Photo: Ayuntamiento-de-Bilbao

Bilbao to host office for German Marshall Fund

14 June 2013

by Richard Forster

Today at the World Cities Summit Mayors Forum, Bilbao City Council of Spain and the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States signed a partnership agreement to foster joint urban leadership and to train local leaders.

The first step envisaged in the agreement is the setting up of a technical office in Bilbao to represent the German Marshall Fund, which will be managed by members of the Bilbao Ekintza International Division. Andoni Aldekoa, Managing Director of Bilbao City Council, and Craig Kennedy, President, GMF, were entrusted with signing the strategic alliance, which will enable Bilbao to strengthen its commitment to economic transformation, based on knowledge, excellence and efficient government.

“The leadership in Bilbao is truly exceptional,” said Kennedy. “Just walk around this city and see the change they have led–it’s inspiring. We’re delighted to partner with the city and get into the DNA of how Bilbao has engaged with the world to make this happen.”

The representative office, set to open this northern hemisphere summer, will coordinate Marshall Memorial Fellowship programmes in Bilbao and across Spain as well as serve as a hub of other GMF activities in the region. The agreement also includes the hosting of the Leadership and Innovation Forum, a key event to foster the exchange of best practices and success stories in 2014.

As part of the agreement, Bilbao will become a guest city of the Transatlantic Cities Network, whose members include Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Brussels, Birmingham, Lyon, Turin and Belgrade. This initiative, founded in 2008, brings together regional and local policymakers, practitioners and civic leaders, whose priority is to establish a competent coordination framework for the exchange of information about innovative policies and best practices.

The cities belonging to the Transatlantic Cities Networks are selected for their economic and regional importance, implementing successful local policies that can be used to implement similar experiences elsewhere.  Its fields of action include training leaders to develop a close and stable relationship between all the participant cities.

Co-organised by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities and Urban Redevelopment Authority, this year’s World Cities Summit Mayors Forum was held for the first time outside of Singapore, in Bilbao, and drew up to 100 city leaders from across the world.

 

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