Third IUC Global City-to-City Event in Brussels: The importance of city-to-city cooperation in urban development
More than 200 representatives of local and regional governments from the Americas, Asia and Europe met in Brussels on 21 November for the third annual City-to-City Event of the International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme. Once more, cities came together to reflect on results of their pairings and of the crucial role inter-city cooperation plays in […]
DG REGIO and EU cities meet Chinese counterparts in Europe
European Commission’s DG REGIO experts Ramón Lopez and Rudolf Niesler met this week with delegates from NDRC in Barcelona and Brussels, during an NDRC / Chinese cities’ visit to Europe. The Chinese delegation – that also visited counterparts in Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg – was headed by NDRC’s regional economy department (DDG Cao Yuanmeng). The delegation […]
IUC Asia at the Paris Peace Forum
The IUC Asia programme has been showcased at the 2nd Paris Peace Forum from 12-13 November 2019. The Paris Peace Forum was created to promote collective action, multilateralism and the good stewardship of common public goods to address common challenges and maintain peace. The event was opened by the designated EU Commission President Ursula von […]
International Urban Cooperation Asia
Around 54% of the world’s population lives in cities – and the number is growing.
More urban dwellers means more wealth creation, but also higher pressure on urban services (energy, water, health, transport, housing), which in turn produces adverse effects on the environment and challenges to the quality of life.
At the global level, this creates a major challenge in terms of climate change. It also makes cities best placed to tackle this issue.
European cities are keen to cooperate with other cities around the world, to share knowledge and create innovative solutions, and to generate new economic opportunities in the process.
The IUC programme helps them do this, and it can help your city too!
IUC creates city-to-city or region-to-region cooperation involving EU and non-EU partners.
Part of the solution is to work closely with the private sector, and the programme will help to bring together businesses inside and outside the EU.
In Asia, the programme is divided into two parts covering the region, specifically China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Vietnam. Please scroll-down to see further details about the two project components.
I. City-to-city Cooperation on Sustainable Urban Development
EU cities are paired up with peers from China to cooperate on issues relevant for their sustainable urban development. Chosen cities are being supported to share knowledge and best practices on sustainable urban solutions.
This will be achieved partly through the development of local action plans, which will outline activities and pilot projects to achieve tangible results. A global knowledge-exchange platform will be established with resources and best practices on overcoming specific urban development barriers.
Countries covered: EU Member States and China
II. Sub-national action under the Global Covenant of Mayors initiative
Cities and other sub-national localities in the Asian countries are encouraged to join the Global Covenant of Mayors initiative. Through the Global Covenant of Mayors, local governments commit to acting on mitigation, adaptation and access to energy.
Signatory cities benefit from support in the form of technical expertise and cooperation to act on their energy and climate commitments.
Asian countries and special territories covered: China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Vietnam.
