11:30-12:30

Atlantis A and B

Opening

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Opening Ceremony

09:15-10:25

Atlantis A and B

Ministerial

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Organized by MENA CW Partners

The Glasgow Climate Pact reemphasizes the urgent need to address the scale of the global climate challenge and that accelerated climate action in this critical decade is needed, including strengthened 2030 targets in the nationally determined contributions (NDC), long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies (LTLEDS) towards just transitions to net zero emissions by or around mid-century and accelerated development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems. The first thematic session in the Ministerial Roundtables will focus on the topic of Raising Ambition and will discuss the important elements that are required to be in place for enhancing climate action, as these are climate strategies as catalysts for a just transition, climate finance and the role of (regional) cooperation. Ministers on the panel will be requested to discuss these topics from the perspective of their experiences and the leadership of their countries on these critical topics while sharing the opportunities and challenges they see in the region in these areas and highlighting examples. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is highly reliant on domestic fossil fuel resources, with only 1% of total final energy consumption based on renewable energy. In this session participants will learn from governments of the region on their efforts to prepare the grounds for developing long-term targets and LTLEDS and aligning them with their NDCs, creating enabling frameworks that promote increased investment in energy transition technologies. Besides decarbonization objectives, a just transition to climate-resilient development pathways can help become a driver for economic growth, job creation, job upgrading, and poverty eradication, allowing climate and social justice for all and promoting, protecting and fulfilling human rights for all. In this session, government representatives will also share from their experience and expectations on the role can carbon pricing, carbon markets markets and regional cooperation can play in the efforts to achieve low carbon development in the transition to net zero.

Speakers:
Ms. Rola Dashti, Under Secretary General UNESCWA
Mr. Francesco La Camera; Director General IRENA
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Maait, Finance Minister, Egypt
H.E. Eng. Hussain Makhlouf, Minister Syria
H.E. Mr Houmed Msaidié, Minister, Comoros
H.E. Mr. Md. Shahab Uddin, Bangladesh
H.E. Ms. Zartaj Gul, Minister of State, Pakistan

10:30-11:25

Atlantis A and B

Ministerial

Open link

Organized by MENA CW Partners

The MENA region was home to the birth of some of the world’s first agricultural civilizations, and for millennia communities have been able to adapt and stay resilient in the face of a changing climate. Today however the climate is changing at an unprecedented pace, outstretching the ability of countries and communities to cope. The region has seen some of its worst periods of protracted drought in almost 1,000 years, exacerbating trends of displacement and social vulnerability across the region. Today, the Arab region is already the world’s most water scarce and food import-dependent region on the planet, with temperatures rising faster than the world average owing to climate change. Indeed, unless urgent action is taken to scale up adaptive capacities, climate change could well push millions into poverty, catalyze greater levels of food and water insecurity and mass displacement. The region in many ways has seen strong traditions of resilience in the face of multiple drivers of change in recent years. A need exists to build on this, and craft new nature-based climate resilient paradigms and pathways of development towards 2030 and beyond. The second thematic session of the Ministerial high-level day will focus on the topic of “Tradition meets modernity: integrated approaches for climate resilience in the MENA region”. The focus will be on how countries in the MENA region are adapting to the impact of climate change and strengthening resilience through integrated approaches; and what is needed, including financially, to implement tools such as National Adaptation Plans for advancing climate-resilient development. It will cover topics such as water resilience, resilient food systems and building community resilience in the MENA region. Ministers on the panel will be requested to discuss these topics from the perspective of their experiences and the leadership of their countries on these critical topics while sharing the opportunities and challenges they see in the region in these areas and highlighting examples.

