The Asia Urbs Programme was launched by the European Union in 1998 as an initiative in the field of decentralised (city-to-city) co-operation, to bring together local governments from the Member States and selected countries in Asia. Its main objectives are to improve the quality of, and access to, information and expertise in sustainable urban development in Asia and to promote the EU-Asia partnership approach to good governance and project implementation at local level. Asia Urbs Phase II has been launched in 2004. It funds high quality urban projects formulated on a partnership basis. They must be "pilot" projects by way of introducing innovative urban practices to address urban challenges and by being replicable. Each co-funded project relies on community participation for its success and sustainability. Grants are awarded to partnerships, formed by local governments and non-profit making organisations from the EU and at least one Asian eligible country to jointly undertake (1) studies, (2) pilot and follow-on projects and (3) networking and capacity building projects. This last component is new, and it has been introduced in response to the need for local governments to improve their project management and partnership building capacities. Additional funding in 2004 (under Asia Urbs Phase II) brought the total programme budget for project funding to €42 million.

 Website: EU-Asia Urbs Programme

| Asia Urbs | Introduction | Objectives | Perak State Government | EU Partners |