Unlocking the Potential of Subnational Diplomacy

The event will take place on 18th of March starting at 17.30h at the premise of the Academy at Rheinallee 24, in 53173 Bonn – Bad Godesberg. Participation is free of charge and participants can join the event at the premise or online. In order to participate on site we would like to ask interested parties to register under veranstaltungen@aia-nrw.org as seats are limited.

Partnerships on many communal and regional levels have been an important building bloc of bilateral relations between states that often lead to longstanding cooperation and close ties in areas such as culture, economy and politics, which can also help to overcome moments of crisis. In the relationship between the US and Germany, the establishment and continuation of partnerships has been an important factor in sustaining good mutual relations on many different levels. When looking at subnational diplomacy, we can even point to best practices in areas where nation states lag behind or have not yet developed systematic policies. For instance, cities and regions have become testing grounds for new approaches to energy supply and are crucial actors in countering the negative effects of climate change.

In order to explore the ongoing challenges and, more importantly, the potential of subnational diplomacy, experts on two roundtable will present insights from the practice of US-German cooperation initiatives and a broader view on the emerging field subnational diplomacy as an important dimension of international politics. They will discuss how subnational actors can learn from each other through the instrument of subnational and urban diplomacy.

This event is part of the NRW-USA year commemorating the transatlantic partnership and celebrating the close cooperation this friendship has created.