Tag Archives: International collaborations

Visit of School Delegation from KUMLA as a part of School Atlas Program

St1 As a part of the Municipal Partnership Program between the city of Cochin and city of Kumla (Sweden), a group of four member School Delegation from the Municipality of Kumla, Sweden visited the schools in the city. The Swedish delegation, consisting of teachers Lena Brostroem, Petra Eriksson, Joakim Gillman and Kumla City International Coordinator Ted Rylander, held discussions with the teachers and students of St. Teresa’s CGLPS and Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir (Girinagar). The principals of both the schools, Sister Lucette and Mrs.Nirmala Venkateswaran assisted the team in school.

The delegation has promised a slew of measures to ensure educational support for students in the city, including hosting a tour for selected students, sharing tools and techniques for educational support through video conference and measures to ease the learning pressure for students.

The last day of their program in Cochin, the delegation also met the Hon’ble Mayor along with Educational Standing Committee Chairman Thyagarajan, Works Standing Committee Chairman Soumini Jain, to share the findings.

The entire program is being coordinated by c-hed for the Kochi Municipal Corporation.

Visit of Official Delegation from the City of Kumla (Sweden) as part of the Municipal Partnership Programme

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The city of Cochin and the city of Kumla(Sweden), has entered into a long-term self-sustaining relation through Municipal Partnership Program, as a result of the match making conference held in the city organized by ICLD, mayor speaks Swedish International Center for Local Democracy and Swedish Embassy. The city of Cochin had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Municipality of Kumla to co-operate in the fields of Sustainable Development in water and waste management, IT Development, Education with emphasis on School Exchange Program and Public Space Beautification.

As part of this association a five member delegation from Kumla, including their Mayor Katarina Hansson was in the city, as a part of the feasibility study for three-year long projects that can be carried out between Cochin and Kumla. During their stay in the city, they visited Water Treatment Plants at Aluva and Maradu, sewerage treatment plant at Elamkulam, Brahmapuram Solid Waste Treatment plant, Infopark and Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL).

The Municipality of Kumla has expressed their deep interest in the various investment opportunities in Cochin and also cooperate on the various sectors identified for mutual cooperation.

Milwaukee Sister City Program

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Although Cochin is surrounded by water, the city is still facing scarcity of clean drinking water. With Cochin’s population rising along with rapid urbanization, it is indeed an immediate priority for the city to develop the water infrastructure and management capabilities.

The city of Milwaukee of Mahattil, in this regard, has a well-established fresh water management system, which has paved way for a Sister City association with Cochin. Apart from being the largest cities in their respective states, both the cities share several attributes such as an active maritime port, distinguished educational institutions and diverse community, in addition to the great natural beauty each holds.

With an endeavor to establish a vibrant sister city relation between Milwaukee and Cochin city, letters of consent were exchanged between the cities and c-hed has been coordinating this program which is in its initial stages.

Miami Sister City Program

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The Sister City Program aims at bringing two worlds together widening the growth options for Sister City and its residents. Studies, practices, investments can be done through the program. The need for acquiring knowledge and information regarding management of many sort-after heritage and environmental issues has led to this mutually beneficial Sister City program.

This program initiated and coordinated by c-hed, aims at fostering the commercial and entrepreneurial ties between the cities – Miami and Cochin, through the consolidation and development of an affable cooperation between both the cities. This partnership also focuses on acting as an efficient channel for information exchange, that will bring about an overall development and implementation of knowledge, allowing the sister cities to grow and advance in a better way. The Miami Sister City project is in its initial stages.

Association with Lorient City

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The biennial investor summit “Emerging Kerala” organized by the Government of Kerala saw the amalgamation of business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers. During this pinnacle the French city of Lorient had inked an agreement with the city of Cochin for exchanging good urban conservation and development practices.

This association will look into the various heritage activities in the city, organize technical workshops for incorporating heritage aspect in urban planning and holding national and international expert mission to Cochin / Lorient.

The partnership will also foster heritage-based sustainable development of Cochin through community participation, protection and conservation of the city’s cultural and natural resources.This project is now being co-ordinated and looked into by the c-hed. The project is in its initial stages.

Association with Bavaria

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The city of Cochin is a land of cultural diversity. From time immemorial, this land has attracted traders and seafarers who made Cochin their home. Today it has the most diversified society and is home to people from various ethnicity.

