Category: Country Information
Reports, texts about participant countries
The Municipal Committee of Leh, in collaboration with key national and international partners, successfully hosted the Trans-Himalayan Urban Climate Conclave on 10–11 April 2026. The event brought together policymakers, experts, and institutions to advance climate-resilient and net-zero pathways for Himalayan cities. The conclave served as an important platform to address the unique challenges faced by high-altitude cities, including water scarcity,...
The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme has entered an intensive implementation phase in 2026, further strengthening city-to-city and region-to-region cooperation between the European Union and partner countries. Cooperation is structured through Communities of Practice (CoPs)—thematic platforms coordinated by leading EU regions or cities—which bring together public authorities, industry, research organisations, and universities under a quadruple-helix approach. Each...
EU–India city partnerships are moving from knowledge exchange to implementation—delivering scalable, climate-smart urban solutions across India Across India, cities are beginning to translate international cooperation into real, field-based change—from mountain towns shaping sustainable tourism to industrial cities rethinking waste and mobility systems. Under the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme, this shift from planning to implementation is gaining momentum,...
Under the IURC framework, leading Korean cities and regions are actively engaging in multiple Communities of Practice (CoPs), strengthening structured cooperation with European partners. Seoul, Incheon, Jeonju, Chungcheongnam-do, Jeollanam-do, and Jeju are collaborating across thematic areas including smart mobility, AI-driven urban governance, sustainable tourism, hydrogen transition, and just transition. These partnerships combine policy exchange, joint site visits, pilot development, and...
The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation for Asia–Australasia extends its sincere thanks to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government’s Centre of Excellence – Urbanice Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (an IURC non-pilot city), and UCLG-ASPAC for establishing strategic engagement platforms for our IURC cities during the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanization Forum (ASUF), held alongside the ASEAN Governors and Mayors...
The IURC Asia-Australasia programme held its fifth kick-off meeting in the Asia-Australasia region with the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), Ministry of National Development, Singapore. Objectives of the kick-off meeting: The meeting served as a platform for EUD Singapore, CLC, and IURC To meet and share their aspirations, and potential areas CLC would like to strengthen in relation to urban...
The IURC Asia-Australasia programme launched its fourth kick-off meeting in the Asia-Australasia region on 17 July 2025, this time with Malaysian pilot cities: Seberang Perai, Penang (a graduate city) and Iskandar Regional Development Authority, Johor (a newcomer city). Ms. Viktorija Kaidalova, representing the EU Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (Regional Team for Asia and the Pacific), outlined the programme’s goals...
The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Asia & Australasia (IURC AA) accepted the invitation by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), to join as a strategic partner at the 14th Mayors Forum of the World Cities Summit 2025 (a flagship component of the World Cities Summit (WCS)) in Vienna, Austria from 2 to 4...
The history and shared cultural heritage of the EU-Thailand relations are reflected in the video "EU Urban Heritage", which is now available on the Facebook page of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Thailand. The video includes contributions by the Ambassador of the European Union to Thailand - H.E. Mr. Pirkka Tapiola - as well as from the...
IURC Asia & Australasia Partner Country: Vietnam Country Description With a population of 95 million people, living in 64 provinces and 5 cities with a total area of 329,314 km2, Vietnam is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. During recent decades, cities in Vietnam became the engines of economic development, and rapid urbanisation has been the...