Speakers:
Ms. Khalida Bouzar, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States
HE Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change, UAE
H.E. Ms. Aminath Shauna, Minister, Maldives
H.E. Mrs. Leila Chikhaoui, Minister, Tunisia
H.E. Samia Moualfi, Minister, Algeria
H.E. Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister, Sri Lanka
H.E. Ms. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, Egypt

12:30-13:25

Atlantis A and B

Ministerial

Open link

Organized by MENA CW Partners

The diversity of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region presents both opportunities and challenges for the implementation of action on climate change in this critical decade. High-impact sectors in the region, such as energy, cities and buildings, are undergoing a transformation. The MENA region is already a leader in renewable energy, with installed capacity in the region predicted to double in this decade coupled with increased innovation and energy efficiency. Furthermore, the MENA is home to countries that are at the forefront of innovation and digital transformation. These factors, among others, create a picture of a dynamic region on the path towards transformation and indeed, taking a leading role globally. The third thematic session in the Ministerial High-level Segment will focus on the topic of Accelerating Implementation in this Critical Decade for climate action and will discuss the enabling environments required for enhancing climate action, the role of innovation in climate action and catalyzing sectoral transformation in the key high-impact sectors in the region in line with the Paris Agreement objectives. Ministers on the panel will be requested to discuss these topics from the perspective of their experiences and the leadership of their countries on these critical topics while sharing the opportunities and challenges they see in the region in these areas and highlighting examples.

Speakers:
Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, High-Level Champion of Egypt
H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE’s Special Envoy for Climate Change
H.E. Mr. Mohamed Abdoulkader Moussa, Minister, Djibouti, 
H.E. Dr. Nasser Yassin, Minister, Lebanon 
H.E. Dr. Muawieh Khalid Radaiedeh, Minister, Jordan
H.E. Dr. Jasim Al-Mohammedi, Deputy Minister, Iraq

13:30-14:15

Spice Ballroom C

15:00-16:30

Silk C

Organized by Community Jameel - UAE Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change

Community Jameel and the UAE Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change are coming together to host a side event highlighting the role of global scientific partnerships to help spur innovation and breakthroughs within the food systems space. The side event will discuss current issues regarding food systems in the MENA region and its impact on communities, as well as, the importance of science and evidence in tackling threats. We will also highlight two case studies that harness the power of international collaboration: The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) initiative between the UAE and US governments, as well as the expansion of the GCC Climate and Health report that brings together researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), including the Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) with leading climate change academics, including from the UAE University, to assess the food security implications of climate change on food imports of key food commodities globally. Finally, we will explore pathways to how scientific research can inform development actors, policy change and change public habits, through partnerships with the creative industry.

Speakers:
Amna Fatani, Community Jameel
Tina Latif, Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change
David Livingston, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change
Eihab Fathelrahman, United Arab Emirates University and J-WAFS Visiting Fellow
Ekin Ogutogullari, Save the Children International
Nora Razian, Art Jameel
Aly Abousabaa, CGIAR

15:15-16:45

Virtual

Organized by Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition - GCC-EU Clean Energy Technology Network (and AEON Collective - Dubai Carbon)

The concept of the circular economy has gained a lot of attention across the middle east with some governments putting in place measures to realize it. It involves considerations around efficient resource use to minimize climate change impacts, while still promoting economic growth and prosperity. To achieve sustainability through the circular economy, a mix of policies and measures will be needed that incentivize shifts in industrial practices as well as consumer behavior. Carbon pricing policies and measures, including the use of carbon markets can provide such an impetus if included in the policy toolbox. The region has significant potential to utilize such measures, not least as part of their climate change strategies as embodied in their NDCs. Some experts note that there is a multibillion dollar untapped market opportunity in the region to really benefit from carbon pricing policies and measures, which can be partially delivered by carbon capture storage and utilization, renewable energy, and green hydrogen mega projects deployed in the region. This event will discuss the role and potential of carbon pricing policies and measures in the circular economy toolbox to drive decarbonization at scale. It will showcase examples of leadership and identify opportunities that can be further unlocked to realize the full potential, while also driving economic and social development.

