{"id":1650,"date":"2025-08-05T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/?p=1650"},"modified":"2025-08-06T16:29:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T14:29:37","slug":"back-in-the-arena-southeastasia-where-cities-and-regions-drive-the-future-of-urban-governance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/2025\/08\/05\/back-in-the-arena-southeastasia-where-cities-and-regions-drive-the-future-of-urban-governance\/","title":{"rendered":"Back in the arena \u2014 SoutheastAsia, where cities and regions drive the future of urban governance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Following an insightful journey this year across #MENA<\/a> \ud83c\udf0d, I\u2019m stepping back soon into #APAC<\/a> arena \u2014 at a moment when cities and regional governments are being called upon to play a more active role in shaping urban trajectories.<\/strong>

First stop: #KualaLumpur<\/a> \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfe, where I\u2019ve received a warm invitation from the team at URBANICE MALAYSIA<\/a> to attend a rare convergence of three major events \u2014 #ASUF<\/a>, #AGMF<\/a>, and #MGMAC<\/a> \u2014 all under the banner of #Malaysia<\/a> \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfe\u2019s #ASEAN<\/a> Chairmanship 2025. This unique platform brings together mayors and regional leaders from across #SoutheastAsia<\/a> \ud83c\udf0f to exchange expertise, coordinate policies, and assert their central role in the region\u2019s urban future.

These events are championed by the new progressive Mayor of #KualaLumpur<\/a> \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfe, a visionary leader whose commitment to local and regional governance resonates with the evolving #ASEAN<\/a> sustainability agenda. I had the privilege of meeting her earlier in #Singapore<\/a> \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddec during her tenure at UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme)<\/a> \u2014 an encounter that deepened my conviction about the crucial role cities and regions play in urban #diplomacy<\/a> and political #governance<\/a>.

Within this framework, I\u2019ll contribute as a panelist in a session led by ERIA: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia<\/a>, supported by CITYNET AP<\/a> and The ASEAN Secretariat<\/a>, focusing on urban #digitaltwins<\/a>, political #governance<\/a>, and #sustainability<\/a> challenges \u2014 highlighting how cities and regions can harness #integrated<\/a> solutions to govern increasingly complex urban systems.

This work feeds into an ongoing strategic #study<\/a>, aiming to influence policymaking and practice across #SoutheastAsia<\/a> \ud83c\udf0f, with #publication<\/a> expected by year-end. It will also mark the first physical gathering of our #expertgroup<\/a>, with a 3-day side event to share draft contributions, discuss challenges, and align our collective vision of context-sensitive #urbaninnovation<\/a> \u2014 grounded in robust #datagovernance<\/a>.

I will remain active across the region \ud83c\udf0f in the coming months, with several high-level engagements already confirmed. Notably, I\u2019ve been invited as the sole international guest speaker and panelist at a major national event this September in #KualaLumpur<\/a> \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfe, dedicated to exploring #Malaysia<\/a>\u2019s urban futures.

This journey will culminate in #Japan<\/a> \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5, where I will reconnect with a network developed over more than a decade \u2014 especially in the #automotive<\/a> sector, now undergoing significant transformation \ud83d\ude97\u26a1\ufe0f. I will also attend the #Expo2025<\/a> Osaka before its closure in mid-October, with potential engagements facilitated through European \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa collaborative initiatives.

Let\u2019s reconnect \u2014 over a teh tarik \ud83e\uddcb or matcha tea \ud83c\udf75 \u2014 wherever the region brings us together. Much more is unfolding behind the scenes \u2014 stay tuned and follow along for what\u2019s next!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following an insightful journey this year across MENA, I\u2019m stepping back soon into APAC arena \u2014 at a moment when cities and regional governments are being called upon to play a more active role in shaping urban trajectories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,3,83],"tags":[285,190,293,291,277,241,180,110,297,295,114],"class_list":["post-1650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-cities-en","category-smart-mobility-en","category-urban-policies-en","tag-asean","tag-asia","tag-citynet","tag-diplomacy","tag-eria","tag-europe","tag-japan","tag-malaysia","tag-panellist","tag-speaker","tag-sustainability","grid-sizer","latest_post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1650"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1658,"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1650\/revisions\/1658"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerizconsulting.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}