DELIVERABLES for the Făgăraș Municipality and Țara Făgărașului Community Foundation
18.11.2023 / Publications
Authors: GDL Members
Coordinator: Stefan Cibian Ph.D
Research Assistant: Lutz Drieling M.A.
DELIVERABLES
- Global Trends and Local Community Insights for Assessing the External Environment Affecting Communities in Țara Făgărașului
In a world turned upside-down by a global pandemic, 2022 brought further challenges, such as the war in Ukraine and the related refugee crisis in Romania. Accelerated digitalization and AI, climate change, augmented inequality, populism, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine all have transformed in significant ways the way the world works. These events are changing our world at a speed not seen before. Such a radical transformation of the world calls for reflection on how we operate at individual, organisational, community, societal, and global levels.
The sustainability of local communities in Europe has not been tested to such an extent in many decades. In this deliverable we highlight global trends and potential impacts on local communities.
- A sustainable future for the Făgăraș Region: The Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 represent an organised approach that can support Făgăraș and the region, in navigating current and forthcoming challenges and preparing to mitigate their consequences.
- Municipalities focusing on the SDGS: Examples for the Făgăraș Municipality
Municipalities around the world started their engagement with the SDGs. That stems from a genuine concern with the sustainability of local communities, including their ways of life, heritage, economic well-being, and natural endowments. In this deliverable, we bring to the attention of the Făgăraș Municipality several examples of cities doing work on the SDGs. These examples can inspire future steps in aligning meaningfully with the SDGs and enhanceing the sustainability of the Făgăraș region.
- Relevant SDG-related networks: Potential to connect internationally for the Făgăraș Municipality and Community Actors
Global efforts to achieve the SDGs are unfolding. An increasing number of small and large municipalities and various community actors are taking the SDGs at the core of their effort to nurture more sustainable communities. They, however, do not work alone. Regional, European, and global networks emerged enabling municipalities and other actors to support each other in working towards the SDGs.
- Twin Municipalities for Făgăraș: A path towards more international connections
Sustainability does not rely only on local practices and assets but also on connections to international networks that complement local knowledge, experiences, and insights. During the Global Diplomacy Lab @ Făgăraș participants have engaged with the region and local actors and explored local assets and challenges. Their experience with the region highlighted a few aspects that the Făgăraș Municipality could consider in its strategy for connecting internationally, especially for identifying sister towns.
- Ukrainian migrants’ integration in Țara Făgărașului
A welcoming community is built over time. The war in Ukraine led to a high number of migrants, in Romania and Țara Făgărașului. The deliverable offers insights for how to support the Făgăraș community to become a welcoming community.
- Community Foundations, the SDGs, and mobilizing resources for community sustainability
Community foundations are best positioned to advise a wide array of actors, including the business sector, on sustainability practices in relation to local communities. Supporting businesses to enhance their impact in local communities would bring significant added value for community foundations, such as Țara Făgărașului Community Foundation (FCTF), as it would open the possibility of becoming a key sustainability partner. This deliverable includes a series of recommendations for FCTF, and other community foundations, regarding how it can support local companies to align with the SDGs.
The Lab has been supported by the Global Diplomacy Lab (GDL), with a significant contribution of the GDL Secretariat, by the GDL leading partners, including the BMW Foundation, the International Alumni Center Berlin and Robert Bosch Stiftung, the German Federal Foreign Office, the Slovenian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the US-Germany Fulbright Commission, and Mercator Stiftung. Also, the Lab has been a part of the project “Increasing the contribution of European community foundations to the SDGs,” supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Further support was received from the US State Department through the program Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund (CDAF) and local actors such as the Țara Făgărașului Community Foundation, the Făgăraș Municipality, Ashoka Romania, Case de Oaspeți Cincșor, Casa Terra, and Expert Cleaning.
We are profoundly grateful to all local participants and to the challenge holders for their engagement and input throughout the implementation period of the Lab. We are equally grateful to each member of the GDL and FRI teams, as well as to the GDL Secretariat for their substantive contributions.
Departments: Policy Analysis and Outreach Department, Research Department, Center on Global Affairs and Post Development, Society, Crisis, and Resilience Program
Regions: Făgăraș Country, Romania, Europe, Global
Themes: Philanthropy and Community Development, Civil Society, Democracy, and Democratization, Sustainable Development Goals