Speakers:
Mashael Saud F Alshalan, AEON Collective
Noura Turki Bin Abdullah M. A. Al Saud, AEON Collective
Issam Abousleiman, World Bank
Tanzeed Alam, EUGCC Clean Energy Technology Network
Gassem Fallatah, Ministry of Energy 
Fahad ALSherehy, SABIC
Fahad Alajlan, Kapsarc
John Kilani, Al Atiyah Foundation
Eng Aisha Al Abdooli, Ministry of Climate Change & Environment
Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Mubadala Investment Company 
Jos Delbeke, School of Transnational Governance
Radia Sedaoui, UNESCWA
Ali Al-Safar, IEA
Christof Rühl, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University
Vicky Pollard, European Commission 
Mohammed Anbar M Al Abdulrahman, AEON Collective

16:30-18:30

Silk B

Affiliated event

Organized by High-Level Champions for Climate Action

Following the success of the Implementation Labs convened during the 2021 Regional Climate Weeks and the welcoming by Parties of the Improved Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action for enhancing ambition, the High-Level Champions will continue to convene the Implementation Labs during the 2022 Regional Climate Weeks as part of their regionalization efforts, starting with the Middle East and North Africa region. The aim of the event is to have an open and solutions-oriented exchange between national government representatives (e.g., from implementation agencies, line ministries, etc.) and non-Party stakeholders (e.g., businesses, cities, subnational regions, investors, and civil society) in the region whose areas of expertise can support countries in implementing their NDCs, NAPs and long-term strategies. By matching the priorities and needs outlined in national plans with the options for policies, technologies and solutions described in the Marrakech Partnership Climate Action Pathways, this will frame the collaboration around shared sectoral goals and a common purpose. It will also provide opportunities on how to adapt and refine the Climate Action Pathways and 2030 Breakthroughs outcomes to bring in the regional context and perspectives.

Speakers:
Mahmoud Mohieldin, High Level Champion, COP 27 Presidency, Egypt
Nigel Topping, High Level Champion, COP 26 Presidency, United Kingdom
Marie-Hélène Nassif, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Mohamed Ghanem, Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, Egypt
Shada Al Sharif, Prime Minister Office, Jordan
Khashman Khaldon, Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA)
James Grinnell, Dubai Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) representative
Salam Al Momany, Carbon Reduction and Energy Efficiency in Water Utilities, GIZ
Mohamed Zahran, World Youth Forum

16:00-18:00

Slik A

Organized by World Green Economy Organization and UNFCCC secretariat

The Glasgow Climate Pact reemphasizes the urgent need to address the scale of the global climate challenge and has requested Parties to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their nationally determined contributions, submit LTLEDS and accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems. The achievement of the Paris Agreement and the enhancement and implementation of ambition requires a holistic approach with the engagement of all sectors and stakeholders delivering towards a green economy pathway. This event will bring together policymakers and key stakeholders from the region to discuss, deliberate and share information, good practices, and the cha llenges and opportunities specific to the region to advance the development and implementation of ambitious LTLEDS, NDCs and sectoral policies to support the achievement of the Paris Agreement and aligned with green economy principles. This event is supported by the Government of Japan.

17:00-18:15

Silk C

Organized by UN, ESCWA, UNFCCC and LAS

Speakers:
Yolando Velasco, UNFCCC
Samah van Lengerich, UNFCCC

13:45-16:15

Silk B

Organized by UGIH, UNFCCC and World Green Economy Organization (WGEO)

A new digital Global Innovation Hub has been initiated by UN Climate Change to significantly boost the effectiveness and scale of climate change and sustainability innovation as a driver of more ambitious climate action. To achieve this, the hub will have new approaches to facilitate the development and deployment of transformative and innovative climate solutions. The hub promotes a “moonshot approach” which will assist practitioners to base climate action pledges and commitments on what science says is needed, as opposed to what is perceived as possible with current solutions and technologies. The hub is a digital platform that hosts (i) databases of demand for solutions as well as solutions, (ii) tools to determine the impact of climate action and (iii) a space to facilitate the financing of climate solutions. This event provides visual information relevant to the initiative in the form of a 15-minute video, explaining the basic concepts and conceptual framework of the initiative. The video will also provide some of UGIH's key messages and next steps at COP27.

13:30-15:00

Silk C

Organized by UNDP, SDG Climate Facility Project and CEWAS

The event aims to explores business potential of catalytic public and private cooperation for innovative water security solutions. Start-ups and SMEs in the Arab States are increasingly offering potentially impactful business models and technologies that address the climate-water-security nexus. The event will stimulate engagement among governments, entrepreneurs, business accelerators and the investment community to take advantage of opportunities for public-private cooperation to accelerate climate resilience and integrated water-security in MENA.

