Moroccan Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment Abdelkader Amara will open the regional conference on "Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development in Rural Areas of the ESCWA Region,” organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from 26 to 28 November 2013, in Hotel Rabat, Morocco. This regional conference is organized in collaboration with the Directorate of Electricity and Renewable Energy, affiliated to the Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment of Morocco, the Energy Department at the League of Arab states (LAS), and the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), The conference opens at 9:30 AM tomorrow Tuesday 26 November 2013, with statements by Amara, Director of the ECWA Sustainable Development and Productivity Division (SDPD) Roula Majdalani, Head of the Energy Department, League of Arab States (LAS) Jamila Matar, and Research and Analysis Manager at RCREEE Amel Bida. Participants in the conference are experts from the ESCWA member countries, representing policy-makers, executives and concerned personnel working in governments, non governmental institutions and the private sector, and related regional and international organizations. This regional conference aims to present a comprehensive panoramic insight on the most important activities that have been implemented starting from 2011, as well as the lessons learned, and exchanging views on the future vision with regard to spreading the use of Research and Development (RE) applications appropriate to local conditions for the achievement of sustainable development in rural areas through improving access to modern energy services, and alleviating poverty and improving the quality of life of citizens in these communities. Participants in the conference will discuss RE applications suitable for ESCWA region (RE and rural development); Requirements for the deployment of RE use in rural areas (the role of governments, declared policies, institutional frameworks, incentives, capacity building, national manufacturing capacity, public awareness, the role of civil society organizations, case studies); Improving investment environments and encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the field of RE (innovative financing mechanisms, models of financing methods, the determinants of creating an attractive environment for the private sector, SMEs, success stories, case study); RE and sustainable development (green economy, green industries, energy, water and food nexus, global initiatives); and challenges that need to be tackled for spreading the use of RE applications in rural areas. ESCWA is one of the five UN regional commissions. It provides a framework for the formulation and harmonization of sectoral policies for member countries; a platform for congress and coordination; a home for expertise and knowledge, and an information observatory. ESCWA aims at supporting economic and social cooperation between the region’s countries and promoting development process in order to achieve regional integration. Libya, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Tunisia became members of ESCWA in September 2012. By this new membership, the number of ESCWA countries rose to 17, including: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, The Sudan, The Syrian Arab Republic, The United Arab Emirates and Yemen.