“City-to-City Cooperation: Issues...

The fundamental purpose of this report is to provide a coherent framework for analysing the very wide range of forms in which cities cooperate with one another, along with the support mechanisms which have been called into being to facilitate and expand this cooperation. This should then provide a basis for assessing the opportunities but also the pitfalls which exist in this field, the complementarities and also the gaps in current practices, and the policy issues that arise in relation to the further development of C2C. At the same time, it is hoped that the report provide a point of reference and comparison, both for cities which are already engaged in C2C and for others interested in entering this area of activity for the first time. The intention is to furnish a framework for such users to assess their needs against the background of others’ documented experience, and assist them to identify and compare possible support mechanisms to which they could turn. And finally, for the United Nations Agencies and the other international and national organisations involved in providing support to C2C programmes, the report should offer a frame of reference enabling them to identify complementarities, overlaps or gaps in provision, and to focus upon new policy development or organisational needs. This in turn should help donors to target their funding in this area more strategically.