Regional Event – Cities of the Future: Energy & Digital Pathways to Climate Neutrality

The Urban Transitions Mission Centre (UTMC) and the Urban Transitions Mission will host the event ‘Cities of the Future: Energy & Digital Pathways to Climate Neutrality’ on April 15, 2025, alongside ICLEI’s World Local Government Climate Summit in Goyang City, South Korea.  

The event provides a platform to exchange knowledge and explore strategies for accelerating the transition toward a resilient and inclusive future. Bringing together mayors, urban policymakers, and climate leaders, it serves as an ideal setting to showcase best practices, tools, and methodologies that support urban transitions toward climate neutrality. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with peers, city representatives, and urban actors, facilitating knowledge exchange and collaboration tailored to their specific challenges and priorities. The event presents a unique opportunity to strengthen partnerships and actively engage East Asian cities in the Urban Transitions Mission. 

Digital solutions have a great role to play in decarbonizing urban energy systems, and they can not only improve their efficiency but also help increase security and resilience. With the exponential growth of electrification of transport, the increase of Renewables and decentralized sources in the local energy mix, effective coupling of sectors becomes increasingly essential. This session aims to explore how digital solutions, innovations and measures are applied by cities in East Asia and worldwide to support energy transitions. Knowledge and research gaps, as well as availability of affordable and inclusive solutions will be discussed. 

This event, held as a side event to the World Local Government Climate Summit in Goyang City, South Korea, aims to bring together mayors and local government leaders to advance climate action at the municipal level. Organized by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, this year’s Summit will focus on digitalization and energy, exploring how technology and innovative energy solutions can drive urban sustainability. The event will provide a platform for local authorities to share best practices, address challenges, and collaborate on strategies to accelerate the transition toward climate neutrality and resilience in their communities. 

The World Local Government Climate Summit 2025 provides a strategic platform for the UTMC project to engage with Southeast Asian (SEA) cities, a key focus region for our work this year.  

Objectives 

• Showcase the Urban Transition Mission (UTM) initiative and its commitment to advancing climate-neutral, resilient, and people-centered urban transitions, with a particular emphasis on energy and digital solutions. 

• Highlight best practices and methodologies, capacity-building tools, and knowledge-sharing opportunities offered by the UTMC, in support of the Mission. 

• Facilitate a dialogue between UTM cities and other urban stakeholders, exchange experiences, discuss progress, and share insights on energy and digital transformation. 

• Amplify city voices, showcasing their efforts, sharing key lessons, and exploring collaborative pathways toward climate neutrality. 

• Promote knowledge exchange and cooperation, fostering stronger partnerships between cities to accelerate urban transitions and scale up effective and impactful solutions.

Expected Outcomes 

• Showcasing opportunities to engage with the Urban Transitions Mission and advance climate-neutral, resilient, and people-centered urban transitions with a focus on energy and digital solutions. 

• Access to best practices and tools provided by UTMC & UTM, equipping cities to implement sustainable urban solutions. 

• Sharing and discussing progress of a selected number of cities in the field of energy and digital transformation and inspiring replication. 

• Fostering dialogue on accelerating urban transitions, learning more about R&I funding opportunities for cities. 

Target Stakeholders 

• Mayors and representatives from East Asian cities engaged in urban transitions. 

• Policymakers and government officials involved in urban planning and sustainability. 

• Representatives from funding agencies, international organizations, partnerships, and NGOs working on sustainability and urban development. 

• Academia and researchers contributing to urban innovation and climate resilience. 

• Private sector actors involved in sustainable urban solutions and financing.