Sandra Marín (IURC Programme) speaking at SCEWC 2025
During the IURC Global Thematic Networking Event, held in Barcelona from 4 to 6 November 2025 alongside the Smart City Expo World Congress 2025, the URWAN project received recognition as a relevant European initiative supporting local implementation of Nature-based Solutions and sustainable urban transitions.
The event, organised under the auspices of the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme, brought together more than 240 delegates from pilot cities and regions spanning Europe, Asia, Australasia, and the Americas to advance urban innovation, resilience and cross-border cooperation.
In this context, Sandra Marín, Transfer/Knowledge Management Expert with the IURC programme, referenced URWAN within her contributions to the event’s thematic discussions. Drawing on her expertise in decentralised cooperation and thematic networking, she emphasised the value of initiatives like URWAN that integrate Nature-based Solutions with multi-stakeholder governance approaches for resilient urban water and green infrastructure planning. Her engagement underlined the relevance of URWAN’s model in international cooperation frameworks and the translation of European project outcomes into actionable strategies for cities worldwide.
This recognition at a global urban forum demonstrates how URWAN contributes not only to Euro-Mediterranean resilience pathways, but also to broader global dialogues on sustainable urban development, adaptive governance, and multi-level cooperation for climate adaptation and social equity.
The mention of URWAN in Barcelona complements the project’s ongoing efforts to mainstream Nature-based Solutions, co-design participatory approaches and build institutional capacities at city and regional levels, consistent with the principles of Interreg and EU-level cooperation.
More details: https://www.iurc.eu/2025/11/07/iurc-global-thematic-networking-event-scewc25-global-cooperation-in-action-2/