The Bavaria-Kochi Friendship home at Mundamveli is a fine example of this cultural multiplicity. This natural disaster relief settlement was jointly set up by the Kochi Municipal Corporation and various organizations in Bavaria State in Germany. And this joint cooperation led to close association between the city of Bavaria and Cochin resulting in a sister city relationship between the cities.

The c-hed had been co-ordinating this association.

Association with city of Brighton & Hove

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Rightly called the Queen of the Watering Places, the twin cities of Brighton and Hove is a city with spectacular contrast, variety and vibrancy. There is a magnetic attraction to this city.

c-hed had coordinated the partnership with the twin town of Brighton and Hove in UK. As a result of which a partnership agreement between Brighton and Hove Council, UK and the Kochi Municipal Corporation was initiated to develop projects and use sustainable master plan for Cochin. This program had been designed under the Commonwealth Local Government Good Practice Scheme (CLGGPS), to support the exchange of experience and expertise between local authorities across the Commonwealth.

The partnership concentrated on sharing the experience of Brighton and Hove in developing a holistic tourism strategy, including street cleanliness, transport and checking air pollution. The association also focused on developing necessary skills and formulation of a tourism strategy for Cochin and a pledge for clean canals.

Association with Pyatigorsk

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The city of Cochin has been associating with many cities across the globe in successful Sister City Relationships. A Sister City Relationship was established between the resort city of Pyatigorsk of Stavropol region of the Russian Federation and the city of Kochi of the Republic of India.

As a forerunner to this association, the Hon’ble Mayor of Cochin, Shri. Tony Chammany, the Standing Council Chairmen Mr.Vinod, Mr.Thyagarajan and Mr.Asharaf, and the Council Member from Opposition, Mr.Anilkumar, visited Pyatigorsk.They held a meeting with the Mayor of Pyatigorsk and with the Chairperson of the City Council (Duma) of Pyatigorsk, Ms. Ludmila Pokhilko. The two cities, geographically and politically distinct in nature, had agreed upon cooperating in major areas of health care, health tourism and education.

This Sister City Association was co-ordinated by c-hed.

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Cooperation with ICLD- Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy

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A non-profit organization that has been working to promote local democracy in low and middle income countries, The Swedish International Center for Local Democracy ICLD aims to alleviate poverty, mainly through promoting democracy and democratic processes at local levels. For ICLD, local democracy principally concerns strengthening local institutions, issues regarding decentralization, local autonomy, citizen influence and collaboration between various participants.

ICLD serves as a Center of Knowledge providing International training program and initiating Municipal Partnership Programs to support development co-operation between Swedish municipalities, regions, county councils and similar bodies in about 20 developing countries.

A match making conference was organized by ICLD in order to explore the common challenges Indian and Sweden have at the local level and how to develop together to improve Service Delivery and amenities to its residents. The trip consisted of conferences, workshops and study visits in Cochin, Kerala. The Municipalities that participated from Sweden were Kumla, Lomma, Härryda and Malmö Municipality and the County of Värmland.

c-hed has been closely associating with ICLD for Muncipal Partnership Programme with the city of Cochin.

Sweden ICLD

Association with the Municipality of Kumla

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The Match Making Conference organized by ICLD, a part of Swedish International Development Agency, was attended by delegates from various municipalities of Sweden along with the officials and stakeholders of the Kochi Municipal Corporation. The Municipal Corporation Programme, consequent to this symposium, was initiated as the Municipalities of Sweden signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kochi Municipal Corporation.

The Municipal Partnership Program is a form of cooperation financed by Swedish International Development Agency designed to contribute to municipal and regional operations in high priority partnership countries in the form of result oriented projects.

One such successful Municipal cooperation began with the Municipality of Kumla. The city of Cochin had signed a memorandum of understanding with this city. Traditionally known as the shoe maker town with a history back to the first half of the 19th century, it is the seat of the larger Kumla Municipality.

As a forerunner to this partnership a web conference was convened, which was attended by the Hon’ble Mayor of Kumla Municipality along with Chief of Child Care and Education; Water Management and Waste Management, along with city’s International co-coordinator. The city of Cochin was represented by the Worshipful Mayor, Chief Engineer and Director of Center for Heritage, Environment and Development (c-hed). Discussions were held to identify the possible areas of cooperation both the cities could enter into.

The c-hed has been coordinating this program and the partnership is progressing.