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 Capacity-Building Workshop on “Good food packaging, labeling, and marketing practices”, in partnership with the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) and the Arab Federation for Food Industries (AFFI), to build the scientific and technical capacities of REGEND’s beneficiaries, on the importance of preserving food products and proper labeling, the methods of preserving them from contamination and the types of contaminants, the methods of safe transportation, the art of marketing and using social media, the identification of packaging materials, and the design of labels and the selection of appropriate ones through a simplified scientific and distinctive approach integrating lectures, exercises, and practical training.
The knowledge and skills acquired throughout the training, theoretically and practically, will enable the trainees to improve and expand their food packaging, labeling, and marketing income-generating activities.