November 14, 2025 | UCLG ASPAC Secretary General Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi was invited to deliver a talk on “Best Practices of Decentralised Cooperation by Local Governments in Indonesia” in an online guest lecture organised by the Department of International Relations, Universitas Brawijaya in Indonesia. Attended by around 100 students and joined by International Relations lecturers Mr. Reza Triarda and Mr. Yustika CitraMahendra, this session gave an overview of how international engagement at the local level has evolved and why it remains crucial in addressing current challenges.
Dr. Bernadia explained that decentralised cooperation can take many forms, such as the sister city, sister provinces, and friendship cities. She further discussed how these partnerships have evolved overtime from simple twinning arrangements into broader, multi-stakeholder collaborations involving universities, private sectors, and civil society organisations. Drawing from UCLG’s experience, she highlighted that such cooperation does not happen overnight; it requires commitment, local leadership, and continued exchange. She also highlighted that such partnerships enable local governments to share practical lessons, build institutional capacity, and adapt solutions to their own contexts.
Dr. Bernadia noted ongoing challenges from the overlapping bureaucracy and shortage of support organisations at the regional level. Despite these challenges, cooperation has produced practical outcomes. Examples include the Surabaya-Kitakyushu Green Sister City partnership on sustainability, and the Jakarta-Berlin collaboration on smart, inclusive urban development.
“When local governments cooperate internationally, the effectiveness of their policies can increase by 30-40 per cent. These partnerships allow them to leapfrog by learning from others instead of repeating the same mistakes. Achieving the SDGs relies on local action, which requires innovation and stronger local capacity.”
The lecture featured a short Mentimeter activity where students shared their views on what makes international cooperation effective – such as institutional reputation, capable human resources, and fairness in partnerships. They also emphasised the need for more youth-focused opportunities to take part in local and international cooperation.
The session closed by highlighting the role of young people in helping local governments promote and communicate SDG progress. Dr Bernadia shared concrete examples from the UCLG ASPAC Internship Programme (UAIP), which enables students to gain hands-on experience in international cooperation involving local governments. This includes an intern’s in-person participation at the Jeonju Future Cities Forum 2024, contributions to the International Mayors Forum in promoting SDGs practices in Jakarta and supporting session documentation, and roles in the Climate Resilience and Innovation Forum 2025, where interns assisted with event coordination and liaised with local leaders.
