It is an old wish, fuelled by IMVF and partner municipalities: the creation of a Network of Portuguese Municipalities for the realisation of activities of Development Cooperation, Development Education and Decentralised Cooperation.
In order to formalise this network, on September the 29th, at the headquarters of IMVF, technicians of the City Councils of Loures, Marinha Grande and Oeiras met with the team of the Network for Development project. On the table were topics like nature, governing bodies, skills and activities of the Network – and rights and duties of the members.
For November, the Municipality of Oeiras agreed to present the draft Statutes of the Network, to be placed on the table for discussion at the training session on “Strategic Planning for Local Government on Development Cooperation “, taking place between 8th and 10th November, in Tomar.
The creation and formalisation of a network of Portuguese Municipalities for Development Cooperation was part of the project “Networking for Development: from town twinning to a more efficient cooperation” bearing in mind the gains for stakeholders and beneficiaries: the sharing of knowledge, partnerships and exchange of key skills, which allow for a more efficient and profitable use of increasingly scarce resources.
The project “Network for Development” aimed at strengthening the role of the local Portuguese and German municipalities as active agents of development cooperation and has had a very positive effect, foreseeing a good future membership of the Network.