The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is working on a “Regional Initiative for Promoting Small-Scale Renewable Energy Applications in rural areas of the Arab region (REGEND)”. This regional initiative is a Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) funded project and 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 in three targeted countries, namely Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia.
In this context, ESCWA is organizing a Webinar on “Case study on Lebanon’s policy regulatory reforms and financial and legal frameworks needed to promote small-scale renewable energy technologies and applications in rural areas” to:
 

1. Present Lebanon’s case study including its main findings and recommendations.
2. Discuss the case study vis-à-vis the national strategies, regulations, and policies linked to the rural context and the current economic crisis which incentivizes local production where rural productive activities can significantly contribute.
3. Collect feedback from the attending stakeholders given their experience working in the energy and rural development sectors and discuss additional recommendations on reforms the case study should consider.
4. Explore supplementary gender mainstreaming and women empowerment opportunities the recommendations of the case study can benefit from.
5. Brainstorm and discuss ways for national policy makers to understand and act on the social, environmental, and financial benefits that will result from promoting and legislating the use of small-scale RE technologies in rural areas, specifically in the productive sectors.