Category: News from Asia & Australasia

EU–Taiwan Launch of IURC II Project Strengthens City-to-City Cooperation

Taipei, 5 September 2025 – The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) officially launched its Taiwan component today at the Taipei World Trade Center International Trade Building. The event marked a significant step in fostering collaboration between European and Taiwanese cities.Mr. Lutz Güllner, Head of Office of the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) in Taiwan, opened the event...

Launch of Second Phase in Australia with Six Australian Cities and Regions Joining the IURC Programme

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme officially launched its second phase at Melbourne Town Hall on August 27, 2025. The event brought together the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, EU Ambassador to Australia Gabriel Visentin, and the European Union Centre of Excellence at RMIT University, alongside leaders from six selected Australian cities and regions. The IURC...

IURC Asia & Australasia Announces Selection of 30 Cities and 16 Regions from the EU

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme has entered a new and ambitious phase of cooperation with the launch of its introductory thematic clustering sessions. The process brings together 30 EU cities, 16 EU regions, and a similar number of partners from Asia and Australasia (AA), creating a diverse and balanced platform for multilateral collaboration. The geographic spread among...

IURC Asia & Australasia Launches Thematic Cooperation Phase with Global Online Event

The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation Asia & Australasia (IURC AA) programme officially launched its 2025 thematic clusters with an Online Launch Event held on Wednesday, 3 September 2025, gathering cities and regions across Asia, Australasia, and Europe with 197 participants. This event marked the beginning of a new phase of cooperation focused on thematic clustering and pilot project development aligned with EU...

IURC Malaysia and Singapore Officials Engage ASEAN Forums 2025: ASUF, AGMF, MGMAC in Kuala Lumpur

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...

EU-Singapore Urban and Regional Cooperation: Kick-off Meeting with Pilot Cities

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...

EU-Malaysia Urban and Regional Cooperation: Kick-off Meeting with Pilot Cities

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...

IURC Korea Kick-off: Strengthening EU–Korea Urban and Regional Cooperation

The IURC programme launched its first exciting kick-off meeting in Korea with delegations from Seoul Metropolitan Government, City of Jeonju, Incheon Metropolitan City, Jeollanam-do Provincial Government, Chungcheongnam-do Province, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. All 6 Korean cities and regions shared their commitment and ambitions towards expanding partnership with EU partners in sustainable urban development and regional innovation field. At the IURC...

Strategic Partnerships forged at the 14th Mayors Forum of the World Cities Summit 2025 (2 to 4 July in Vienna)

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...

IURC Showcases Global Urban Cooperation at EU Cities Forum 2025 in Kraków

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme proudly marked its successful participation at the EU Cities Forum 2025, held last week in Kraków, Poland. As one of the key platforms for dialogue on sustainable urban development in Europe, the Forum brought together city leaders, policy makers, and practitioners to advance the goals of the EU Urban Agenda and Green...