On April 17, the EU-funded Clima-Med project organised a workshop to present its latest reports and manuals to strengthen municipalities’ capacities to prepare and implement climate projects.

Beyond the ten beneficiary municipalities and Unions of municipalities that have successfully prepared their Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plans (SEACAPs) with Clima-Med, an impressive participation of more than 40 new municipalities, Unions of municipalities, and nature reserves and forests representatives joined the workshop; all eager to take action and requesting comprehensive technical guidance in preparing and formulating climate action plans and bankable projects.

The event was held under the auspices of the Minister of Environment, the European Union Delegation in Lebanon, and the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.

During his opening remarks, Mr Stephano Panighetti, Programme Manager at the EU Delegation to Lebanon, stressed the pivotal role of municipalities in the fight against Climate Change and the importance of the SEACAP as a starting point to engage with donors and financiers, emphasising that municipalities serve as crucial frontline actors in implementing climate action initiatives at the local level.

Dr Nasser Yassin, Minister of Environment in Lebanon, expressed his appreciation for Clima-Med achievements, the significant number of participants and the municipalities’ enthusiasm for maintaining climate initiatives despite Lebanon’s financial constraints. To him, this calls attention to the urgent need for collective climate action!

“Partnering with the private sector to implement immediate concrete climate actions is essential”, stressed Dr Yassin, dwelling on the crucial role of local authorities in executing effective climate responses, which include energy transition and adaptive strategies.

He added that if not adapted, climate change will have significantly greater repercussions than the current situation. Postponing the implementation of the solution will lead to a twofold increase in impact and all future drought and temperature rise scenarios.

 

 

The Clima-Med project has prepared the Climate Finance Guidebook, which comprises recommendations at national, local, and international finance levels, a Climate Finance annexe for Lebanon, the SEACAP Preparation Manual, and the Communication step-by-step guidelines. All these tools, presented during the workshop, are made available for local authorities to use in preparing their climate action plans and pave the way for effective project funding and implementation.

 

The workshop addressed the Covenant of Mayors, CoM Med initiative in the region, which was established by Clima-Med, encouraging mobilisation around it as part of the Global Covenant of Mayors network.

Mayors from three municipalities stressed the importance and benefits of adhering to CoM Med and preparing a SEACAP. They shared the achievements made through their collaboration with the Clima-Med project and explained how the experience has provided a clear roadmap for addressing climate change, thus setting the path toward sustaining these results and replicating the success.

As if to confirm, Cedar Oxygen announced its latest partnership with the Ministry of Environment regarding launching the “Lebanon Green Investment Facility”, a financing facility to accelerate climate mitigation and adaptation efforts across Lebanon.

Forthright and fruitful discussions then focused on the main challenges local authorities face amid the economic plight. They cited financial constraints, limited resources, and limited expertise in project implementation as the main challenges, noting that Clima-Med-like technical assistance is a significant need to help face them.

The workshop concluded on a promising note as several municipalities showed interest and willingness to journey towards a greener, more resilient future for their cities.

For further details on the SEACAPs and other tools from Clima-Med, please click here.

 

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