Category: News from Asia & Australasia

Sofia and Semarang work on urban mobility systems

The IURC programme organised a study visit for delegates from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Semarang City, Indonesia, from 28 June to 1 July 2022. The delegation consisted of three officials, led by Ms Iva Vylkova, Advisor to Deputy Mayor of Sofia City. Two other governmental organisations joined the programme, namely SOfia GREEN" - a project of Sofia Municipality, represented by Ms...

PMRDA, Karlsruhe and IURC Programme Commit to Cooperation on Sustainable Urbanisation

The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Maharashtra, India, and the City of Karlsruhe, Germany, have signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) at PMRDA Office on 31st May 2022 to build relationships and promote concrete cooperation on sustainable urban development and innovation from 2021-2023. During the signing, the Honorable Commissioner of...

Messina’s study visit to Kochi focuses on flood management

Two delegates from the Italian city of Messina visited Kochi, a port city on the southwest coast of India, from the 24th to 27th of May 2022. Accompanied by Dr Panagiotis Karamanos, Country Coordinator India, IURC Asia & Australasia, the delegation included: Mr Dino Alessi, Coordinator, URBACT III Program ProjectsMs Beatrice Briguglio, International Project Expert Delegates from Messina share best...

Chiang Mai and Granada eye on smart technologies: Two ancient cities look to the future

In the geographical area of Asia and Australasia, the Thai city of Chiang Mai and the Spanish city of Granada were so far the last pair to start their cooperation. Prior to their kick-off meeting in March 2022, Chiang Mai had to reach out to national agencies to confirm its authority to participate in the IURC programme, thus prolonging the...

Albacete-Gangtok study visit focuses on waste management

A 3-member delegation from Albacete, Spain, visited the bustling hill station city of Gangtok in Sikkim, India, from 18th to 20th May 2022. The delegation included, Mr Carlos Manuel Rubio Caravaca, Technical Manager at Valoriza Environmental Services and Waste ManagementMr Juan Carlos Sánchez Tébar, Technical Manager for Health Environment at Municipality of AlbaceteMr Angel Manuel Prieto Sotos, General Manager at...

Gwalior delegates visit Leuven

From 16th to 18th May, a 4-member delegation from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, visited the city of Leuven in Belgium to further build upon their cooperation since the IUC programme and in particular cooperate on the support of development of business start-ups. The delegation included, Mr Ashish Saxena, Hon. Administrator cum Divisional Commissioner, GwaliorMr Kaushlendra Vikram Singh, Collector & District...

Japan: Delegates from Koriyama and Toyota visted Essen and Grenoble

Koriyama and Toyota completed the study visit to Essen and GAM (Grenoble-Alpes Metropole) from 22-29 June. During their visit, Koriyama and Essen were able to see Essen and GAMs’ action to promote a “hydrogen-based society” and their utilization of “open innovation” platforms to support innovation for industrial transitions. The delegation from Japan was membered by municipality officials responsible for the...

EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation: The First Exchange Meeting of EU Regions and Japanese Prefectures

The EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation is a project of the European Union managed by the Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) and the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) of the European Commission, and implemented in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). Its overall aim is to contribute to sustainable urban development and innovation...

8th Thematic Webinar – Circular Food Waste Community Hubs: Preparing the Pilot Models for Circular Neighbourhoods

IURC cities engaged in Circular Food Waste Community Hubs discussions and recommendations for Southeast Asia cities The IURC Asia & Australasia’s 8th thematic webinar on 21 June 2022 attracted 134 registered participants from 25 countries, namely Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, New Zealand, South Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Vietnam, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands,...

EU and Vietnamese cities organise their first study visit

Delegates from Stuttgart Region and the Colleferro-Latina Functional Area made the first visit to Vietnam to meet with their counterparts in Ha Tinh and Da Lat. The objectives of this kind of study visit within the IURC programme are to strengthen cooperation between the paired cities or clusters, explore collaboration opportunities with other stakeholders and identify joint pilot actions. The...