Berlin and Mexico City: Rethinking Partnerships to Envision the Cities We Aspire To

The Berlin–Mexico City partnership, part of the Sister Cities in Action project, shows how city collaborations can move beyond official ties and become dynamic, community-driven initiatives. Silvana Almaraz describes how, by equality, South–South learning, and intersectionality, the tandem creates inclusive spaces where civil society leads collective action.

Why Rethink Partnerships?

Traditional city partnerships often remain limited to formal exchanges between administrations. They rarely involve grassroots actors or respond to urgent issues like migration, climate change or inequality. Sister Cities in Action, coordinated by the Berliner Entwicklungspolitischer Ratschlag (BER) in collaboration with partners in Berlin, Mexico City, Jakarta, and Windhoek, adopts a different approach: it places civil society at the centre. These relations are guided by three pillars of the project: sustainability, equity and vibrancy.

Partnerships: From a Multilateral and Rooted Approach

The Berlin-Mexico City tandem is implemented by México vía Berlín e.V. in Germany and Casa Tochan in Mexico. Both organisations are deeply rooted in their contexts and recognised for their work on human rights, migration, and social and environmental justice. Together, they connect networks in both cities, share strategies and address local struggles that often mirror each other.

This tandem does not follow donor–recipient dynamics. Instead, it builds on equality, joint ownership, and reciprocal learning. Activities and decisions are co-designed, coordination flows both ways, and each partner contributes according to their capacity. Crucially, the tandem is part of a wider multilateral network, fostering not only North–South but also South–South connections among cities such as Jakarta and Windhoek.

What Happens on the Ground?

Since its launch in July 2024, the tandem has turned ideas into practice. In Berlin and Mexico City networking meetings have brought together authorities, civil society groups, and engaged citizens, laying the foundations for cross-continental cooperation.

The format Sister Cities on Screen focuses on film screenings and has created spaces to encounter contemporary urban realities, dismantling stereotypes and strengthening empathy between the cities.

In Mexico City, workshops and cultural activities have provided support for migrants and human rights defenders, and has opened up inclusive spaces for dialogue with local residents. These efforts have strengthened organisational resilience and community cohesion.

Why This Approach Matters?

The Tandem illustrates how city partnerships can become genuine platforms for addressing pressing urban challenges. By integrating gender, diversity, and intersectionality, it ensures that women, migrants, and other underrepresented groups are not only participants but decision-makers. Diaspora communities play a central role, acting as cultural and political bridges while challenging deficit-based narratives.

In this way, the Berlin-Mexico City tandem can be more than symbolic. By building safe and accessible spaces, it creates a collaboration that is more equitable, democratic, and innovative—one that redefines how we think about development, migration, education, sustainability and culture.

Looking Ahead

The coming years will show how far city partnerships can go when anchored in equality and shaped by civil society. A key-priority is to highlight the potential of city twinning, particularly in North–South and South–South contexts. Another is to strengthen citizen engagement with youth and migrant-led initiatives, grassroots movements, and women’s groups.

The tandem also plan pilot projects on climate adaptation, sustainability, urban transformation, and culture of remembrance. It will create inclusive spaces that promote human, cultural, and social rights for all. These efforts address local needs and provide replicable models for other cities.

The project also aims to foster more intersectional exchanges with academic institutions and community-based projects. The goal is to generate evidence-based policy proposals and innovative solutions grounded in local realities.

Expanding South-South cooperation will create new avenues for solidarity, as well as enhance our understanding of the global context in which we live. Acting locally while advocating for municipal structures that institutionalise civil society participation is crucial to ensure that partnerships remain democratic and relevant.

Partnerships in Times of Global Crisis

The importance of municipal international partnerships has grown in times of crisis: When town twinning is shaped not only through diplomacy but also through personal encounters and projects, it makes a concrete contribution to addressing shared global challenges such as climate change, peace, democracy breakdown, coming to terms with colonial history, and global inequality.[1]

The Sister Cities in Action project vividly illustrates this shift. Grounded in equality and mutual learning, its partnerships have transformed symbolic ties into dynamic spaces for continuous learning, innovation, and connection.

The value of these exchanges, among cities across four continents, each with its own contexts and challenges, amplifies the projects impact. What is at stake is not just the deepening of a single tandem, but the reimagining of city-to-city collaboration itself. If municipalities, citizens, civil society, and grassroots actors embrace this model, city partnerships can become powerful engines of solidarity, resilience, and inclusive urban change—bringing us closer to the cities we aspire to live in: locally rooted and globally connected.

[1] „Concept and pilot project for future-oriented partnerships of Berlin with cities and municipalities in the Global South“, 2.