Project Summary:

The Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) Facility enters its third phase of implementation, during 2025-2028. Building on the successes and lessons learnt from previous phases, this iteration focuses on inclusive, green and innovative economic revival of secondary cities in Armenia, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. It aims to empower local authorities through innovative financing, public-private partnerships, and capacity-building initiatives, thereby fostering inclusive and green economic growth.

Since its inception, the M4EG network has grown significantly, now including close to 450 members across the five countries. The initiative has successfully implemented various capability and grants programs, such as the Urban Learning Center (ULC), the Portfolio Journey, Urban Imaginaries, and Response and Renewal, which have provided short to medium-term support to local authorities in addressing economic stagnation, community well-being, and immediate crisis support.
 

Objectives:

• Improved and adaptive systemic local-level economic development planning and implementation;
• Enhanced access to finance for local authorities through support for pipeline development and financing absorption and management.
   

Expected results:

• Regional networking will provide both online and offline opportunities for members across the region, as well as with EU and international partners, to network, exchange, learn, and build new opportunities;
• Technical assistance and capability development under the Urban Learning Center, a centralized online repository of resources, including practice guides, case studies, research papers, and toolkits, accessible to all members to support their local economic development initiatives;
• Mission-oriented Economy Journey is dedicated to secondary cities in the M4EG network with a Local Economic Development Plan or similar strategy and existing ULC learning engagement to join a thematic cohort;
• Scalable local project pipelines and partnerships will engage with cities that participated in either the M4EG Phase 2 Deep Demonstrators or in the mission-oriented economic planning programme of Phase 3, ensuring continuity and building on previous experiences, results and partnerships;
• Innovation Grants for Finance and Pipeline will enable faster testing and experimentation of new modalities, instruments, mechanisms and pilots in the field of local level financing;
• Advancing Energy Resilience support program to enable communities address energy related challenges. 

Accomplishments:

• 10 new municipalities have joined the M4EG network, including 5 from the security zone, making 77 local authorities in Moldova in total;
• 8 local authorities have been selected for M4EG grant programmes: 3 municipalities in mission-oriented economy programme, and 5 in energy resilience programme;
• About 100 local public authorities’ representatives have undergone capacity building activities, reporting increased knowledge on approaches related to local economic development, portfolio approach, own revenues management, promotion of investments potential;
• 4 networking and learning events were organized, engaging more than 300 participants, with more than half being women.