Speakers:Speakers:
H.E. Jasim Humadi, Acting Minister of Environment and Special Envoy for Climate in Iraq
Dane McQueen, Senior Advisor in the Office of the United Arab Emirates Special Envoy for Climate Change 
Rasmus Rodhe, Deputy Director MENA region at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) 
Aline Bussman, Co-Director of CEWAS Middle East, Bradley Hiller, Lead Climate Specialist at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) 
Baker Bozeyeh, Co-Founder and CEO of Flowless Sustainable Water Solutions 
Abdelaziz Abdel Nabi, CEO of Catalyst Partners, and Salma Amayri, Co-Founder and COO of Smart Green for AgriTech Solutions 
Sujala Pant, Chief Technical Advisor and Project Manager of the SDG Climate Facility project at UNDP

14:00-17:00

Atlantis C

22^nd CDM DNA Global Forum

Organized by UNFCCC

The DNA Forum provides opportunities for DNA representatives to exchange views, share their experiences relating to the CDM and bring forward common views and issues to the attention of the Executive Board. Apart from CDM discussions the much awaited Article 6 work will also be reflected in the agenda. The DNA participants and the speakers for the DNA Forum are expected to contribute to other events taking place at MENA RCW 2022.

Speakers:
Sohel Pasha, UNFCCC Secretariat
James Grabert, UNFCCC Secretariat
Omar Alcock, CDM EB (Pre-recorded video message)
Kudakwashe Manyanga, DNA Forum Co-chair (Zimbabwe)
Motoharu Yamazaki, UNFCCC Secretariat (remote)
Frank Wolke, CDM EB (remote)
Amjad Abdulla, CDM EB

14:00-15:30

Spice A Room B Davos 6

Organized by UAE UN Country team

In preparation for the 28th Conference of the Parties, scheduled to take place in the UAE in November 2023, the Executive Office of the Secretary-General has formed a system-wide coordination modality to coordinate the UN’s substantive engagement in support of COP, co-chaired by the SG’s Special Advisor on Climate and the UN Resident Coordinator for the UAE. This UN Climate Task Force at the country level is dedicated to support the co-chairs in the development of a UN substantive engagement package for COP28, that aligns with both the Egypt and UAE presidencies and resonates with the UAE’s aspirations for their COP28 presidency. The Task Team also operates in close coordination with the UNFCCC as the lead in supporting the Conference of the Parties meetings and negotiations annually.

Speakers:
Mr Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary of UNFCCC
Dr Dena Assaf, UN Resident Coordinator in the UAE

14:00-15:45

Silk A

Organized by Digital DEWA and Siemens

How technology is shaping the Future of Smart Cities

17:00-18:30

Atlantis C

Organized by IRENA and UNDP Partnership

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has rapidly advanced energy transitions in the region, given its strong resource potential, particularly in solar energy. Renewable energy has a key role to play in the region’s sustainable energy transition, which must be considered within a broader framework of socio-economic development of the region, with ripple effect of renewables deployment throughout society by economic growth and diversification, job creation, improved balance of trade as well as bolstered water security. Although energy transitions in the region are accelerating and the opportunities they bring are vast, they do bring challenges. In this workshop, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will convene policy-makers and regional energy stakeholders to discuss such socio-economic opportunities and financial and technical challenges associated with energy transitions in the MENA region. The workshop will touch upon how energy transitions can be used to help the region mitigate against and adapt to climate change, while emphasizing what can be done in the coming years to set the region on a path towards reliable, clean, and resilient energy systems.

Speakers:
Gauri Singh, Deputy Director General IRENA
Khalida Bouzar, Assistant Secretary General, Director RBAS UNDP
Ahmed Badr, Director Project Facilitation and Support, IRENA
Pier Carlo Sandei, Senior Partnership Advisor, UNDP
Ahmed Sami, Ministry of Electricity
Mourad Chikhi, Director, Ministry of Renawable Energy
Abdulkhani Barrow, Office of the prime minister
Sara Ibrahim, RCREEE

14:45-15:45

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Organized by UNFCCC and WGEO

