Today, I am in Mosul, Iraq. An iconic city throughout the multiple crises that afflicted the country in its recent history. Frantic reconstruction is taking place; but for the inhabitants of this city of two million before IS, it is not fast enough. Many houses bear the pockmarks of gun fire, or carry still the […]
From 6 to 8 February a delegation from Somaliland and Puntland visited the Netherlands as part of the EU-funded ASPIRE project of VNG International (Advancing Strong Partnerships for Inclusive and Resilient Economic Development). The participants visited the municipalities of Rotterdam, The Hague and Zoetermeer to gather knowledge and to find inspiration for initiatives to promote […]
The DEALS programme, aimed at cities in Latin America, Africa and Asia, is showing progress. Great progress has been made building partnerships. Most of the achievements were made in the fields of coordination within and between governments, and cooperation with non-government stakeholders. This is the positive image that emerged from the expert meeting on the […]
Each time I travel abroad, I remind myself how worthwhile it is to follow the local Newspapers. This time my alarm went off hearing about the President of the Philippines announcing the Clean-Up of Manila Bay as a presidential order. I consider it a major flood over my programme strategy. I never considered this in […]
Serious? I landed and the first thing I saw was: Cauayan – the Ideal City of the North. This should be a mistake, it is the DEALS programme I am travelling for! But ok, the city really does have this future perspective and I find myself exploring super interesting innovations. A ten hour drive from […]
The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Ms. Sigrid Kaag, held a speech at VNG International’s new year’s reception on Friday 18 January. For the more than 200 representatives of Dutch municipalities, foreign Embassies to the Netherlands, Dutch ministries and civil society organisations, she expressed her great appreciation for the work VNG International […]
Earlier this month, 2nd -4th December 2018, VNG International- Palestine Branch together with the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) and the Municipal Development and Lending Fund (MDLF) organized a three-days’ workshop training on Local Economic Development “LED” in Ramallah, Palestine. The training is part of the IDEAL- Palestine programme that establishes mechanisms to enhance, organize […]
Local Government Units (LGUs) are key stakeholders in the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan (MBSDMP), for decision-making on and implementation of inclusive public infrastructure development, urban planning, procurement, revenue generation, public service delivery, etc. Therefore, it is crucial to have as many Manila Bay LGUs as possible actively involved in the Master Planning process […]
This week the City Lab Circular Economy and Inclusive Waste Management COLABORA was launched in Pereira, Colombia with the support of the Governance of Inclusive Green Growth (DEALS) programme. A unique and strong cooperation between the community and waste pickers of Pereira, City of Pereira, Aseo de Pereira, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Housing, Drinking […]
A small jail. Not for me but for most of the Kosovars. This beautiful natured country is surrounded by spectacular mountain ridges. It is not these natural borders that confine the Kosovars in Kosovo. Almost twenty years after the Kosovo 1998-1999 conflict in which ethnic Albanians opposed ethnic Serbs and the government of Yugoslavia (the […]
Last week, two playgrounds and communal public gathering place were inaugurated by the Netherlands ambassador to Lebanon, H.E. Jan Waltmans. The spaces were co-designed by the Syrian and Lebanese communities of the town of Kawkba with assistance from VNG International and the expert input of public planners from Lebanon and the municipality of The Hague. […]
On 24 October, a webinar on working in countries and cities in crisis was co-organized by the CIB working group and the UCLG Working Group on prevention and management of territorial crisis and hosted by FCM. This virtual environment provided an opportunity to share experience and good practices in working in countries and cities in […]
