News

30 May 2023

Twinning-up to reach climate neutrality

As cities navigate the journey to climate neutrality, it can help to have a partner – or even a “twin.” That is why a new Twinning Programme will pair ‘Twin Cities’ and ‘Pilot Cities’ based on shared challenges, opportunities, and emissions domains.

All cities in EU Member States or Horizon 2020 Associated Countries can apply now to be selected as a Twin City for the chance to be paired with, and to learn alongside, the cities that were selected to join the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme in March 2023.

Twin Cities will take part in a targeted learning programme, convening with Pilot Cities to exchange and build capacity to execute the systemic changes needed to get to climate neutrality. Twin Cities will furthermore have the chance to learn from Pilot Cities’ innovative activities by taking part in site visits and workshops, while also being guided through a learning programme comprising three facilitated modules. The modules will provide additional bases for exchange among the matched cities, and will cover the different steps of scaling-up climate action: getting started, co-creating, and capitalising. By the end of the 20-month Twinning Programme, participating Twin Cities will have a Replication Plan that they can take forward at the local level.

This programme is part of the NetZeroCities project, which brings together a consortium of 33 partners from 27 European countries – including ICLEI Europe – to manage the EU Cities Mission platform.

This Twinning Programme call is open to cities (local authorities or city administrations) based in EU Member States or Associated Countries. Any city can apply, whether selected as one of the 100+12 EU Mission Cities or not. The call deadline is 30 June 2023, at 23:59 CEST.

Apply today at: https://netzerocities.eu/twinning-programme/.