UNEP has announced the regional launch of the Global District Energy in Cities Initiative, which counts 27 local and national governments, and 8 private sector partners and seven industry associations.
In April 2015, the Capital Cities of Serbia and Poland: Belgrade and Warsaw, as well as Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina, signed up to the Initiative, joined by Croatia. The launch of the Initiative in Eastern Europe and Central Asia represented the starting point of the collaboration between the IFC and UNEP for district energy.

According to the "District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy" report, launched by UNEP with the C2E2, ICLEI, and UN-Habitat, a transition to modern district energy could enable cities and countries to achieve 100% renewable energy or carbon neutral targets.
The initiative advanced in all its work streams: outreach, with the report featuring 45 champion cities, capacity building through workshops with IFC and ICLEI, as well as moved ahead on the piloting part, which will soon announce three pilot cities ahead of COP21.

UNEP - Global District Energy in Cities Initiative