Through 2021, RCC MENA and SA through the Collaborative Instruments for Ambitious Climate Action (CiACA) initiative, in close collaboration with the Capacity Building Unit of the Means of Implementation Division of the UNFCCC secretariat, led an initiative aimed at assessing the capacity building needs of SMEs in the MENA to further engage in climate action. This side event during MENA Climate Week will enable i. launching of the report of the mapping study for private sector engagement in capacity-building activities for climate action in the MENA countries; ii. raising awareness on the identified knowledge gaps, needs and priorities for private sector engagement in capacity-building activities; iii. advancing understanding of existing initiatives on engagement with the SMEs Speakers for this event will include representatives from UNFCCC, partner organizations such as UNGC, UNESCWA and UNDP and key private sector organizations in the region.

13:30-14:30

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Watch this event

Organized by YOUNGO (UNFCCC Youth Constituency) and UNFPA

The MENA region is one of the world's hottest regions due to the impacts of climate change. According to the recently released IPCC report, tens of millions of people in North Africa will be exposed to vector-borne diseases including dengue and zika viruses. The increase in heat in parts of North Africa is projected to bring in more than 15 additional deaths per 100,000 people annually. The report indicates that climate change will reduce water availability and increase the level of water scarcity (Mekonnen and Hoekstra, 2016), especially in Southern and North Africa, and that meteorological drought frequency will increase and the duration of these events will double from 2 to 4 months over North Africa with a temperature rise of above 2°C. Of the 17 most water-scarce countries in the world, 11 are from the MENA region with UNICEF estimating that “nine out of 10 children in the region live in areas of high or extremely high water stress”. An increase in temperature increases the likelihood of the threat of heatwaves across Asia and droughts in arid and semi-arid areas of the Middle East (IPCC, 2022). Climate change is a multiplier of existing health vulnerabilities, including insufficient access to safe water and improved sanitation, food insecurity, and impacts on access to health care and education.

15:45-16:45

Spice A - Room B Davos 6

Organized by DEWA

In line with the Dubai 10X initiative to position Dubai 10 years ahead of other global cities - DEWA launched Digital DEWA – to redefine the concept of a utility, and create the world’s first digital utility using autonomous systems for renewable energy, storage, AI adoption and digital services.
Digital DEWA’s disruptive, agile technology is the way forward to accelerate progress for: Businesses, Governments, Start-ups, Investors, Youth and Society
Digital DEWA comprises of four pillars, bringing together new technologies to generate improved outcomes for society:

• Solar Energy
• Energy storage
• Artificial intelligence and
• Digital services

Speakers:
Noura Al Nasiri, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Meshal Abdullah, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Ali AlKarkhi, Humat Dijlah Association, Iraq
Salman Khairalla, Humat Dijlah Association, Iraq
Ahmad Shaqar, Water Authority of Jordan
Glada Lahn, Chatham House (Chair) 

13:30-14:30

Spice B

17:00-18:00

Spice A - Room B Davos 6

16:00-17:00

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

14:00-15:30

Virtual event

Organized by UNEP Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat- Stockholm Environment Institute

The event aims to highlight how integrated air pollution and climate change planning, and action on SLCPs can be an effective strategy for the region. 

Moderation: Miriam Hinostroza, Head, Global Climate Action Unit, UNEP
Presentation by Kenza Khomsi, on the CCAC regional SLCP assessment for Africa highlighting - focusing in particular on the results to date for North Africa  - the SLCP emissions, mitigation potentials and key barriers
Presentation by countries on their efforts to integrate climate and air quality agenda, on country specific barriers and opportunities – presentations from Morocco, Jordan, Oman and Iraq (TBC)
Presentation by SEI on integrated planning approaches with emphasis on methane mitigation and on moving to implementation of integrated plans/planning processes
Presentation by Marcelo Mena, CEO, Global Methane Hub, on opportunities to support national methane mitigation efforts.

16:00-17:00

Virtual event

17:00-18:00

Virtual event

The side-event is organized jointly with Climate Action Tracker and Climate Analytics.

