Within the context of its work on sustainable energy, energy security, and improving rural livelihoods, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is organizing a capacity building workshop on “Promoting Green Energy Technology Market in Rural Areas” on the 24th and 25th of May 2016.

The workshop falls under the United Nations Development Account (UNDA) project “Building Capacities in Developing Appropriate Green Technologies for Improving the Livelihood of Rural Communities in the ESCWA Region” which aims to strengthen the capacity of countries in the Arab region to mainstream appropriate green technology initiatives into national development programmes and policies, in order to enhance livelihoods of rural communities.

Participants will benefit from the Workshop by acquiring knowledge and understanding on:

(1) Factors that determine the appropriateness of green and sustainable energy technologies in local rural environment and resources,

(2) Potential and capacity for local manufacturing of appropriate green energy technologies,

(3) Guiding policy makers in developing policies promoting an investment environment conducive to market-driven penetration of modern renewable energy technologies (RE) in rural areas,

(4) Strengths and weaknesses of different legal and regulatory frameworks for promoting RE technologies in rural areas as implemented in the Arab region and other regions with similar socio-economic characteristics,

(5) Generic roadmap for instilling modern and sustainable energy entrepreneurship within the rural communities in the Arab region based on a case study on sustainable penetration of biodigesters in rural areas in Egypt.