ONE ON ONE with Marlene Simeon, Director Platforma
Cooperation development: PLATFORMA
and the
sustainable vision of
• PLATFORMA is a pan-European coalition of cities, regions active in development cooperation and their national, European and international associations. • It is a centre of expertise on international action by local and regional governments and is supported by the European Commission. • Its objective is to strengthen the contribution of local and regional governments to EU development cooperation policies and international frameworks; The objectives of PLATFORMA The objectives of Platforma are threefold: to shape the development policy of the European Union by promoting the protagonism of local authorities and decentralized cooperation as a key element for innovative and sustainable territorial development; to raise awareness and promote international cooperation between cities and regions around the world by enhancing capacity building and to facilitate learning and testing of innovative approaches related to cooperation between cities and regions, supporting partners in achieving the SDGs of the Agenda 2030. The five areas of work The five areas in which Platforma operates are: Sustainable Development Goals and Decentralized Cooperation, Awareness Exchange on International Cooperation Action, Eastern Neighbourhood, Southern Neighbourhood, and the Role of National Associations.
The method Platforma analyses the development policies of the European Union, produces position papers and carries out advocacy activities towards European institutions and in particular towards the European Commission and the European Parliament; organizes workshops, webinars and peer exchanges and is currently developing a training module on SDGs and decentralized cooperation, with the support of global associations of local and regional governments; it produces publications, studies and monitoring and this year the PLATFORMA Awards were held, which saw municipalities from the province of Barcelona and the Safi Marrakesh region in Morocco win the first prize on citizen participation and development cooperation. At the heart of Platforma’s activities is the promotion of the localization of the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda, because it is our common responsibility to move towards more sustainable socio-economic and environmental models, through partnerships involving all the countries of the world, and that is why we must continue to actively support the international actions of local and regional governments at the European institutions. Although some obstacles in the process of localizing the SDGs continue to persist, these challenges can be solved if shared with partners around the world, and the COVID-19 pandemic, with the wave of solidarity that followed it, has shown that the time is now. Two recommendations First, it is worth remembering that local and regional governments are making great efforts to pave the way for the implementation of the SDGs but need more support from local governments and European and international institutions, which need to maintain a dedicated funding line. Secondly, it is important to further promote multi-level and multi-stakeholder partnerships, which are a key element for an effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Venice City Solutions 2030 today is doing just that: creating partnerships that start from the bottom but generate impact at a global level. 111
