Accelerating Climate Innovation: A2D Facility Annual Event 2025

19 May 2025 19:00 - 12:00 CET

Nairobi, Kenya

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Clean Hydrogen

Critical Minerals

Industrial Decarbonization

Smart Energy

Location and Date:
Nairobi, Kenya | 19 – 22 May 2025

Apply here!

About the Event

The transition to clean energy and sustainable and inclusive industrial development is one of today’s most pressing global challenges. Achieving climate targets by 2050 requires transformative shifts across sectors, such as electricity, industry, transport and buildings, with 35% of the necessary emissions reductions needing to come from technologies still at the demonstration stage (IEA, 2023). This underscores the critical need to accelerate the commercialization of innovative climate solutions.

The A2D Facility Annual Event offers a unique platform for stakeholders across the world to collaborate, partner, share knowledge and highlight successes in implementing demonstration projects in developing countries. By fostering connections among project developers, financiers, industry associations and other key actors, the event aims to accelerate the development and implementation of projects.

The A2D Facility Annual Event 2025 aims to build an internationally recognized community of key stakeholders for planning, implementing, operating and scaling demonstration projects in developing countries, and facilitate knowledge-sharing, sharing of lessons learned, and opportunities for stakeholders to network and collaborate.

Why Attend?

The A2D Facility Annual Event 2025 offers a unique opportunity to:

Engage with project developers, adopters, financiers, and industry associations, among others.
Gain insights into the latest developments in critical minerals, clean hydrogen, smart energy, and industrial decarbonization.
Participate in thematic and impact-driven sessions on overcoming barriers to implementation.
Discuss financing mechanisms for demonstration projects in developing countries and share lessons learned.
Identify good practices related to gender equality, inclusion, and social and environmental safeguards in project implementation.
Exchange knowledge on monitoring and evaluation guidelines in climate innovation projects.
Gain a deeper understanding of UNIDO’s initiatives in developing countries.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

The A2D Facility Annual Event 2025 will address some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities in planning, implementing and scaling innovative clean energy demonstration projects in the thematic areas-of-focus for the A2D Facility. The following guiding questions will steer the event's discussions, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions:

How can the implementation of demonstration projects in developing countries be accelerated?
What are the main challenges and how can they be overcome, particularly in critical minerals, clean hydrogen, smart energy and industrial decarbonization projects? What examples of successful projects exist?
What is needed to facilitate scalability and replicability?
How can gender equality, inclusion and safeguards be embedded in the implementation and operation of demonstration projects in developing countries?
How can private finance be unlocked for demonstration projects in developing countries?
What is the role of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), UN agencies and international organizations in facilitating the implementation of innovative demonstration projects in developing countries?

Who Should Attend?

The event is open to professionals and stakeholders from:

Project developers
Solution adopters
Industry associations
Utility companies
Financial institutions, investors, and funding bodies
Multilateral and international organizations
Government officials

Event Language

The working language of the A2D Facility Annual Event 2025 will be English. Attendees should have a proficiency level of at least C1 or equivalent. Please note that interpretation and translation services will not be provided.

Interested to participate in the A2D Facility Annual Event 2025?

To apply for the event, please submit the online application form by 9 March 2025.

Selection Criteria – Applications will be reviewed based on:

Potential impact of participation: Stakeholders interested in attending should explain how attending the event will benefit their work and contribute to the implementation of demonstration projects in ODA-eligible countries.
Relevance of work to climate innovation and energy transitions: The applicant must demonstrate how their work contributes to the acceleration of climate innovation demonstration projectsin ODA-eligible countries, preferably in critical minerals, clean hydrogen, smart energy, and industrial decarbonization.
(Optional) Active engagement at the A2D Facility Annual Event: Prospective stakeholders may propose a form of active engagement at the Annual Event, such as proposing to co-lead a session with UNIDO. Please note that this is not compulsory and does not increase your chance to get selected. Proposals for active engagements will be assessed based on their relevance for the A2D Facility Annual Event 2025. It is a competitive selection as to which, if any, proposals get accepted.

Note: Nationals from ODA-eligible countries (excluding Kenya) may be eligible to receive funding to attend this event (See full list here: DAC List of ODA Recipients | OECD). Please note that this is a competitive process, and funded participants will be selected by UNIDO based on alignment with the selection criteria.

Important Dates

Application Deadline: 9 March 2025
Notification of Acceptance: By 31 March 2025

Apply here!

Agenda

The Annual Event spans 3.5 days and includes plenary sessions, workshops, evening receptions and activities, a site visit, and numerous networking opportunities. A summary agenda is provided below, and a detailed agenda will be available soon on the A2D Facility website.

Day 1 – Monday, 19 May