonn, offers advice and support on local development policy to local authorities on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the federal states that co-finance it.
  • 2010: In 2010 the Bund-Länder Committee on Development Cooperation with the participation of the German Association of Cities and the German District Association passed a resolution on local development policy. This was done in order to honor and expand the growing commitment of cities, communities and districts.
  • September 2015: The 2030 Agenda with its 17 global development goals (SDGs) is adopted. The 17 goals for sustainable development are political objectives of the United Nations (UN), which are intended to ensure sustainable development on an economic, social and ecological level. An active role of the municipalities in the international discourses is expressed in particular by SDG 11 "Making cities and settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable".

Actors in municipal development policy in Germany

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Katrin Fröhlich, Bernd Lämmlin: Municipal development policy in Germany, study on the development policy engagement of German cities, municipalities and districts . Ed .: German Institute for Development Policy. Bonn.
  2. ↑ Partners for one world - design and use of communal partnerships. In: Dialog Global No. 9. Service Agency for Communities in One World (SKEW), accessed on April 9, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Resolution of the Federal-State Committee on Development Cooperation to implement the resolution of the Minister-Presidents of the federal states of October 24, 2008 on local development policy. Retrieved November 19, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Dialog Global No. 9, Partner for One World - Design and Use of Communal Partnerships. A practical guide. Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW), May 1, 2019, p. 11 , accessed on November 19, 2019 .
  5. ↑ The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Retrieved April 9, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Local development policy. In: German countries in development policy. Retrieved April 9, 2019 .
  7. ↑ a b Municipal development policy 1996 - 2016: 20 years of nationwide service in Bonn. Service Agency Communities in One World, 2016, accessed on April 9, 2019 .