Join us at the 22nd the European Week of Regions and Cities at Brussels!
A transformative 90-minute participatory lab awaits you. Collaborate with experts and changemakers to scale the impact of sustainable urban missions.

Hosted by UNDP, DG NEAR, and Demos Helsinki, this immersive session will showcase the innovative journeys of 10 cities in the Eastern Partnership pioneering the mission economy concept. Through a dynamic session, you’ll co-create strategies to amplify the impact of these urban missions. 

REGISTER BY 30/09/2024: https://regions-and-cities.europa.eu/programme/2024/sessions/35381

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In an era of unprecedented challenges, cities across the globe are seeking innovative solutions to build resilient and more inclusive communities. We can collectively scale the impact of sustainable urban missions to create vibrant, adaptive and smarter places to thrive. Since 2021, the EU-funded Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) initiative has pioneered the mission economy concept — inspired by Mariana Mazzucato’s visionary work, Horizon Europe, and similar frameworks — across 10 cities in the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine). From developing ‘blue economies’ to driving ‘renewable energy transitions’, these cities are implementing groundbreaking urban missions that hold the key to unlocking sustainable development.

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The M4EG urban missions have created a transformative framework for cities to tackle their urban challenges. Hosted by UNDP, DG NEAR, and Demos Helsinki, this 90-minute participatory lab is designed to chart the next phase of these transformative urban missions and connect with other city mission explorers or learners with a dialogue. We invite participants to engage in a fast-paced co-design process to explore opportunities for scaling impact and secure long-term sustainability of city missions across regions. By crowdsourcing ideas and leveraging collective wisdom and experiences, we aim to identify the most effective strategies for amplifying sustainable urban missions and emphasise the future-readiness of local authorities and other city agents.

This is your opportunity to be part of a movement that is shaping the future of our cities. By participating, you will:

• Collaborate with a diverse network of professionals and thought leaders
• Co-create strategies for city missions that might challenge our traditional management and cooperation models
• Gain exclusive insights into cutting-edge approaches and success stories from Eastern Partnership cities
• Join forces with fellow participants to be part of a transformative journey that will shape the future of our cities across Europe and beyond

REGISTER BY 30/09/2024: https://regions-and-cities.europa.eu/programme/2024/sessions/35381

Background

The M4EG Facility draws on the Mayors for Economic Growth Initiative, launched and funded by the European Union (EU) in 2017. Since 2021, the EU-funded M4EG Facility has been managed by UNDP in close cooperation with the EU, local authorities and a range of partners.