News

07/03/2021

Local Economic Development and Job Creation in Middle East and North Africa

Review of Connective Cities virtual Project Workshop, January 2021

[Translate to English:] Strategische Planung für die lokale Wirtschaftsentwicklung (LED)

The projects workshop built on the outcomes of the previous dialogue event on “Local Economic Development and Job Creation in the Middle East and North Africa” held in October 2020, in which more than 40 local urban practitioners from 22 municipalities in 10 countries in the MENA region and Germany shared their experience on how to plan and implement LED projects.  Six out of the eight project ideas formulated during the dialogue event were selected to participate in the project workshop and receive tailored technical and financial advisory. This 2-days virtual workshop consisted of a series of virtual discussions among the participating municipal representatives and technical and financial experts. The workshop was followed by two virtual sessions on proposal writing for funding and financing of municipal projects. The municipal representatives thus had the opportunity to network with representatives from the UN-Habitat, IsDB, EBDRD and UNDP and present their project proposals to them. From a thematic standpoint, the municipal project proposals have the following focus:

Strategic planning for Local Economic Development (LED)

  • Revitalizing the historic city center in As-Samou’a, Palestine
  • Business Center in Sfax, Tunisia

Promoting sustainable livelihood opportunities and social enterprise

  • Promotion of home-based businesses in the food-processing sector in Qalqilya, Palestine
  • Center for training and development of women and people with disabilities in Hay Al-Andalus, Libya

Public investments in green infrastructure and circular economies

  • Improving the environmental and economic sustainability of olive oil Industry in Greater Abasan, Gaza, Palestine
  • Eco-Center Green Bethlehem: towards a virtuous model of Environmental Sustainability in Bethlehem, Palestine

Connective Cities will continue its support to the municipal project owners by conducting virtual expert missions and financial advisory.

Detailed documentation of the projects workshops [pdf 13 pp.]

Impressions of the project proposals


Author:
Muna Shalan | Connective Cities


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