October 26, 2023

Improve Your Business, Help People and the Planet

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Regional Innovation Hub, is pleased to invite you to the MENA Women Innovate Network (MENA WIN)’s second webinar, “She Mitigates Climate Change”. 

With just 2% of the world’s renewable water supplies, MENA is home to 12 of the world’s most water-scarce countries out of 17. The ramifications of climate change, including droughts, erratic rainfall, and sporadic flooding, bear a profound influence on the region’s agriculture. 

If the agricultural sector suffers, so do people’s livelihoods. This is especially true in Lebanon, where the sector contributes only 4% to Lebanon’s GDP, but provides employment for 20-30% of the active workforce and accounts for 17% of total exports. In rural areas, agriculture plays an even more pivotal role, contributing up to 80% of the local GDP and serving as the primary source of income and employment opportunities for women. Consequently, it is rural women who are most likely to bear the brunt of climate change’s impact. These challenges, however, do not stop women from stepping up to confront the impacts of climate change. 

Women-led and -owned small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are taking extraordinary steps to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into their operations, with the goal of becoming or confirming themselves as impact-driven organisations. These businesses recognize the significance of ESG interventions and their positive effects, particularly in safeguarding rural women. Yet, for a broader integration of ESG practices, especially within women-led and managed SMEs, incentives from financial institutions and governmental support are crucial (OECD, 2023).

The webinar, “She Mitigates Climate Change”, will focus on the water and climate impacts currently plaguing the MENA region, particularly Lebanon. Local experts and business leaders will explore the current status of women-led SMEs in Lebanon and their commitment to ESG standards as well as discuss policy interventions to continue moving the needle to a more sustainable, climate-resilient Lebanese agricultural sector. Speakers for this webinar include: 

  • Najah Jaroush – Founder and Managing Director TASSAMIM, Landscape & Irrigation and Member of Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB). 
  • Nadine Khoury – Founder and Chief Operation Officer – Quinta Group (a WE4F Innovator)
  • Ramy Boujawdeh – Agri-Food Specialist & Advisor – WE4F MENA RIH Consortium Leader representative, Berytech
  • Dr. Youssef Brouziyne – Regional Representative Middle East and North Africa, IWMI
  • Nisreen Deeb – Executive Officer- Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB)

The MENA Women Innovate Network (MENA WIN) was formally launched during the WE4F MENA 2023 Innovation Camp, where a dedicated gender session provided women innovators with a supportive and nurturing environment to openly discuss the challenges they encountered while establishing their businesses. Topics like maintaining a work-life balance or asserting oneself in the business world were explored, creating an empowering space for these women to share their experiences and insights. The platform not only acknowledges the exceptional resilience of women in the MENA region, but also serves as a catalyst for change and innovation in addressing climate change and its far-reaching implications.

This network promises to be a platform for knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and innovation, ultimately driving positive change and empowering women to address the pressing challenges posed by climate change in the MENA region.