While governments made some progress in Glasgow on closing the 2030 emissions gap, there is still a long way to go to align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature goal. All governments need to take heed of the request to ‘revisit and strengthen’ their targets in 2022. While strong targets are critical, so too is ensuring that the necessary governance structures are in place in order to achieve these targets. Under its Climate Governance Series, the Climate Action Tracker evaluates the ability and readiness of national governments to enable the required economy-wide transformation towards a zero emissions society.
At this virtual event as part of the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week, the Climate Action Tracker will launch its assessment of Egyptian climate governance and as well as discuss the state of climate action in the MENA region.

Agenda and Presentations

• Introductory Remarks: Kouassigan Tovivo (Climate Analytics)
• State of climate action post-Glasgow and what needs to happen in 2022: Deborah Ramalope (Climate Analytics)
• MENA spotlight: How well are countries doing?: Mia Moisio (NewClimate Institute)
• The importance of climate governance: the other side of the transition coin: Claire Stockwell (Climate Analytics)
• Climate Governance in Egypt and around the continent: Koffi Koumassi (Climate Analytics)
• Audience Q&A

15:00-16:00

Virtual event

Organized by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and The Cyprus Institute- German Jordanian University (GJU)

Striving to meet the obligations arising from the Paris Agreement, faced with the looming impacts of climate change, and having to meet a rapidly rising energy demand at the same time, policy makers in many countries of Western Asia and Northern Africa are forced to make decisions in an increasingly complex environment. Models combining climate, energy, and socio-economic aspects are able to assist in this process. Not only do they e.g. allow for finding a both cost-efficient and climate-friendly energy mix, but models can also serve as a tool for reflecting the wider implications of policies on the economy, the environment, and the people, enabling countries to shape their transition to a green economy in a just way.
However, their effective use is highly demanding. The development of tailormade tools requires not only advanced modelling capabilities as well as high-quality data – beyond that, the success of their application equally depends on the finetuning of the underlying modelling assumptions and a careful communication of the resulting scenarios. In order to meet these demands, a broad range of different types of expertise is necessary: In addition to technical skills in the development of mathematical models, project teams should also cover insights from the fields of economics and the environment, for instance, and take into account the social interests of civil society.
Structuring the model development process in a way that ensures the integration of different scientific disciplines and sectoral perspectives benefits not only the quality of the model but, at the same time, helps experts to overcome the silo mentality, increases transparency, and ultimately boosts acceptance of the model and modelling results. In this session, we explore the benefits and limitations of applying a participatory approach for the development of climate-energy-economy models and their use for policy design in Western Asia and Northern Africa. We showcase what formats of cooperation are suitable for producing meaningful scientific outputs, present good practice examples based on country case studies, and discuss success factors for a participatory model development approach.

18:00-19:00

Virtual event

Organized by Adaptation Fund

The Adaptation Fund finances projects and programmes that help vulnerable communities in developing countries adapt to climate change. Initiatives are based on country needs, views and priorities. Since 2010, the Adaptation Fund has committed US$ 850 million to projects and programmes to date, including 124 concrete projects and 5 small grants for innovation, serving about 33 million total beneficiaries. It also pioneered Direct Access, empowering countries to access funding and develop projects directly through accredited national implementing entities.
The event provides an opportunity to discuss the recent development of access to climate finance for adaptation highlighting the work of the Adaptation Fund as one of the very few climate funds under the UN Climate Convention and Paris Agreement that is dedicated to financing concrete, country-driven and scalable adaptation initiatives. The session will include a presentation from two National Implementing Entities (NIEs) from the MENA region on their projects presenting innovative climate adaptation practices and project sustainability approaches and will link current investments with future funding opportunities, for example under the Adaptation Fund’s innovation facility to encourage breakthrough solutions to deliver climate action. 
Specifically, the session will highlight experiences and lessons from NIEs actions on the ground to advance climate change adaptation actions, including innovation in climate change adaptation and locally-led adaptation, and will present new funding opportunities for the Fund’s Accredited Implementing Entities (project scale-up grants; grants under the innovation facility) and for a broad range of potential finance recipients, including governments, non-governmental organizations, community groups, entrepreneurs, young innovators and other groups, through the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA), which aims to foster innovation in climate change adaptation in developing countries. 
The main outcomes of the side event are to show integrated approaches to enhance climate adaptation finance access, through concrete examples from the Adaptation Fund portfolio with respect to lessons learned and innovative best practices to advance climate change adaptation actions through local leadership and indigenous knowledge. The session also aims to share how the Fund is further enhancing climate finance for adaptation through new funding opportunities to ensure projects scalability and to support the development and diffusion of innovative practices, tools and technologies under the Fund’s innovation facility and AFCIA.

