The City Council, with sufficient knowledge regarding the model of international cooperation chosen, centres its activity in the bilateral projects “city-to-city”, which imply an exchange and a learning experience for both parties. Its wide and internationally recognised experience in the municipal management of various departments allows it to strengthen the cooperation with local governments and with sustainable actions or projects.

According to this, the cooperation is more centred on the exchange of experiences as well as in sharing knowledge regarding local management, than in acquiring funds or the funding of services and infrastructures. At the same time, Barcelona’s cooperation is not limited to a single municipal department. On the contrary, many of Barcelona’s municipal sectors participate in different projects and initiatives to which they contribute with their own experience in local governments around the world. In the third place, and beyond the approvals and arrangements imposed by the funding international programmes, Barcelona believes in the organised action of the cities of the world as a way of carrying out cooperation projects, activities in favour of local autonomy, or creating funding strategies for international organisms in order to face urban problems. Finally, it also aims to create strategies with the solidarity fabric in order to maintain the existing synergies as well as to create new ones.

Amidst this policy of cooperation, the commitments established in the earlier stages are maintained at the same time that new commitments see the light. With regards to the projects to which Barcelona was committed in the early stages, aid for Kosovo is maintained, with schools being built, twelve comboys of humanitarian aid for refugees being sent, and support being offered to Human Rights organisms. Projects in Latin America are also being continued and actions destined to improving the municipal management as well as strengthening the city networks are being carried out. At the same time, the projects focusing on the Mediterranean continue to grow in number and funding support. Some of the activities undertaken during this stage took the shape of training activities and projects addressing issues such as gender violence and infancy protection, developed alongside urban reformation and governability projects.

With regards to new commitments acquired, we may highlight the following: Support actions in the boroughs of Serbia & Montenegro, the beginning of activities in Mozambique and Equatorial Guinea, and, more importantly, the cooperation with Palestine, most of the municipal cooperation being centred on technical assistance, reconstruction of infrastructures and the beginning of an emblematic project the aim of which is to reconstruct the Barcelona Peace Park in the city of Gaza.