St. John’s to apply to join co-operative of European cities
Council applying for participation in International Urban and Regional Co-operation Program
“I see a lot of benefit in being involved … It exposes us to best practices from around the world and it’s a great way to network with colleagues from other municipalities around the world.” City manager Kevin Breen
At St. John’s city council’s regular meeting Tuesday, councillors voted unanimously for the city to apply for participation in city-to-city learning and collaboration with the International Urban and Regional Co-operation Program (IURC).
Implemented in 2017, the IURC is a European Union (EU) program that aims to contribute to the objectives of the EU Green Deal, the New Urban Agenda, the Agenda 2030 (SDGS), the Urban Agenda for the EU and the political objectives of the European Cohesion Policy through city-to-city diplomacy and collaborative regional efforts to overcome common challenges.
The IURC has become the world’s largest city-to-city cooperation program, involving 165 cities from the EU and non-eu countries across America and Asia, according to the document presented.
Targeted at cities with a population of 100,000 or more, the objectives of the program are to enhance knowledge transfer in a number of areas, including circular economy, social inclusion, urban regeneration, energy consumption and smart city solutions.
“I see a lot of benefit in being involved,” city manager Kevin Breen said during the meeting. “It exposes us to best practices from around the world and it’s a great way to network with colleagues from other municipalities around the world.”
Successful applicants from Canada and the United States will be matched with partner cities from member states of the European Union that are tackling similar sustainable urban development and innovation challenges.
Cities collaborate in three main areas — ecological transition-green Deal; urban and regional renewal and urban poverty; and innovation.
Cross-cutting overall challenges include digital transition and smart city, energy transition and climate change, and POST-COVID-19 recovery, social justice and inclusion.
“It sounds excellent to me,” said Coun. Sandy Hickman, who filled in for Mayor Danny Breen, who was unable to attend.
“We must always spread our wings, otherwise we stand still. … I think it’s important for us to learn from those who have gone before us, our older cousins over in Europe. The sharing and caring is wonderful.”
The IURC program will provide technical assistance to implement a support package, including a mission/field visit for every city involved to the respective paired city.
The project facilitates a
North American city to European city knowledge exchange through a combination of online tools and face-to-face support such as study visits and knowledge exchange. It pairs cities based on a range of selection criteria, including shared interests in one or more thematic co-operation areas.
IURC cities become part of a wide community of over 300 local and sub-national governments and stakeholders from academia, business and civil society who benefit from international co-operation.
It is a two-year program, with an application deadline of May 31. Decisions about acceptance are made by September.
In regard to cost, selected cities are expected to cover some local costs such as local transport, coffee breaks or welcome dinner for the study visits.
“But we’re getting access here to, one would expect, some of the best and brightest who can bring some new ideas and provide the city with some best practices,” Coun. Shawn Skinner said.
“So, I think it’s a good initiative. I think if we’re fortunate to be a part of it, we should take full advantage of it, and I hope that we are successful.”