Swakopmund Municipality partners Giessen in Germany through new MoU
By Adolf Kaure.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Swakopmund Municipality and twin city, Giessen in Germany, has now been approved and finalised after the initial agreement had to be postponed due to time constraints.
The Municipality of Swakopmund has approvedthe MoU this week and it will be signed shortly.
This came after the invitation for the Swakopmund councillors to travel to Giessen and the draft MoU was submitted on 23 November 2023 but could not be finalised due to the short notice and the urgency of the trip. At that time the MoU was not thoroughly considered by the management committee and no resolution was made then.
The MoU between the Swakopmund Municipality and City of Giessen was re-submitted to Council for approval and will be signed by the Chief Executive, Alfeus Benjamin, before being couriered to Giessen.
Part of the partnership is a proposed exchanged programme between the two cities that will be drafted and submitted to Council for approval. The exchange programme will cover fields addressing the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). Additionally, all invitations for exchange visits will also be submitted to Swakopmund Municipal Council for approval, in advance.
These fields include environmental management and sustainability development; emergency and disaster management; governance and capacity building; urban infrastructure and development; trade and investment; social integration; educational skills development, arts and culture; community and youth development, to address progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Due to the limited funds, online meetings and workshops will also be conducted during the partnership. Some of the projects might be costly to complete, thereafter sponsorship will be needed,” said Swakopmund Municipal Council Alternate Chairperson, Wilfred Groenewald.
Council further resolved that a scheduled programme with the projects and invitations for exchange visits be submitted to Council for approval in advance, while permission has also been granted to source sponsorships for various projects like books and material. It is also important that all projects must address one or more of the 17 SDGs.
The United Nations created 17 world development goals called the Sustainable Development Goals in 2016 based on “peace and prosperity for people and planet, now and into the future.” The SGDs emphasized the interconnected environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development by putting sustainability at their centre.
City of Giessen councillors previously visited Swakopmund during May last year as part of a book exchange programme to donate several German books to the Mondesa Community Library.
Located near Fankfurt, the City of Giessen has a population of about 90,000 residents.
Swakopmund Councillor, Claus Goldbeck (left) and Giessen Councillor, Astrid Eibelshäuser at the official launch of the book exchange programme at the Mondesa Community Library in 2023. (Photograph by Adolf Kaure)