Speakers:
Mr. Mahamat Assouyouti, Sr. Climate Change Specialist Adaptation Fund (moderator)

13:00-14:00

Virtual event

Organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Regional Climate and Energy Project MENA and Different youth activist groups in the MENA

A crucial part of mobilizing Arab youth for climate, is to make them understand the severity and context of the climate crises and climate justice. This requires youth to come across climate related content that is simple yet effective in delivering information, with a strong message for a call for action. And with this an importance rises to carefully tailor climate communication to youth audiences, ensuring the grasp of their attention, and swaying their energy to get involved in the climate movement. The purpose of this event is to discuss the effective mechanisms to inform Arab youth of the climate crises and climate justice, through investigating innovative formats and high reach channels, and having an inter-generational dialogue on what is among the best approaches to adhere to climate science to the Arab youth audience at the moment. In addition to hearing the testimonies of young climate activists on how climate was communicated to them in their journey to climate activism, a time slot will also be allocated for a youth group from different countries in the regions to talk and present their work on climate.

15:00-16:00

Virtual event

Organized by Int. Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP)

Cities – intended in their essence of complex human ecosystems of people, movement, activities, buildings, nature and infrastructure – major emitters, vulnerable and unsustainable, have not been sufficiently prominent in COP negotiations and in the national pledges (NDCs). The work of the Marrakesh Partnership, C40 and Global ABC is so far mainly concerned with some aspects of cities: reducing emissions from vehicles and the fabric of buildings. 

More needs to be done to achieve the goals we are setting and the systemic change in cities and the just transition that has been loudly advocated by youth leaders and activist groups. 
To date, the contribution of spatial planning to Race to Zero and, very importantly, to Race to Resilience has not been fully explored. Yet, the Glasgow Climate Pact calls on nations to finally integrate mitigation and adaptation into local, national and regional planning. 
Planning systems across the world have to step up to a new role, beyond exploitative and outdated concepts of land use and infrastructure and embrace new objectives of balance with nature and climate and social justice. 

Our proposed event explores how spatial / territorial planning can support and accelerate the net-zero and resilience agenda for the built environment. We propose speakers from various parts of the world to report on ways in which spatial planning can make a marked contribution to climate action with a specific focus on the MENA Region and its potential for planning innovation. This will offer insights and actionable inputs to:

1. Balance between human settlements and natural systems 
2. Liveable cities include integration of health, transport, built and natural environment and employment 
3. Comprehensive change in urban systems and lifestyles 
4. Mitigation and adaptation are different priorities in different parts of the world 
5. Planning must have global aspirations with locally-based, contextual, equitable, nature-based and collaborative solutions. 
6. Investment in new planning skills 

Speakers:
Martina Juvara, ISOCARP focal point for climate change
Dushko Bogunovich, Chair of ISOCARP Scientific Committee
Huda Shaka, Sustainable Development Advisor at The Green Urbanista
Nasim Iranmanesh, Architect, academic and consultant to the Municipality of Tehran, Iran
Khalid El Adli, Partner EAG Consulting and professor at Cairo University
Ali Alraouf, Professor, Urban Planning Department Doha, Qatar
Firas Mourtada, President, Urban Planners Association, Le Consultant, Lecturer, Beirut, Lebanon

13:00-14:00

Virtual event

Organized by The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), The Cyprus Institute and Pathfinder Initiative

