Russian-German youth cooperation is carried out in accordance with the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany in the field of youth cooperation of December 21, 2004.
The purpose was activation of the socio-political youth dialogue within the framework of the partnership between cities of Russia and Germany in order to maintain the achieved level of cooperation and ensure continuity in the implementation of sister city relations.
Tasks
- Acquaintance with possibilities of Russian-German youth cooperation within the framework of the partnership between cities of Russia and Germany,
- Exchange of experience and discussion of topical issues of urban development in the field of ecology and digitalization,
- Creation of a network of contacts between young representatives of local governments, public organizations of partner cities of Russia and Germany for the further implementation of joint projects.
Participants were 64 people. They were representatives of local governments under the age of 30 (employees of structural divisions and deputies) from Russia and Germany participating in the implementation of joint projects of partner cities, who are ready to present ideas and practices in the field of ecology or digitalization of the city at the forum. The forum was attended by representatives of city administrations and public organizations of Belgorod, Arkhangelsk, Krasnodar, Moscow, Tver, Tolyatti, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Mytishchi, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, St. Petersburg, Krasnogorsk, Ufa, Ryazan, Stuttgart, Kiel, Karlsruhe, Wolfsburg, Duisburg, Dresden, Essen, Erlangen, Hamburg and Osnabrück. They were representatives of organizations assisting the development of Russian-German youth cooperation.
One of the priority areas for the implementation of the Agreement is to conduct youth exchanges within the framework of relations between sister cities and regions of Russia and Germany as well as exchanges of young representatives of state and local authorities including those from sister cities.
A traditional event in this area is the Youth Forum of partner cities of Russia and Germany which has been held since 2017 on the initiative of the Russian Coordination Bureau for Youth Cooperation with Germany and the German-Russian Youth Exchange Foundation under auspices of the Conference of partner cities of Russia and Germany with the participation of students and representatives of youth public associations.
At the 15 meeting of the Russian-German Council for youth cooperation (November 19–22, 2019, Heidelberg) it was decided to hold a Forum of young representatives of local governments of partner cities of Russia and Germany in June 2020 in Rostov-on-Don as a pilot project aimed at building contacts between young employees of administrations of partner cities of Russia and Germany. In connection with the Covid-19 pandemic it was decided to hold the forum online from November 3 to 5, 2020.
Results
On the first day of the forum a presentation "Opportunities for Russian-German youth cooperation within the framework of the partnership of cities" and a discussion "The role of partnership of cities in the development of Russian-German relations in new conditions" were held. The Deputy Head of the Administration of the Kirovsky District of Rostov-on-Don Andrei Kosenko, the former mayor of Cologne Jürgen Roters and executive director of the German-Russian Forum Martin Hoffmann took part there.
On the second day of the forum expert sessions were held on topics "Ecology of the city" and "Digitalization of the city". Reports were presented by experts the former mayor of Cologne Jürgen Roters and the Head of the New Management Technologies State Institution of Moscow Alexander Pishchelko. The representative of the German side spoke about environmental control programs that are being developed in European cities. The Russian speaker focused on innovative digital projects that are used in the urban environment of Moscow to make life easier for citizens.
On the final day of the forum the foresight session "City of 2025" was held. Forum participants spoke there about unique features and problems of their cities, formulated main trends and ways for the development of settlements in five years - in 2025.
As main problems of modern cities forum participants identified insufficient care for the environment, traffic congestion, an uncomfortable environment for pedestrians and cyclists, the presence of abandoned factory and industrial zones, the lack of a developed recycling system and separate waste collection. Among main trends were the strengthening of sister city relations between cities of Russia and Germany in order to carry out joint projects, the digitalization of urban spaces, the improvement of environmental culture, the creation and development of public spaces in cities, the increase in the availability of services for residents of all ages and ensuring their dialogue with city governments. In addition, the need to create favorable conditions for youth was noted including creation and development of youth centres. At the end of the foresight session participants from Russia and Germany created an image of the city of the future as an environmentally friendly city using a smart energy distribution and waste sorting system, free from gasoline and gas cars, harmoniously combining social development and green areas.
