Mayor Chandra Singh Kothari and Municipal Commissioner Ankit Kumar Singh of Udaipur Municipal Corporation signed a partnership agreement last month that committed the city to work together with Aarhus through the IUC progamme.

The two cities agree to develop a Local Action Plan on a mutually interesting area of cooperation, as well as to exchange best practice experience and know-how. The cooperation will build on the success of the ongoing cooperation between Udaipur and Aarhus as part of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs strategic sector cooperation.

Through the IUC programme, Udaipur Municipal Corporation aims to align its smart city targets in the field of sustainable urban development with international best practices. Mayor Kothari stated: “I express my high satisfaction regarding this partnership. The lessons learnt from the Udaipur-Aarhus cooperation on urban best practices will be of great value to our city but also to other cities in Rajasthan and neighbouring states”.

The Municipal Commissioner of Udaipur Municipal Corporation also expressed his pleasure to have Udaipur as a participant in the IUC programme: “Global partnerships and exchange of technology are very important components of efficient urban planning. Udaipur is taking the lead in this area and we are looking forward to a very productive partnership and useful outcome.”

Dr. Panagiotis Karamanos, IUC India Team Leader, said: “We are delighted to welcome Udaipur as one of the IUC programme cities. We place great importance in further strengthening the on-going partnership between Aarhus and Udaipur and building on the ongoing work as part of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs strategic sector cooperation. Our objective is to reach tangible outcomes based on policy and technology contributions.”