Funded by the European Union, the International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme activities support the achievement of bilateral policy objectives, as well as major international agreements on urban development and climate change, such as the Urban Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris Agreement. The IUC programme engages with major international financial institutions and partners to link city decision-makers with potential funders. EU business are an important partner for activities under the components on sustainable urban development and innovation cooperation for local and regional development. Target countries include China, India, Japan, Canada, Mexico, USA, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru. For Component 2, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region are included in the programme.
EU cities are paired up with peers from other regions facing related sustainable development challenges. Chosen cities are supported to share knowledge and best practices on sustainable urban solutions. This is achieved partly through the development of local action plans, which outline activities and pilot projects to achieve tangible results. A knowledge-exchange platform has been established with resources and best practices on overcoming specific urban development barriers.
Cities and other sub-national localities 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.
Support focuses on ways to improve regional innovation and cooperation in and between two regions: the EU, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The programme stimulates the development and strengthening of regional strategies involving innovative SMEs, and promotes international value chains. Experience, good practice and lessons learnt are collected and shared, promoting knowledge management and development.
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