From IUC-Asia to IURC Asia, Australasia and China
The IUC project has entered into its second phase “International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC)”. In Asia and Australasia, the project supports EU cities partnerships with pairs in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. IURC contributes to deliver the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the […]
IUC-GCoM Publication on Climate Action Support to Cities in South East Asia
Publication: “EU-China Urban Climate Change Adaption: Policy and Practice”
The IUC Asia project contributed to a bilingual publication (English/Chinese) by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) which compares adaptation measures to climate change implemented by cities in Europe and China. The publication will support the preparation of the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2035 by the Climate Change Division of the Ministry of […]
IUC Asia December 2020 Newsletter available
The latest edition of IUC Asia’s December newsletter covering the programme’s component 1 has just been released. This component encompasses the EU-China cooperation on sustainable and innovative cities. The newsletter begins with how, in spite of the challenges faced with meetings during the COVID pandemic, the work of the IUC Asia has continued unabated, holding […]
Mannheim Releases Video on Innovation Cooperation with China
The City of Mannheim has released a video summarising cooperation on innovation with China. The video includes testimonials by Jia Song, the China Desk Officer at Mannheim City, Anja Hüttl from Next Mannheim and Felix Kurz from the German Chinese Friendship Association Rhein Necker and MEI WEN TI GmbH. The video is made in German […]
EU Cities Garden Pavilions under Construction in Yangzhou
The garden pavilions designed by the IUC pilot cities of Barcelona, Rome and Bologna Metropolitan / Nuovo Circondario Imolese are currently under construction in Yangzhou, which is located in the Jiangsu Province of China. The construction is scheduled to be finished by April 2021, when the Yangzhou Horticulture Expo 2021 begins. The pavilions showcase sustainable […]
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.
IUC Asia Events
- 04October 4, 2020
European Week of Regions and Cities
The IUC Webinar takes place on 13.10.2020 from 09:30 – 11:00 CET.
Please register here: https://europa.eu/regions-and-cities/programme/sessions/1069_en
- 13October 13, 2020
Webinar at EWRC - International Urban Cooperation - China, India, Japan
Countries across the world share a common interest in promoting a human-centred and environmentally-friendly urban development model that delivers clean, resource-efficient, socially fair, smart cities. The EU has increasingly supported actions in this field on a global scale including the International Urban Cooperation programme, IUC (2017-2020). The IUC has established a number of thematic networks for this cooperation. This workshop will examine the results of this cooperation regarding added value for public authorities and the private sector. It will also reflect on the effects of external shocks like the coronavirus crisis on cities in areas like public health and economic recovery, highlighting the added value of international cooperation. In three sessions, selected pairings from across the world will jointly present and make recommendations for the future.
Panel Session 1: Smart City & Digital Transition: China (Guangzhou) – India (Panaji-GOA) – EU (Barcelona, Spain)
Panel Session 2: Green Deal.Circular Economy & Energy Transition: Japan (Koriyama) – EU (Rome, Italy) – China (Chengdu)
Pablo Gandara, Team Leader, IUC Asia, Belgium.
Hidefumi Imura, Team Leader, IUC Japan, Japan.
Panagiotis Karamanos, Team Leader, IUC India, India.Nelson Jorge, Team Leader, European Commission, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), Belgium.
Dominnique LI, Managing Director, Guangzhou Global Star Investment LTD. Guangzhou Development District Foreign Affairs Office, China.
Yii Liu, Deputy Director, Energy Internet Research Institute (EIRI), Chengdu, China.
Sandra Marin Herbert, Coordinator, IUC Methodology Taskforce, Belgium.
David Martínez, CEO, Municipal Institute of Urbanism, Spain.
Patrick Maureli, Coordinator for GIS, BIM and Data Management, CITERA Sapienza University, Italy.
R Niessler, Principal Advisor for International Relations, DG REGIO, European Commission, Belgium.
Sanjit Rodrigues, Commissioner, Corporation of the City of Panaji, India.
Betina Stollar, Programme Director for Asia-Pacific, Department of International Relations, Barcelona City Council, Spain.
Yohei Watabane, Business Creation Division, City of Koriyama, Japan.13WS1069V
Workshop
Cohesion and Cooperation
European Commission – DG REGIO
English (EN)
Zoom - 16October 16, 2020
EIRI Chengdu - The 2nd Energy Internet International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit
The IUC team will participate at the 2nd Energy Internet International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit.
Description (from the organiser EIRI)
With the goal of building an international industrial technology innovation system for the Energy Internet, we will gather global innovation and entrepreneurship resources such as industry leaders, well-known universities, well-known incubators, and investment institutions at home and abroad, and promote the integration and development of large and medium-sized enterprises in the energy Internet field. The General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission requested the relevant requirements of the “Notice of Organizing and Carrying out the Series of Activities of “Creating China” in 2020 (KXA Office Letter Qi Zi [2020] No. 45)”, and coordinated development of various national innovation and innovation demonstration bases. The “Second Energy Internet International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit” jointly organized by the Chengdu Management Committee of the New District and the Tsinghua Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute will be held on October 15-17, 2020 at the Vanke Cloud City Convention Center in Chengdu, China.
The summit will focus on the international development opportunities of the energy Internet industry, build an industrial ecosystem of open sharing, cooperative innovation of the energy Internet, and discuss the transnational energy Internet industry and technology in the new situation around industrial innovation and landing, achievement transfer and transformation, and venture capital. Cooperation and future energy development trends.
Watch live: https://wx.vzan.com/live/tvchat-947867378?shareuid=174368701&vprid=0&sharetstamp=1602737754952
Agenda
- 29October 29, 2020
Overview
The city of Granada was granted with a competitive fund from the IUC Asia programme to run three thematic webinars on Smart City, Circular Economy and Biotech, with a common point of view: how to use blockchain technologies in their respective fields.
But also, there is another result from this project, the creation of an analog/digital disruptive own ecosystem, based in a platform to develop future joint projects on blockchain, involving the cities, research centers and companies participating in the webinars (who are current or former pilot cities of the IUC Programme).
A video under production will explain the objectives and goals to be implemented in the near future.
The main goal is to develop a digital environment to create a digital cluster with solid relationships for further/future cooperation of the participating cities. There are 3 axis of crossed participation: city councils, clusters (digital innovation hubs and companies) and the Academia.
Scope and objectives of the webinars:
These webinars will present the main challenges that represents blockchain technology in relation of the three fields of application, and will debate how to cooperate in order to find common solutions and/or the exchange of information or research in joint venture projects. The idea is to show the actual framework and state-of-art of blockchain in the participating cities.
Participants:
Representatives from the Pilot Cities will debate and define future needs and concrete possibilities of cooperation. University researchers and professors. Members of the clusters involved in the territories of each one of the pilot cities. Representatives of companies of these cities working in blockchain developments. The IUC Asia managing team will also be invited.
