Minister of Environment: Climate Challenges Have Become a Reality Affecting Life
Amman3 min read
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The Minister of Environment, Dr. Ayman Suleiman, confirmed that climate challenges have become a reality affecting the lives of families and essential services in various regions of the Kingdom, and that innovation has become a necessity for future planning.
Suleiman emphasized during his sponsorship of the "Climate-Smart Innovation" forum on Monday as part of the "Nature" project, organized by "Mercy Corps" in collaboration with Al-Hussein Technical University, the importance of transitioning from planning to implementation, and looking at technical, social, and entrepreneurial solutions in an integrated manner to enhance adaptation to climate change.
He pointed to the Ministry of Environment's preparations to participate in the Conference of the Parties in Antalya, Turkey, appreciating the Swiss Embassy's support in enabling six participants to learn about the conference experience and participate in negotiations.
Suleiman called on international institutions and organizations to support broader participation to enhance the presence of Jordanian entities and their continuous participation in these forums.
For her part, the Swiss Ambassador to the Kingdom, Emilia Georgieva, emphasized the importance of platforms that bring together government entities, communities, and the private sector to face common climate challenges, pointing to the partnership between Switzerland and Jordan in building climate resilience.
She expressed her anticipation for expanding public-private partnership models in Jordan, given their positive impacts.
The forum highlighted the role of innovation in developing solutions that respond to climate challenges in Jordan and enhance community resilience in the face of climate change effects, alongside exploring opportunities to transform these solutions into projects capable of growth and investment.
The forum also provided a space for dialogue, exchange of experiences, and building partnerships between the public and private sectors and funding entities to support the transition of innovative ideas into practical application.
The forum included a presentation of 10 projects participating in the "Climate Tech Innovation" camp, implemented by (The CORE) at Al-Hussein Technical University as part of the "Nature" project. The camp combines prototype development, specialized guidance, business model development, and investment readiness to help innovators turn their solutions into viable and scalable projects.
The program allows two selected projects to move to the pilot implementation phase, through grants totaling 100,000 Jordanian Dinars for the two projects, distributed according to the needs of the pilot implementation, alongside technical and operational support. This phase aims to test solutions in their local context and build evidence of their commercial viability and contribution to enhancing community resilience, thereby supporting future climate investment opportunities.
Dr. Ismail Al-Hantati, President of Al-Hussein Technical University, emphasized the importance of providing an environment that allows ideas to be transformed into prototypes and developing these prototypes into practical solutions that can become products and companies that make a tangible impact.
Candice Branchua, Director of Programs at Mercy Corps-Jordan, explained that the challenges of the innovation camp stemmed from the needs and priorities raised by the communities.
She clarified that the approach taken is based on identifying the problem and leaving the field open for innovators to propose solutions, ensuring that they respond to the challenges identified by the communities without imposing predetermined technical solutions.
The "Nature" project, implemented by Mercy Corps-Jordan with support from the Zurich Foundation and the Swiss Embassy in Jordan, aims to enhance the resilience and response of communities to climate change and aims to enhance the ability of communities to adapt to climate change, floods, and heatwaves through local and sustainable solutions.
