Ammon News - Global Green Growth Institute on Tuesday has published a press release on GGGI Jordan’s Bridging Climate Change and the Private Sector in Jordan.

Jordan’s Ministry of Environment, the National Designated Authority to the GCF, held its 1st private sector workshop on climate change under the Jordan GCF Readiness Project. The workshop presented a unique opportunity to enhance engagement and dialogue between Government stakeholders, development partners, investors in critical sectors, and project developers seeking climate finance, according to the statement.

While green and climate-friendly investment is growing more popular in Jordan, more work remains to crowd-in private sector investors to key sectors. This outcome has also been supported by GGGI’s development of the nationally adopted, National Green Growth Plan and Action Plans. The workshop allowed the ministry to directly engage the private sector in identifying investment barriers, communicating potential solutions, and facilitate preliminary lender-borrower matchmaking for climate investments through the global climate funds such as the GCF, the statement added.

The key objectives or the workshop were to highlight Jordan’s climate change priorities and the Ministry of Environment’s efforts to implement the national mandate; introduce the GCF, its funding mechanisms, and access modalities to high potential private sector entities and climate stakeholders in Jordan; share regional experiences and lessons learned on public-private partnership in climate action; and introduce the 10 project concepts developed by GGGI under the readiness project to catalyze matchmaking between potential private sector financiers and executing entities, as well as GCF Accredited Entities in Jordan who could carry the projects forward, the statement indicated.

The workshop was well attended, with 40 guests in-person, in compliance with COVID-19 measures and 65 persons via Zoom. Audio visual connection allowed for live participation between all in person guests and Zoom participants along with simultaneous English and Arabic translation. The Minister of Environment H.E. Nabil Masarweh opened the workshop followed by Lasse Ringius, GGGI Head of Green Investments. The workshop was facilitated by Ms. Krystle Cooper, GGGI’s GCF Readiness Project Manager. Other guest speakers included, Mr. Belal Shqarin, Director Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Mr. Thanos Katsantonis, Climate Investment Officer for GCF Private Sector Facility, Mr. Ivano Iannelli, CEO, Dubai Carbon Center for Excellence, Mr. Ennis Rimawi, Managing Director, Catalyst Investment Management Jordan, and Mr. Vincent Duijnhouwer, Associate Director- Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Team, European Bank Reconstruction and Development. The event was closed by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment H.E. Dr. Mohamed Khashashneh, Secretary General, Ministry of Environment.