As part of the activities of the working group on Municipal Climate Plans for Mitigation in the MENA region, a two-day workshop was held in the Tunisian Island of Djerba on the 19th-20th June 2023. Representatives of nine municipalities from Tunisia, Jordan, and Lebanon participated in the workshop, which was a milestone for the agile working group that was initiated in May 2023. In addition to the city-level actors, representatives of the Tunisian Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Environment participated and provided critical insights on the thematic focus topics of the workshop. The workshop also included a field visit to municipal climate change mitigation projects, including a visit to Djerba-Insolite which is a local civil society organisation that implements a bike-sharing project in partnership with Djerba municipality. The participants have formulated four subgroups, and have jointly developed a road map for solutions as follows:

1. Institutionalising municipal climate action in Baja municipality - Tunisia
2. Public private partnerships for municipal climate projects in Baja municipality- Tunisia
3. Stakeholder engagement and public communication in planning municipal initiatives and projects for climate mitigation in Ghezala municipality- Tunisia
4. Inter-municipal cooperation for climate mitigation in Kasserine municipality and its neighbouring municipalities in Tunisia

The road maps developed addresses challenges identified by the participants and are aligned with the local constraints and resources. Following up on the workshop, the participants will meet virtually to present their progress on the articulation of the solutions. This final session will also include providing technical feedback and potential financial advisory for the municipalities to continue their progress.

Impressions

Photos: Connective Cities