Category: News from Asia & Australasia

Official launch of IURC in India

The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme in India was officially launched on 24 February 2022 in a virtual event with the presence of Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Additional Secretary (International Cooperation), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India; Dr. Ronald Hall, Senior Advisor, DG REGIO, EU Commission; and Ms. Kamilla Kristensen Rai, Counsellor,...

MUFPP & IURC team up to organize food policy training

The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) and IURC teamed up to launch food policy training for Asia Pacific cities. The objective of the MUFPP & IURC Asia Pacific Food Policy Training is to offer participating cities the opportunity to showcase their best practices and learn from their peers in the region on food policy. This series of six webinars...

EU-Korean cities shared concrete actions and partnerships on smart cities, smart mobility, and sustainable cities at the IURC Quarterly Meeting

The IURC Quarterly Meeting brought together both EU and Korean cities. The event was also joined by the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Korea (EUD) while CityNet delegates shared the overall progress in IURC so far. The meeting started with a warm welcome from Mr. Patrick Polacsek of the EUD. Ms. Megan Chow, from the IURC...

Stakeholder brainstorming held in format inspired by IURC partner city in Japan

In Umeå, Sweden, the municipality hosted an on-line stakeholder brainstorming event based on a method they learned from an organization in their IURC partner city Kamakura in Japan. The event on February 23 was called Umecom, similar to the original Kamacon based in Kamakura city. Using the Kamacon model, Umeå city project leader Ida Hillebjörk guided some 25 stakeholders and...

EU and Vietnamese cities discuss waste management during 2nd technical meeting

Stuttgart, Colleferro/Latina, Da Lat City and Ha Tinh City met on 23 February to share their practices on waste management. The meeting was led by Mr. Pablo Gandara, Team Leader of IURC Asia & Australasia, with the participation of Dr. Rui Ludovino, First Counsellor, Climate Action, Environment, Employment and Social Policies, Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam; and Mr....

Seberang Perai-Maia: Circular Neighbourhoods – Circular Food Waste Community Hub Programme

Since November 2021, city coordinators from Seberang Perai in Malaysia and Maia in Portugal have conducted four bilateral meetings. These coordinators included Mr. Chew Eng Seng, Local Agenda 21 Officer from Seberang Perai City Council, Ms. Susana Pinho, Senior Technician of the Environment Division, Maia City Council, together with Mr. Carlos Mendes, Director-General from Maiambiente, The meetings were moderated by...

Bangkok to cooperate with Milan to make urban food systems more sustainable

Thailand is for the first time participating in a city-to-city cooperation programme funded by the European Union. On 22 February 2022, IURC organised a kick-off meeting between the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Municipality of Milan to mark the beginning of their cooperation. In addition to the officials of both cities, the EU and Italian ambassadors to Thailand as...

Gangtok and Albacete identify key activities as part of their cooperation on solid waste management awareness

Gangtok in India and Albacete in Spain got together on 22 February 2022 for their second bilateral meeting to identify key activities as part of their cooperation on solid waste management. The City of Gangtok was represented by Mr. Hem Kumar Chettri, Municipal Commissioner, Gangtok, and Mr. Mahesh Sharma, Joint Secretary (Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban), Mission Director, State of...

Bratislava and Tokorozawa zooming in on zero carbon city 

The Slovakian capital Bratislava is deepening cooperation with Tokorozawa, located near Tokyo in Japan. The pair has built a close bond for the past four years. Currently, the partnership is focusing on how to introduce photovoltaic energy and thus make cities less dependent on fossil fuels and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Bratislava has developed a solar strategy showing the potential...

Gwalior and Leuven deliberate on cultural heritage and business cooperation

After a successful cooperation under the International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, India, and Leuven in Belgium will be cooperating under the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme. The bilateral meeting held on 17 February 2022 was attended by Mr Geert Robberechts, Director of India House-Leuven, and Mr Shishir Shrivastava, Additional Commissioner of Gwalior Municipal Corporation,...