You can view the blogs about the participation of one hub staff here and innovators’ participation here.
In December 2023, delegates of the member states forming part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, civil society leaders and business representatives once again came together for the 28th UN Climate Change Conference(COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The WE4F MENA Regional Innovation Hub (RIH) was invited to participate in workshops, panels, and networking opportunities, representing WE4F in front of decision-makers, business leaders, and scientists from all over the world.
MENA RIH Manager, Nicolas Farhat’s participation included the AIM for Climate Sprint, which focused on promoting the importance of sustainable solutions for water and energy use in agriculture. He showcased how WE4F contributes to addressing the complex intersections of water, energy, and food in developing countries and emerging economies by scaling innovative solutions and making climate financing more accessible and affordable to businesses and end-users.
For Nicolas Farhat, “Key takeaways from the conference underscored the urgency of cross-sector collaboration, innovative technologies, and policy frameworks to achieve climate resilience, especially in water-scarce regions such as the Middle East and North Africa. This experience reinforced the importance of fostering international partnerships and the need for actionable strategies to address the challenges of food security, adaptation to climate change, and access to financing.”
MENA Enabling Environment and Partnerships Specialist, Aline Bussmann, facilitated a session on the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus, which was hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean in cooperation with the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment and Water, with the participation of international organizations including GIZ, World Bank, World Water Council, and the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO). International representatives from all partners provided insight into their different areas of work within the nexus – research and data, policy development, infrastructure design, stakeholder cooperation and financing mechanisms. The geographic focus was Morocco, as its water resources are experiencing growing vulnerability due to climate change. Morocco, which is one of the countries covered by the MENA RIH, is committed to support and promote innovative strategies for water security to ensure food sovereignty and foster economic prosperity. On a private sector level, this is where WE4F innovators such as High Atlas Foundation, Green Watech and SOWIT are already showing the impact of market-based solutions at the intersection of water-food-ecosystems.
The MENA Hub’s attendance at this high-profile international conference provided ample opportunity for networking and exchange; and allowed the team to showcase WE4F as a prominent example for the intersection between agricultural innovation and international efforts to find solutions to global challenges.
