A year ago VNG International took the initiative to mobilise the community, academics and regional & local governments to draft a City Development Strategy (CDS) for the city of Halabja. The CDS is an instrument for guiding the growth of the city and to attract investments into the city. Thereby building better futures for the citizens of Halabja. On the first of February VNGi gathered the government entities, donor community and private investors to discuss this strategy. During the meeting the importance of building a coalition of stakeholders was stressed, in order to pave the way towards implementation of the plan. By joining forces, we believe we can maximise social benefits and achieve sustainable development for the city of Halabja. The coming months VNGi will continue working towards an inclusive governance framework for the implementation of Halabja 2040.