about the project

sister cities in action

Berlin’s partnerships with cities in the Global South hold great potential – especially in times of global crises. With this in mind, a consortium of Berlin-based civil society organisations and Berlin One World Promoters launched a pilot project to strengthen Berlin’s partnerships with Jakarta, Mexico City, and Windhoek at the civil society level. Three tandems – each uniting one Berlin NGO with a partner NGO in the respective city – work together to tackle global challenges and build lasting, equitable, and vibrant connections between these cities.

project coordination

The overall coordination is led by the Berlin Council for Development Policy (Berliner Entwicklungspolitischer Ratschlag – BER e.V.), an umbrella organisation for more than 120 Berlin-based NGOs in the development sector. BER strengthens civil society connections through networking, events, and joint projects while also serving as an external voice in municipal dialogue. Sister Cities in Action embodies BER’s vision of global justice – linking international collaboration with local transformation in Berlin.

Rosa López (BER-Coordinator)
lopez@eineweltstadt.berlin
https://eineweltstadt.berlin/

we are sister cities

The 3 pillars of future-oriented partnership

Equity

True partnership means working on equal footing, fostering mutual learning and continually reassessing imbalances. Equity is achieved when partners co-create goals, learn from each other, and ensure that both sides benefit from collaboration.

Sustainability

Sustainability in partnerships rests on stable structures, reliable resources, and broad participation. When municipalities, civil society, and local communities work together with long-term support, partnerships become resilient and capable of lasting impact.

Vibrancy

Vibrancy means keeping partnerships alive through action. Encounters and exchanges spark trust and connection, while long-term projects turn shared goals into real change. By combining both, city partnerships grow into living spaces of collaboration that adapt, evolve, and inspire transformation.