Melbourne Centre for Cities awarded grant to build capacity for subnational diplomacy

The Melbourne Centre for Cities has been awarded $495,000 by the federal government's National Foundation for Australia-China Relations as part of the foundation's 2024-5 grant round.

The grant was awarded to the Centre's Strengthening Local Government China Capability project, with the objective to build capacity in Australian local governments for risk-informed engagement with China, including using subnational diplomacy to tackle key challenges such as climate change action and urban sustainability.

The funding will support three cohorts of local government professionals to complete a specialist training program between 2025-7, involving expert workshops in Australia, mainland China and Hong Kong and online capacity building modules.

The work will build on the bilateral city engagement from previous Melbourne Centre for Cities educational offerings for local governments, including the City Diplomacy Masterclass and the NFACR-funded Shared Pathways to COP28 program. These programs trained local government professionals from Australia and China in strategies to maximise their climate city diplomacy and strengthened bilateral urban partnerships.

“We are looking forward to continuing to work with NFACR and a range of local and international partners to improve the capacity of Australian cities to engage with China,” project lead Dr Daniel Pejic said.

“Cities are on the frontline of global challenges, and we plan to support the next generation of city leaders to step up their skills, networks and impact.”

The Melbourne Centre for Cities will be continuing to collaborate with the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Division of Public Policy, The University of Hong Kong Urban Systems Institute and University of Bristol in the delivery of the program.

Read the full list of grant recipients here: https://www.australiachinafoundation.org.au/grants/2024-25-grant-round