Host City Programme: Partners for Sustainable Urban Development.

The successful format of the "Germany 2006 – South Africa 2010: Partnership with a Kick" pilot-project will be followed up in Brazil. The Host City Programme "World Cup Brazil 2014 – Germany 2006/2011: Partners for Sustainable Urban Development" facilitates a knowledge exchange between the cities hosting the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, and the German cities that hosted the competition in 2006 and 2011. The project aims to:

• support the host cities in Brazil stage the FIFA World Cup
• build capacities for sustainable urban development in the participating host cities
• strengthen German-Brazilian relations at the local level
• promote development information and education work in German municipalities.

Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), this project is being implemented by the Service Agency Communities in One World, in close cooperation with the GIZ Office in São Paulo.

The project kicked off in September 2011. It has been met with keen interest and strong commitment both in the Brazilian host cities and among their German counterparts. The German host cities of 2006 and 2011 came together in December 2011 at an inaugural meeting, where the foundations were laid for a new network of German municipal advisors. The first city-to-city consulting missions were held in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Recife and Manaus before the end of 2011. Both parties considered these exchanges a success and expressed their interest in continuing the dialogue. Further consultancies and workshops will follow.