Category: News from Asia & Australasia

The EU-funded International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia?Australasia Programme extends its appreciation to the Office of the Chief Minister of Penang and the Mayor of Seberang Perai for coordinating a series of multi-stakeholder (quadruple helix) dialogues in preparation for Seberang Perai City Council?s participation in the IURC Global Thematic Networking Workshops at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 in Barcelona from 4?6 November 2025. Between September and October 2025, Seberang Perai actively...

1 November 2025 | India Following its official launch in New Delhi during the Urban Infrastructure Finance Festival 2025, the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme has been featured in multiple Indian newspapers, including The Earth News (Ladakh Daily) and Dainik Bhaskar Hindi. The articles highlight the selection of six Indian pilot cities ? Chennai, Pimpri Chinchwad, Jabalpur, Cuttack, Gangtok, and Leh ? under the IURC Asia &...

29 October 2025. The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme held its first session on Subnational Diplomacy and International Engagement, bringing together 31 participants from across the region to exchange experiences and insights on how cities and regions can strengthen their global partnerships and diplomatic capacity. The session, moderated by Pablo Gándara, IURC Asia & Australasia Team Leader, opened...

New Delhi, 29 October 2025 ? The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia Programme officially launched its India component during the Urban Infrastructure Finance Festival 2025, held under the theme ?Inclusive, Resilient, Sustainable Cities.? The Kick-off Meeting for IURC India, organized as part of the festival, marked a major milestone in advancing international city-to-city cooperation between the European Union (EU) and India....

Around 30 delegates from EU and non-EU regions joined discussions about the upcoming IURC event in Barcelona (3-6 November 2025), including logistics, agenda, and regional participation in various thematic clusters and breakout discussions. The conversation ended with participants expressing their regional interests and priorities for various sessions, emphasizing cooperation and alignment on clean energy, industrial modernization and blue economy. The...

Representatives from the European Union?s International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) convened partners from Prato, Italy, and Seberang Perai, Malaysia, to advance joint work on sustainable tourism initiatives as part of the programme?s Strategic Sectors Cluster on job creation and community livelihoods. Discussions underscored the EU?s continued support in fostering global urban innovation and subnational diplomacy. During the meeting,...