Overview

Project Title: Fostering international partnerships between companies from MENA countries and Italian stakeholders operating in energy and sustainable development
Country: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia
Government Coordinating Agency: Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and See (IMELS)
Implementing Agency: UNIDO ITPO Italy
Main Local Counterpart: All the Ministries of Environment in the 6 considered countries and selected local Governmental Agencies in the relevant sectors.

 

Objectives

In the framework of the bilateral cooperation agreements signed by IMELS in MENA region, the project will contribute to enhance international partnerships between companies from 6 MENA countries and Italian stakeholders. The project goal will be to strengthen the relationship among Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) operating in energy and sustainable development sector. It responds to an increasing demand for innovative partnerships, experiences sharing, multi-level and integrated solutions to address the energy, climate and development challenges, simultaneously providing an innovative tool to contribute in covering the gap in the nexus between energy, environment and water issues in the 6 MENA countries through ad hoc scouted Italian technologies and best practices.

Beneficiaries

The main target group is represented by local SMEs and relevant private/institutional stakeholders operating in energy and sustainable development sector. The main stakeholders involved in the project will be, both in MENA region and Italy, companies and institutional stakeholders operating in energy and sustainable development sector, fairs organizers, technology providers.

Activities

UNIDO ITPO Italy, in synergy with the IMELS will act as honest broker in favouring the creation of international partnerships, stimulating investments, technology transfers and capacity-building activities in the above mentioned sectors, with the aim of supporting sustainable development and local job creation, working also in close cooperation with selected stakeholders in supporting private sector. The project would focus a large part of its resources in creating enabling environment for business matching between Italian and local stakeholders, pursuing the identified goal by:

  • Promotion of ad hoc international fairs;
  • Organization and assistance of incoming and outgoing business delegations;
  • Support and follow up of the ongoing negotiations;
  • Demonstration the viability of ad hoc cutting edge technological solutions through ad hoc professional tour and workshops;
  • Innovate and propose strategic partnership between relevant stakeholders operating in the sectors of interest.

Expected outcomes

The project activities are intended to generate a spill over effect which could benefit the environmental situation of the 6 countries, in line with the objectives and commitments undertaken at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. One of the prerequisites for industry to flourish in a sustainable manner is the availability of an assured supply of affordable and clean energy, together with improved resource efficiency. On the social point of view, project activities are meant to improve the general situation of local SMEs operating in the sectors of interest, making awareness about suitable cutting edge technologies with the aim of contributing to strengthen their productivity, increase market access and, as a consequence of SMEs profitability, improve the working and the economic conditions of workers. Moreover, the creation of partnerships and commercial agreements with Italian companies is going to create a number of new jobs for local people and, potentially, new qualitative expertise.