[Busan, Korea, Monday 25 August] – The Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) announced its core focus and a series of significant initiatives for 2025, aimed at accelerating clean energy innovation and fostering sustainable urban development worldwide. The announcements, made at the MI10/CEM16 Ministerial, held in Busan, Korea, underscore UTM’s commitment to scaling investment, strengthening its role as an “implementing space,” and acting as a vital solution broker for cities transitioning to net-zero, resilient, and inclusive futures.
Accelerating Investment through Blended Finance:
A cornerstone of UTM’s 2025 strategy is to significantly increase investment in urban transitions. To this end, UTM is launching its landmark publication, “Blended finance for net-zero resilient and inclusive cities” on 26 August. This report provides actionable recommendations for policymakers on leveraging blended finance – combining concessional finance with commercial investment – to meet the vast urban investment needs that traditional public funding alone cannot address. The publication draws insights from practical implementations in cities such as Lappeenranta, Turku (Finland), Miami-Dade County (USA), and Bogota (Colombia), demonstrating how this catalytic tool can lower perceived risks and attract private capital for urban projects.
Strengthening UTM’s Role as an “Implementing Space”:
Further solidifying its role in practical implementation, UTM announced a strategic collaboration with the Green Powered Future Mission (GPFM) and Kisumu County, Kenya. This pioneering initiative supports Kisumu’s ambitious roadmap to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050, aligning with global climate goals and principles of just and inclusive transitions. The partnership will combine technical planning, investment facilitation, and community-led design, with plans to scale this successful pilot to other cities globally. Kenya will host the first implementation teaming with IEECAS (Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences) to identify innovative PV planning solutions and cutting-edge technology designed to support urban energy planning in County Kisumu. UTM, as the implementation space of Mission Innovation, will support the scaling of the pilot to more cities, locally and on two other continents.
Launching the City2City Twinning Programme:
As a “solution broker” and implementation space, UTM is set to launch the first pairings of its innovative City2City exchange programme in September. This global peer-learning initiative will connect cities worldwide to cooperate, co-create, and pilot solutions for advancing their net-zero journeys. The program emphasizes innovation through co-creation between two or three cities with shared ambitions on themes like clean energy solutions, housing, or artificial intelligence. Interested cities are invited to apply by September 4th to participate in this unique opportunity for mutual support, exchange, and experimentation.
Global Innovation Summit in Rio de Janeiro:
Finally, UTM announced its annual Global Innovation Summit, “Unlocking investment for cities: blended finance for urban transitions,” to be held in Rio de Janeiro on November 6th. This high-level event will gather national and local policymakers, international organisations, financial institutions, and private sector stakeholders to explore strategies for scaling investment and accelerating transitions to net-zero, resilient, and inclusive communities. The Summit will focus on financing strategies that blend public and private capital to de-risk urban investments, mobilise funding for climate-smart infrastructure, and accelerate the implementation of net-zero transitions while prioritising people-centred development.
