Every year on the last Sunday of April, cities around the world celebrate World Twin Cities Day, a moment dedicated to recognising the importance of international municipal partnerships. The day was originally established by the United Towns Organisation (UTO), the former global association of twinned cities, which merged in 2004 into what is now United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). It highlights the role of twinning and decentralised cooperation in promoting peace, mutual understanding, and sustainable development across borders.
Originally rooted in post-war efforts to foster reconciliation and dialogue between communities, city twinning has evolved into a key instrument for addressing shared global challenges, from climate change to social inclusion. Today, thousands of cities are connected through partnerships that enable long-term collaboration and exchange.
A Resource for Local Anti-Racism Work
While city partnerships are often associated with cultural exchange and diplomacy, they also hold significant potential for advancing for example concrete topics such as anti-racism at the local level.
Racism is a global phenomenon, but it is experienced and structured differently depending on historical, political, and social contexts. Cities across Europe and beyond face distinct challenges, from addressing colonial legacies and structural discrimination to responding to contemporary forms of exclusion and polarisation.
World Twin Cities Day can offer an opportunity to reflect on these differences and similarities, and to ask: What can cities learn from one another in addressing racism?
Learning Across Contexts
City-to-city cooperation can support anti-racism efforts in several ways:
- Exchange of practices and strategies on how to tackle racism in areas such as housing, education, policing, and public services
- Reflection on different historical contexts, including colonial legacies, migration patterns, and minority rights frameworks
- Joint initiatives and projects that connect civil society actors across cities
- Peer learning on governance approaches, including participation, data collection, and accountability mechanisms
…and more. Such exchanges allow cities to step outside their own institutional and national frameworks and gain new perspectives on how racism operates and how it can be effectively addressed.
Strengthening Democratic Urban Societies
At a time when many societies are facing increasing polarisation, shrinking civic space, and challenges to democratic values, cooperation between cities is more important than ever.
For ECCAR member cities, World Twin Cities Day can serve as a reminder to actively use existing partnerships and to build new ones as part of their anti-racism strategies.
