MINARET

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 energy 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 targeting four municipalities: • Sahab Municipality in Jordan • Al-Karak Municipality in Jordan • Jdaidet Chouf in Lebanon • Monastir in Tunisia The project is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA). The project partners include the Royal Scientific Society/National Energy Research Center (RSS/NERC), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Future Pioneers for Empowering Communities (FPEC). Project Objectives: • Build the municipality’s resilience to climate change through adopting renewable energy resources and energy efficiency applications, water management techniques and food security approaches. • Strengthen institutional capacities of the relevant governmental authorities involved in the project, through promoting policy dialogues and implementing different capacity-building programs. • Promote inter-municipal regional cooperation to enhance good governance, and equitably dealing with the needs and human rights especially for refugee’s surviving in and around municipalities. • Reinforce the role of women, youth and marginalized groups in developing and implementing NEXUS approach. • Develop a MENA dialogue platform focusing on knowledge share, education and lessons learned at national, regional policy levels.