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MINARET I

The MENA Region Initiative As a Model of NEXUS Approach and Renewable Energy Technologies (MINARET) aims to address the unique sustainability challenges and opportunities of the MENA region by increasing local and regional sustainability capacities using the synergies between renewable energy technology and efficiency, water management, and food security.The 4-year project kicked off in the first quarter of 2017 to be implemented in Jordan, Tunisia and Lebanon.The MINARET project intends to build the municipality’s resilience to climate change through adopting renewable energy resources and energy efficiency, water management techniques and food security. This is in addition to strengthening institutional capacities of the relevant governmental authorities involved in the project through promoting policy dialogue and implementing capacity building programmes as well as promoting inter-municipal regional cooperation to enhance good governance and equitably dealing with the needs and human rights. The project also seeks to reinforce the role of women, youth and marginalized groups in developing and implementing NEXUS approach. The last objective of the project, which is the main topic of this concept paper, is to develop a MENA dialogue online platform and website focusing on knowledge sharing, education, and lesson learned at the national and regional policy levels.

NEXUS theory is that water, energy, and food security on a global level can be achieved through integrated management and governance across the three sectors.The project partners include the Royal Scientific Society/National Energy Research Center (RSS/NERC), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Horizons For Green Development.
The project is aligned with the Swedish International Development Cooperation’s (SIDA) strategy and its goals of environmental improvement, reduced climate impact and increased resilience to environmental impacts, climate change and natural disasters. The project also embraces six of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 5- Gender equality; SDG 6-Water; SDG 7- Affordable and clean energy; SDG 11-Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 13-Climate action and SDG 17- Partnerships for the goals. 
The project is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA)

MINARET “The MENA Region Initiative as a model of the NEXUS Approach and Renewable Energy Technologies”, is launching its phase II under “Empowering Municipal Governance for Climate Resilience Using WEF Nexus Approach” with the support of GIZ and through a close collaboration with Nexus Regional Dialogues Programme (NRDP) MENA. The project will be implemented at municipal level by the Royal Scientific Society – Amman and will be targeting Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia. The Project is the first of its kind in the region that utilizes a nexus approach to address the unique sustainability challenges and opportunities that face each of the countries from a local municipal level with regards to water, energy and food security. The Project facilitates dialogue between the experts and players from the public and private sector in renewable energy, sustainable development, water, climate change, and many more sectors. Stakeholders from all around the region discuss and plan together how to overcome the increasing constraints their countries and the region faces through fundamentally rethinking how we produce and consume energy in relation to the water and food sectors.

MINARET II aims to improve people’s lives by helping municipal governments to secure the funds and develop the skills they need to deliver high-quality public services, in particular with regard to natural resources management. It is structured of three components, which of the first component is Climate resilient municipalities: Membership in Covenant of Mayors – Strengthening municipal capacities to plan and manage climate change adaptation and mitigation measures (development of SECAP). On an international scale, the Project is drawing the attention of experts, stakeholders and decision makers, this is because it tackles many of the world’s priority challenges and initiatives such as the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) under the Framework of the EU- Covenant of Mayors (CoM). The project also addresses six of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 5- Gender equality, SDG 6- Water, SDG 7- Affordable and clean energy, SDG 11-Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 13- Climate action and SDG 17- Partnership for the Goals. It is also because the Project utilizes the latest and most relevant framework of action worldwide. That is: the renewable energy, energy efficiency, water management and efficiency, and food security sectors are interlinked. Therefore, we must leverage existing synergies, bridge the gap, and bring together key stakeholders from across those sectors to achieve simultaneous gains in all those sectors at once.