Local authorities can strengthen global solidarity and mutual understanding between citizens by sharing knowledge and good practices on sustainable development and inequality. They make global challenges tangible and relevant for local policy. Yet town twinning that starts explicitly from Fair Trade is still rare.
In this session, we explore several inspiring partnerships, why they have impact on both sides, and what pitfalls (and differences in perspective) to watch out for plus how attentive listening and good agreements can help prevent them.

In collaboration with:

• Fair Trade City Bruges and its official twin town Ebolowa in Cameroon

Oliver Onguene Ntonga from Ebolowa (Cameroon) and Nele Brewaeys from Bruges (Flanders, Belgium) demonstrate how a town twinning partnership can develop into a powerful driving force for Fair Trade.
During this session, you will delve into their joint journey towards a sustainable cocoa and chocolate supply chain, supported by producers, chocolatiers, entrepreneurs and local residents. A fair and inspiring story about equality, opportunities, obstacles and a shared ambition towards a fair cocoa value chain.

• Fair Trade City Saarbrücken and Marcala in Honduras

One of the focuses of the Fair Trade movement in Saarbrücken is building relationships with producers. We regularly organize visits to producers in Africa and Latin America. As a result, we are convinced that Fair Trade works, and we gain partners to collaborate with.
They present a case of a sustainable partnership between Marcala (Honduras) and Saarbrücken (Germany) and highlight the role of cooperation between civil society and city administrations, including its challenges and successes.

• Further contributors tbc.