CHARTER for City-To-City Cooperation (C2C)

Oostende, the 17th of November 2003

CHARTER for City-to-City Cooperation (C2C)

PREAMBLE

WE, the community leaders of the cities of

Banjul, the Gambia and Oostende, Belgium

Affirming our belief in this Charter and our acceptance of the principles therein;

Acknowledging the invaluable contribution which the people of cities, towns and other communities can make in building a world where human dignity is universally respected, where there is justice and equality of opportunity for everyone, where there is awareness and understanding of different cultures and creeds, and where the basic needs of each member of our society are met;

and

Recognising how we ourselves, residing on different continents and working together in partnership, can play a direct role in helping one another to achieve a better world for our two communities;

RESOLVE

1. To freely and willingly enter into a partnership of city-to-city cooperation (C2C) between our two communities and which aims at enriching the quality of life, in terms of both material and spiritual considerations;

1. To engage our entire communities;

1. To build our partnership on the basis of mutual respect, equality, understanding and reciprocity;

1. To endeavour to make our partnership an appreciable source of sustainable benefit to both our communities;

1. To give priority to combating poverty and exclusion, as well as to eliminating ignorance and prejudice, wherever they exist in our two municipalities;

1. To harness the combined resources - human, material and financial - of our cities for these purposes, each of us as best as we are able.

1. To evaluate periodically the impact of the partnership on our two communities.

1. To ensure that our initiatives are consistent with national aspirations and complement national strategies and, furthermore, that we implement our programmes in collaboration with interested parties - governamental and non-governemental - at the local, regional and national levels.

Signed on ………………… at …………………

On behalf of the city On behalf of the city

and citizens of Banjul, the Gambia and citizens of Oostende, Belgiium

The Mayor of Banjul The Mayor of Oostende

PURPOSE

1. City-to-City Cooperation (C2C) brings the citizens and leaders of a town or city in countries commonly known as “the North“ into a close and lasting relationship with the citizens and their leaders of a town or city in countries known as “the south” or “Countries in Transition”. C2C may likewise bring a town or city in the South into such a relationship with another city in the South, located on another continent.

1. The purpose of the partnership is to provide opportunities for partnered towns to discuss and work together on matters of importance and concern to the communities and their leaders. This relationship is a “two-way street”.

The partners are likely to give priority to undertaking programmes which will combat exclusion and poverty, as well as ignorance and prejudice, in their cities or towns.

The partners decide to enter into a long-term, open-ended relationship. The partners meet, dialogue and in due course arrive at an overall strategy concerning the partnership and a modus operandi that they feel meets their needs best. They reflect the outcome of their dialogue in a Memorandum of Understanding or a similar document.

1. The duration of the partnership is without limit. The partners may choose to set an initial period of ten years for their link with one another. However, it would normally be their intention to maintain the partnership indefinitely. Likewise, the partners may decide, for practical reasons, to initiate their endeavours in one or two social, economical, cultural or humanitarian sectors only. The scope of partnership activities in the long-term should be open-ended, and address all concerns and areas of interest where it is thought that the one partner can contribute in some way to the enrichment of quality of life of the other.

PRINCIPLES

1.  Equality

A C2C partnership functions on the basis of equality between its partners. Regardless of disparities in the economic, social, political, geographical, religious or cultural situation of the respective communities, the partners discuss, collaborate and work with one another on the basis of mutual respect and understanding among equals.

The partners most easily fulfil the above principle through their commitment to reciprocity. Each city hall and its community and institutions commit themselves to contributing to partnership goals and activities in whatever way they are able to. Commitments may take the form of human, in-kind or financial resources

2.  Inclusiveness

A C2C partnership shall be inclusive. It should seek to involve the populations in the two cities - the community at large, wich may be represented in the partnership through community-based organisations and groups, as well as the cities’ elected leaders and their executive. Depending on the scope of the areas of interest chosen by the partners, other institutions - including, inter alia - hospitals, schools, chambers of commerce and centres of religion - participate fully also. The city leaders should take affirmative action to facilitate citizens’ initiatives in favour of the citizens of their partner city, as well as informing the whole community of the partnership through all available channels.

Practicalities may dictate that a partner is formed initially between some but not all sections of the concerned municipalities. In these circumstances, the partners shall seek ways and means to work towards inclusiveness from the outset, and to achieve it as soon as it is practicable.

3.  Sustainability

A C2C partnership focusses on achieving durable, sustainable results. The main prerequisites for sustainability are :

(1) Broad, representative community participation in the planning, dicision-making and implementation of C2C programmes. The broader the participation, the greater the prospect of achieving lasting benefits.

(2) Sustained human resources for carrying out the programmes. These resources are further underpinned by continuity of programme management. Continuity is assured when management is in the hands of a broad-based, cross-party, community-oriented steering committee.

(3) Probability of sustained financial and in-kind resources. Resources generated by the partners themselves, from within their two cities, have the highest probability of being continued. These resources may be an amalgam of city budgets, surcharges on city services, local institutional and business support - in cash or in kind, and community contributions. The latter may take the form of time, money or other inputs.

The partnership can benefit greatly from succesdful initiatives to raise additional funds externally, to supplement and even to multiply the funding generated locally. At the same time, the partners will wish to take into consideration that external resources are less sustainable over the long term than the resources they have generated, within their municipalities, themselves…

4.  Mutuality

C2C partners discuss their situations, share their sentiments and decide on their mutual agenda. Such agenda, focussing most likely on their closest concerns, will seek to capitalise on the partners’ breadth of experience and cultural diversity. Some programmes, or aspects thereof, may be aimed at bringing the greatest benefit to one municipality, some to the other. The overall agenda, by bringing benefits, direct and indirect, to both municipalities, lends dignity and gives respect to the citizens of both cities.

5.  Accountability

C2C partners are accountable to one another and totally transparent in their relationship.

Where a programme calls for the receipt and disbursement of funds, the partners determine the form of trust, or other legal entity, to be established as appropriate or as may be required by one or other of the partners’ respective government.They discuss and institute financial procedures and controls which are simple and straightforward, and (a) ensure the effective use of the funds and (b) provide for the accounting and audit thereof according to generally accepted criteria.

6.  Coordination

The partners do not work in a vacuum. Discussion of the agenda is carried out in consultation and coordination with other parties who have either relevant experience and support to offer or have some responsibility for, or interest in, the topics under consideration

The partners maintain contact with their respective governements in order to ensure that their initiatives are consistent with national policy and complement the programmes of others. The modality of the channel of communication varies according to the policies and procedures adopted by each governement.

7.  Impact

C2C partners agree on how they will have their programmes evaluated from time to time, in order to be able to assess the impact the partnership, in both tangible and intangible terms, is having on their municipalities. The results of an evaluation both guide the future directions and conduct of a programme as well as providing valuable experience for drawing on when the partners discuss new initiatives.