On 25th and 26th September, UCLG participated in the 1st Forum on Municipal Cooperation from the European Union, which took place in Palma, Mallorca. The Forum was organized by the Majorcan Fund for Solidarity and Cooperation, in association with the Menorcan Fund for Cooperation and the Eivissa and Formenteran Fund for Cooperation.
Representatives from more than thirty European and international institutions that promote decentralized cooperation came together during the two days of the event. Throughout the Forum, participants had the opportunity to become acquainted with the work of European and global networks that encourage and support decentralized cooperation, as well as the strategic lines of the European Union to support the development of cooperation for the period 2014-2020, and to exchange experiences of collaboration between institutions, local authorities and civil society organizations.
On this occasion, UCLG was invited to explain the network’s objectives and main focus areas, as well as to present the decentralized cooperation project between Brazilian and Mozambican cities as one of the experiences that was shared with participants.
The Forum was an excellent opportunity to reflect on the future of development cooperation based on the experience of the institutions present, and in view of a more efficient municipal cooperation that is focused on supporting the strengthening of local authorities as key actors of development.
The key importance of exchanging knowledge and experiences was highlighted as a strategic approach to collaboration between local governments and institutions.