Today, the City of Pittsburgh announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with the City of Dortmund, Germany. Mayor Ed Gainey participated in a virtual signing ceremony with Mayor Thomas Westphal this morning, September 9, 2022, to celebrate this momentous occasion.
“I am proud to announce that today the City of Pittsburgh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Dortmund,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “This agreement empowers our two Cities and will help guide our exchanges and city-to-city cooperation. In April and May 2022, our cities hosted exchanges – thanks to a grant from the European Union’s International Urban Regional Cooperation program – which inspired this formal commitment to a continued partnership. Together we will continue to pursue cooperation on climate technologies, the economy, and a just transition for our post-industrial cities to ensure all our residents have opportunities to thrive. Thank you Mayor Westphal, the City of Pittsburgh looks forward to our partnership with the City of Dortmund.”
The MOU focuses on three primary areas of cooperation: climate technologies, the economy, and administration exchanges. As post-industrial cities working towards a just transition, this agreement will build more opportunities for our residents to thrive.
“Many municipal issues lend themselves to thinking outside the box and adopting solutions from other cities or working on them together,” said Mayor Thomas Westphal. “In the spirit of urban diplomacy, the networking of cities worldwide is a necessary way to constantly improve as a municipality, but also to be able to provide inspiration for other regions.”
The Sister Cities Association of Pittsburgh helped develop the partnership between Pittsburgh and Dortmund through exchanges and increased dialogue since 2018, The agreement takes effect immediately and will last until December 31, 2025, pending renewal.
Original source can be found here.