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 National Policy Workshop on “Regulatory, Institutional and Financial Frameworks Needed to Promote Small-Scale Renewable Energy Technologies and Applications for Rural Development”, in partnership with the National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) and the General Commission for Regional Development (CGDR), to:
 

1. Discuss and review national strategies, regulations and policies related to productive activities, small-scale renewable energy (RE) technologies, and entrepreneurial development linked to the rural context to create synergies between policies in key sectors.
2. Present current or under-development strategies, plans, and policies to support women empowerment and enhance their roles as "Actors of Change” for the sustainable development of rural areas.
3. Provide recommendations on reforms and measures to enhance the resilience of rural communities and integrate gender considerations in income-generating activities through the increased use of small-scale RE technologies.
4. Provide a value added in which national policy makers at different levels can be shown what benefits will be forthcoming from the use of small-scale RE technologies within rural communities, specifically in the productive sectors, given that necessary policy reforms are made.

The key messages and recommendations of the workshop will serve as the basis for producing Tunisia’s case study and Policy Toolkit to support policymakers, government and local institutions in operationalizing a holistic approach for policy regulatory reforms, financial and legal framework needed to promote small-scale RE technologies in rural areas.