Development is a human right that everyone should benefit from, especially the most marginalized and vulnerable groups in the Arab region. This includes people living under occupation and conflict, refugees, internally displaced people, and residents of rural and poor areas. Such were the recommendations of the “Preparatory Meeting for the 3rd Arab Forum on Sustainable Development (AFSD-3) and the 2nd United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2),” hosted by the United Nations House in Beirut on 14 April 2016.

In the contemporary digital economy, affordable and efficient access for all to information and modern services is fundamental. No single entity has control over information or the means of its distribution. Security concerns must be balanced by openness and freedom of choice

Within the framework of the “Regional Initiative for Promoting Small-Scale Renewable Energy Applications in Rural Areas of the Arab Region (REGEND)” Project, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in partnership with the National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) and the General Commission for Regional Development (CGDR) in Tunisia, is organizing a capacity-building workshop on “Use of small-scale Renewable Energy for Rural Development in Tunisia”.
 
This workshop, through its first session, on 26 and 27 August 2020, aims to build the knowledge, scientific and technical capacities of local officials in the context of Rural Development in Chorbane, Governorate of Mahdia, Republic of Tunisia, on Renewable Energy use in the Agricultural Sector and in developing income-generating activities in rural areas, in addition to improving their competencies in order to better manage and accompany farmers and those wishing to benefit from Renewable Energy at all levels (administrative, technical, financing, ...). This session also aims to build the capacities of local officials on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and entrepreneurship in the context of income-generating activities in rural areas through the use of Renewable Energy as alternative, sustainable, reliable and affordable energy. Through its second session, on 28 August 2020, the workshop aims to raise the awareness of Rural Women in Chorbane, Governorate of Mahdia, Republic of Tunisia, on small-scale Renewable Energy use for income-generating activities in rural context and the reduction it can provide at cost production in the current context which is characterized by a significant and continuous rise of conventional energy prices, in addition to building their capacities on gender equality, women's empowerment and entrepreneurship in the context of income-generating activities in rural areas through the use of Renewable Energy as alternative, sustainable, reliable and affordable energy.