1 December 2021
9:30–12:30

Beirut time

Expert Group Meeting

Steering committee meeting for REGEND

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Location
  • Beirut, Lebanon
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ESCWA is convening a steering committee meeting for the “Regional Initiative for Promoting Small-Scale Renewable Energy Applications in Rural Areas of the Arab Region” (REGEND). This meeting brings together REGEND's key implementing partners to reflect on the lessons learnt and provide updates from the pilot countries - Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia. It aims to review the project’s outcomes, results and impacts on productive activities and beneficiaries’ lives. 

REGEND aims to improve the livelihood, economic benefits, social inclusion and gender equality of Arab rural communities, particularly marginalized groups, by addressing energy poverty, water scarcity and vulnerability to climate change and other natural resources challenges.

 

Outcome document

  • Confirmation of REGEND as a successful and replicable project and business model in rural areas of the Arab region.
  • Confirmation of REGEND as a source and a catalyst for creating and improving coordination and collaboration between the public and the private sectors and civil society to facilitate the implementation of international projects, especially those related to sustainable development.
  • Adoption of REGEND’s gender mainstreaming and empowerment approach in developing new national sustainable energy programmes and projects where women representation is prioritized, monitored, and quantified.
  • Inclusion of REGEND’s integrated approach, water-energy-food nexus focus, and productive activities’ emphasis in future national sustainable energy programmes and projects.
  • Emphasis on continuing with awareness raising efforts, especially in rural areas, to promote small-scale renewable energy technologies and applications, not only as a source of energy, but also as an enabler for income generation.
  • Utilization of REGEND’s capacity-building materials targeting diverse income-generating and productive activities to propagate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout neighbouring rural  communities and to further improve networking potentials.

The presentation covered REGEND’s highlights where the project was selected in 2021 as an SDG Good Practice as well as being featured in the United Nations High Level Dialogue on Energy 2021 Theme Report on Enabling SDGs Through Inclusive, Just Energy Transitions. Moreover, it detailed REGEND’s field projects, capacity building activities, and productive equipment implemented and procured in Jordan along with their concrete impact on the lives of the beneficiaries. It also discussed the project’s risk mitigation plan, expected accomplishments, and the way forward.

The session enabled the attending focal points to share their experience with the REGEND project in their respective countries, the lessons learned throughout the various implementation phases of the project, and the results achieved both at the rural and governmental level. Notably, they were able to list a variety of initiatives, programs, and projects that were either inspired or facilitated by the coordination and collaboration environment created by REGEND amongst national stakeholders. Finally, the REGEND team received multiple requests, which will soon be formalized and sent officially, calling for the replication of REGEND’s integrated business model and projects in new rural areas.

Initiatives: REGEND, Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies

Event details

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