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2nd Annual Meeting – Amman, Jordan

Jan 28, 2020

2nd annual meeting - MINARET

Under the Patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan

MINARET 2nd Annual Meeting took place from 28-30 January 2020 at the St. Regis Amman, Jordan under the title: “Access to Finance – NEXUS at Decentralized Scale”.

The MENA Region Initiative As a Model of NEXUS Approach and Renewable Energy Technologies (MINARET) is implemented by the Royal Scientific Society / National Energy Research Center and its partners; International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Horizons for Green Development.

Event Co-organizer: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) – Beirut, Lebanon – Regional Initiative for Promoting Small-Scale Renewable Energy Applications in rural areas of the Arab Region (REGEND)

Under the basis of the REGEND and the MINARET projects, the Royal Scientific Society / National Energy Research Center (RSS/NERC) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA) based in Beirut, Lebanon organized a workshop on “Access to Finance for Municipalities – Nexus Thinking and Decentralization of Subnational Governments”.

The workshop is focused on sharing experiences, building capacities of relevant institutional bodies, and formulating gender mainstreaming and human rights-based strategies and action plans to support sub-national governments, municipalities and local institutions in accessing financial resources.

The event was attended by around 150 participants including high-level representatives from local municipalities, ministries, national governments, international organizations, NGOs, private sector, community-based organizations and bilateral donors.

Key messages were delivered at the opening ceremony by the President of Royal Scientific Society HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan, and the Ambassador of Sweden in Jordan H.E Erik Ullenhag and Ms. Roula Majdalani.

A visual presentation was introduced by MINARET Project Manager Ms. Rula Al-Shaweesh that summarized the project’s achievements during 2019 and the accomplished pilot projects in Karak in Jordan, Jdaidet el Chouf in Lebanon and Monastir in Tunisia.

Followed by a commemorative ceremony where HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan distributed MINARET trophies for project partners and stakeholders in recognition of their contributed efforts to the success of the project:

  • Walid Shahin, NERC Director
  • Rami El Akhras, Horizons CEO
  • Hani El Shaer, IUCN ROWA Regional Director
  • HE Erik Ullenhag, Ambassador of Sweden in Jordan
  • Nisreen Lahham, Advisor, GIZ/Nexus Dialogue Programme – Coordinator of MENA
  • Roula Majdalani, Director, Sustainable Development Policies Division (SDPD), ESCWA

Ms. Rula Al-Shaweesh has also handed HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan MINARET Trophy in compliments of HRH kindness in honoring and opening MINARET 2nd Annual Meeting.

The opening ceremony was followed by two panel discussions on: 1- Setting the context for the nexus approach in the MENA region and 2- Access to Finance: Challenges and opportunities from a nexus approach presented by a linear table of panelists that includes speakers specialized in the area of Access to Finance within NEXUS Approach at the municipal level. Each side will share knowledge and experience in decentralization and how such an approach can be responsive to both the SDGs and the municipalities’ mandate.

The event continued on 29-30/1/2020 with a series of sessions, panel discussions that focused on the following topics:

  • Promoting integrated approaches to water, energy and food nexus in the Arab Region – Framework of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement
  • Operationalising the WEF Nexus: Technologies and Regional Initiatives
  • Access to Finance and Project bankability within a Nexus Framework
  • Gender Mainstreaming and the Community Engagement

And working groups focusing on Project Proposals, Feasibility Studies and Financial Instruments within a Nexus Approach.

2nd annual meeting

Presentations and event report:
https://minaretproject.com/publications/#312-second-annual-meeting

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