In a landmark event, the Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), officially inaugurated the first Public-Private Dialogue on Climate Finance in Jordan. Under the patronage of H.E. Dr Mohammad Khashashneh, Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment, on Wednesday, 30th Aug 2023, more than 50 representatives from public, private, development, and academic sectors participated.
One of the main outputs of the current GCF Readiness project is institutionalizing a public-private engagement mechanism for attracting private investment in national climate actions. The mechanism will support the development of a Private Sector Roadmap for the MoENV to support consistent and constructive engagement with the private sector on climate change.
H.E. Dr. Khashashneh, in his keynote address, underscored the pivotal role that the private sector plays in mobilizing finances for climate action and the transfer of cutting-edge technologies. He emphasized the criticality of public-private partnerships for carrying out projects on a large scale. Also, he shed light on the valuable insights of how previous private sector roundtable discussions provided a holistic view of the needs and challenges for the private sector to invest in a low-carbon approach.
Laila Tashamneh, Acting Director of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Unit at the Ministry of Investment, presented several climate-responsive PPP opportunities aligned with the national targets, including the Aqaba Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project, as well as other projects tackling energy efficiency and non-revenue water issues.
Krystle Cooper, GGGI Jordan Deputy Country Representative, provided a comprehensive overview of the ongoing GCF Readiness components tailored to the private sector. She also highlighted the immense potential embedded within the recently updated Jordan Climate Action Platform, emphasizing its role in supporting knowledge dissemination to the private sector regarding policies, financing windows, and potential project collaboration.
Furthermore, Hala Al-Hamawi, GGGI Jordan Senior Climate Finance Associate, explained the foundational pillars upon which the dialogues and roadmap will be constructed. These pillars encompass policy enhancement, finance, knowledge sharing, and research and development. This crucial dialogue thus marked the inception of a transformative journey aimed at catalyzing climate finance and fostering a sustainable future in Jordan through robust public-private engagement.