November 11th, 2021, MEDREC (Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre) convened decision makers and key actors from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, France and Italy, for a side event during the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26), in collaboration with the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, the International Organization of La Francophonie and the Institute of La Francophonie for Sustainable Development. 

The main aim of the event was to form a core group of key actors for the sharing of knowledge and experience on Green and Sustainable Jobs for Economic Recovery and Social Inclusion in Agriculture and Rural Areas in North Africa.

The side event included:

1. A number of conferences highlighting the experiences and feedback of the speakers on:

• Digital technologies for the promotion of green jobs in North Africa;
• Green investment support projects in the Tunisian agricultural sector;
• Green jobs on the horizon, in the North Africa region;
• Proximity Programme for Integrated Rural Development (PPDRI) and the green dam in Algeria;
• REFAT project, implemented by MEDREC, as an example for the promotion of green jobs in Tunisia.

2. A round table engaging decision makers and key actors which was highly dynamic and led to the following recommendations:

• The local and general contexts must be taken into account in order to adapt technological solutions to the territorial conditions of countries in North Africa;
• It is necessary to focus on designing and conducting training and capacity building programmes at all levels;
• Gender is an important consideration: the considerable contribution of rural women in the creation of green jobs should be highlighted;
• Financing schemes and mechanisms should be innovative: for instance tax advantages must be provided for entrepreneurship/investment in green projects, especially in rural areas.

At the end of the event, the speakers agreed to create a collaboration core group with the aim to propose a regional project (North of Africa) focusing on the creation of green jobs which will be submitted to funding programmes/agencies, based on successful projects and initiatives in the region,as well ason synergies between the different actors. A second meeting will be organized in the coming weeks.

Check here below

The agenda of the side event

The leaflet of the side event

An overview on the Round Table session