Category: News from Asia & Australasia

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme held its second thematic session on 23 September, gathering 51 participants from 10 regions across Europe, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. The focus was on regional cooperation in clean energy and the blue economy, with regions presenting concrete strategies for hydrogen ecosystems, offshore wind, geothermal, waste-heat recovery, solar innovation,...

The second and final session of the IURC Asia & Australasia Thematic Network on Strategic Sectors brought together 33 participants to explore innovative approaches in cultural heritage, mega-events, sustainable tourism, and city branding. Cities from Italy, Australia, Malaysia, and Poland shared their strategies, challenges, and opportunities, while also setting the stage for deeper collaboration at the upcoming Smart Cites Expo World Congress in...

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) has successfully launched its Urban Innovation Introductory Session as part of the Thematic Network Webinar Series. The online session, held on 18 September 2025, brought together more than 60 participants from Europe and Asia & Australasia for an in-depth exchange on smart cities, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and citizen-centric governance. Viktorija Kaidalova — EU’s Service for Foreign Policy...

From the metaverse to organic farming, four regions reveal how they’re balancing growth, culture, and climate resilience A New Era for Tourism: Insights from the IURC Strategic Sectors WebinarOn September 17, the first Strategic Sectors Cluster webinar of the IURC Asia and Australasia programme gathered 43 participants from cities and regions online. The session spotlighted how Prato (Italy), Gangtok (India),...

On 16 September 2025, 54 leaders and technical experts from 14 regions across Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe convened for the first session of the IURC AA Region-to-Region Cooperation Program, focusing on agrifood innovation and industrial modernization. In the current phase, IURC pilot regions from the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and Latin American countries will cooperate in...

The EU Delegation to New Zealand hosted the official launch of Phase 2 of the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme, welcoming the participation of Christchurch, Taranaki, and Manawatū in this new phase of collaboration. EU Ambassador H E Lawrence Meredith The event began on 10 September with a welcome dinner at Dockside Restaurant on Wellington’s waterfront, where EU Ambassador to New Zealand H.E. Lawrence...

On Monday, 15 September 2025, the IURC AA Thematic Network Webinar Series hosted its second deep dive session on Mobility and Transport, gathering 43 participants from cities around the world. The session highlighted groundbreaking urban development strategies, digital city management, and collaborative efforts to create smarter, more sustainable transportation systems. Key Presentations and InsightsNew Taipei City: Optimizing Public Transportation and Community Engagement Chen Chuan...

The first two online thematic cluster sessions on mobility and transport were held this week, featuring presentations from 6 cities. The sessions counted over 100 participants from IURC pilot cities in the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and India. The initial phase of the IURC thematic clustering approach (September-October 2025) helps pilot cities and regions...