EU and UNDP launch new Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) Facility for Eastern Partnership countries

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has started the implementation of the new phase of the EU-funded Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) Facility (2021-2024). The facility will focus on intermediate cities in the Eastern Partnership countries and will work closely with local authorities in the region to explore and discover innovative ways to support sustainable development, and expand the network.

Cities in the network will benefit from access to funding addressing issues related to green recovery after the pandemic crisis, training and capability development, as well as knowledge exchange activities focused around the development of innovative growth strategies. This will entail support in developing a new generation of local economic development plans (LEDPs), strategic thinking and building urban resilience.

Cities with developed LEDPs will gain access to €14 million in funding opportunities. The upcoming calls are:

• annual portfolio call for interests (June-July 2021), followed by an annual call for proposals, with an estimated total of €2.8 million. These are expected to be held on an annual basis.
• annual innovation call for proposals (autumn 2021), with estimated total of €1.2 million.

Learning materials on innovative methods for local development will be made available to all members of the network through a new Urban Learning Centre.

Find out more

Press release

Brief overview of the Mayors Facility 2021-2024