Today, at the 14th Clean Energy Ministerial and 8th Mission Innovation meeting (CEM14/MI-8) in Goa, India, during the “Mayors-Ministers Dialogue: Future-proofing urban infrastructures”, the Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) highlighted three key milestones that will bolster the mobilization of decision makers across all levels of government to prioritise climate neutral and net-zero pathways enabled by clean energy and systemic innovation across all sectors.
To inspire cities across world regions and help accelerate their journey towards decarbonisation and resilience, the Urban Transitions Mission launched a new open call for cities to join its City Cohort. The Mission is already working with a cohort of 48 ambitious cities worldwide to demonstrate integrated pathways towards holistic, people-centred urban transitions built around clean energy and innovative net-zero carbon solutions. Cities engaged in the Mission will be able to connect, exchange and learn from each other how to strengthen their climate strategies. They will work together with the Mission and its Global Innovation Alliance of partners to test and validate these pathways towards net-zero, inspiring cities across world regions on their journey towards decarbonisation. Cities are invited to apply online and express their interest to join the Mission’s cohort by 21st September 2023.
"Urban Transitions to a net zero resilient future can only take place with systematic prioritization of climate action: resources need to be redirected to these goals, strategies have to be backed by policies and aligned with sound investment plans. Kochi is working with the UTM and the Global Innovation Alliance to strengthen engagement with the private sector, explore new business models and market opportunities to continue accelerating innovation in the city."
UTM cities are leading the way in delivering on urban transitions through pilot actions, in partnership with the Global Innovation Alliance, including UTM member countries, and the private sector. 25+ pilot actions tackling urban challenges across sectors have already kicked off. These include the 11 UTM cities that earlier this year became the first pilots of the UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub (UGIH). Engaging with the UGIH cities will test and provide feedback on its approach and ability to connect with relevant solution providers, investors, financial institutions and academia. Through this work, UTM cities have started to trial sustainable energy solutions that address core human needs, such as access to energy, mobility, and shelter.
8+ UTM cities in Finland, India, Norway, and the United Kingdom will work within the framework of a newly launched joint initiative between UTM and the KPMG Net Zero Urban Program. Brought together with the aim to help spearhead and test an innovative public-private sector collaboration platform, this relationship aims to work with cities to help strengthen collaborations with businesses, unlock funding, and accelerate market uptake of innovative climate solutions, focusing on key emission and impact sectors.
“KPMG professionals look forward to working with the UTM to help mobilize the private and finance sector and help cities accelerate the urban transitions in key impact sectors such as the built environment, mobility and transport, energy and utilities, waste and water, by connecting challenges to digital solutions and capital.”
Finally, as part of the effort to facilitate cities bridge knowledge and capacity gaps by linking them with policy, implementation, and funding solutions, the “Urban Transitions Mission Centre” (UTMC) platform has been launched. Funded by the European Commission and developed in the framework of the Horizon Europe programme, the UTMC platform is a digital hub designed to facilitate collaboration, and knowledge exchange among UTM cities. Through this platform, cities can access a wealth of information, including best practices, case studies, research findings, and innovative solutions. The platform will serve as a central repository of urban knowledge, thus enabling cities to learn from each other’s experiences and accelerate the implementation of sustainable urban development strategies.
"The Urban Transitions Mission Centre (UTMC) offers a unique knowledge exchange platform to bring together a community of practitioners, policy makers and leaders to discuss how to shape sustainable urban futures together"
Through these exciting new advancements, UTM is paving the way for cities worldwide to boost progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and pathways to achieving net-zero emissions, thus making the transition to sustainable urban infrastructures a tangible reality.
