Flensburg receives Newcomer prize in the ‘Kommune bewegt Welt’ competition

The competition was organised this year for the 10th time by Engagement Global on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The prizes are awarded for innovative and holistic development policy commitment in municipalities. Under the patronage of Federal Minister Svenja Schulze, 51 cities, communities and districts took part in the competition in the categories of small, medium-sized and large municipalities.

In 2021, the development of an urban development strategy for Flensburg in the context of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Leipzig Charter was initiated by a political resolution and politically legitimised with the vote on the overall strategy developed in May 2024. Broad participation by the population and key stakeholders over the development period ensured that the concerns and issues of the population were integrated into the strategy. The joint work of the public, experts, local politicians and the administration resulted in seven fields of action as well as specific strategic and operational goals, which aim to promote social cohesion, forward-looking planning and development of urban areas and the local economy, among other things. The participatory process, the global commitment of the city of Flensburg and the voluntary commitment to regular reporting convinced the jury of the ‘Kommune bewegt Welt’ competition.