EU cities who wish to exchange with a city facing similar sustainable urban development challenges in another global region are encouraged to apply to take part in the International Urban Cooperation (IUC) city-to-city cooperation programme.
To date, over 60 pairings have been established between local governments in Europe and in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America through the IUC programme. The programme aims to foster international links at the local level, enabling local leaders to gain new perspectives on pressing sustainable development issues.
Barcelona (Spain) and New York City (USA), Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and Surat (India), Rome (Italy) and Yantai (China), and Almada (Portugal) and Belo Horizonte (Brazil) are among the established IUC pairings working together.
To join the cooperation programme, local governments must fill in an online form by 8 March 2019 at 23:59. Chosen cities commit to cooperating intensively with their partner city for at least 18 months, developing a Urban Cooperation Action Plan focused on a particular area of sustainable urban development.
Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants are encouraged to apply. Groups of municipalities will also be eligible to apply, but only if their total population exceeds 100,000 inhabitants.
Within this round of pairings, European cities will have the opportunity to cooperate with counterparts in Japan, China, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Colombia.
Measures and actions implemented by cities taking part in the IUC programme will contribute to achieving the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda for the European Union, the Sendai Framework and the Paris Agreement, enhancing quality of life in urban areas.
The IUC programme is financially supported by the Foreign Policy Instrument of the European Union, and is coordinated in conjunction with DG REGIO, DG ENER and DG CLIMA of the European Commission.
For more information, visit the IUC website.