There is increasing evidence for the adverse effects of climate change on health, both physical and mental, posing serious challenges to health gains made over recent decades. Climate change in the extended region of the Mediterranean-Middle East-North Africa is considerable, and affects health through multiple pathways, both direct (e.g. heat, drought, wildfires, flooding) and indirect, via disruption of ecological and socio-economic systems (e.g. air pollution, food insecurity, infectious diseases, migration).
This session is based on work by the InterAcademy Partnership, the Cyprus Institute and the Pathfinder Initiative. As one strand of this work, outputs from a recent regional workshop (that included participation by academy experts from Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Sudan and Tunisia) will be shared. Collaborative activity identified and compared national climate-health effects, cross-border impacts, and their regional implications, to explore how robust science can help to clarify attribution of impacts, and support climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions. In addition, opportunities were explored to inform policy development at national and regional levels, and with neighbouring regions (e.g. EU, sub-Saharan Africa, Western Asia). 
Although the MENA region is diverse in many respects, there are common challenges in responding to climate change, focusing on vulnerable groups, in developing resilient and equitable health systems and addressing fragmentation of research systems. Climate change and COVID-19 are converging health crises. Analysis will also be presented of the objectives for planning economic recovery planning for economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19. Investments to help MENA countries recover their economies must set the world on a more sustainable, resilient and equitable pathway. 
Taken together, the evidence discussed in this session will demonstrate how delivery of the Paris Agreement in a fair and just way is an essential component of delivering multiple SDG outcomes. Transformational change in the MENA region must be based on collaboration between scientific disciplines, inter-sectoral action (e.g. between health, agriculture, water, energy, transport and urban planning sectors) and coordination between countries in research and data collection, sharing infrastructure, skills and methodologies, and building trust in responsible science. 
We emphasise that health issues are not a matter for the health sector alone but that there must be “health in all policies”. Moreover, the wide expertise and geographical representation of the session organisers is valuable in expressing the voices of those who are not always heard during the processes whereby evidence informs international policy. The session will share examples of good practice from across the region, identifying gaps in knowledge and how to fill them. Despite the accumulating evidence, protecting human health has only recently become a major consideration in global policy discussions about climate change. The MENA Climate Week can have an important role in focusing on these urgent issues and helping to develop regional policy momentum as part of the preparations for COP27.

Speakers:
Sir Andrew Haines, Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health at LSHTM
George Christophides, Professor of Infectious Diseases & Immunity at Imperial College London
Omnia El Omrani, Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery Resident
Costas N. Papanicolas, President of the Cyprus Institute and the CEO of the Cyprus Research and Educational Foundation, Professor Emeritus at the University of Athens Greece and Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Volker ter Meulen, IAP Special Advisor

16:00-17:00

Virtual event

Organized by Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and Covenant of Mayors Mediterranean (CoM-MED)

The session will take stock of how local governments in the Middle East and North Africa are accelerating climate action, implementing science-based measures to fund and secure a resilient, climate neutral future. Global Covenant of Mayors cities and regions will reflect on their evidence-based, climate and energy plans and showcase how their ambition turned into impact-driven success stories.

14:15-18:00

Spice B

Organized by UNFCCC secretariat and ILO

This event plan to discuss planning transition from fossil fuel economies to green economy, tools and methods for assessing impact of policies, economic diversification, just transition, tracking mitigation benefits from economic diversification.

Speakers:
Ambassador Mohamed Nasr, Incoming Presidency of Egypt
Atika Sabri, Member of planification commission, Moroccan Sahraouis Women's Association for integrated development, Morocco
Bradley Todd Hiller, Lead Climate Change Specialist (Mitigation), Islamic Development Bank
Christophe McGlade, Head of the Energy Supply Unit, International Energy Agency
Jan-Willem Van de Ven, Head of Climate Finance and Carbon Markets, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Jose Manuel Medina Checa, International Labour Organization
Karl Vella, Climate Policy Director, We Mean Business Coalition
Kusum Lata, Team Lead, UNFCCC
Manal R. Shehabi, Founding Director St. Antony's College, University of Oxford
Mandy Rambharos, General Manager at Just Energy Transition, Office of the Group Chief Executive, Eskom Holdings, South Africa
Marek Harsdorff, International Labour Organization
Michael Renner, Programme Officer, International Renewable Energy Agency
Moustapha Kamal Gueye, International Labour Organization
Nathalie Bavitch, International Labour Organization
Peter Govindasamy, Director at Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore
Romanas Savickas, Senior Advisor and Consultant, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre
Tidjani Niass, Saudi Aramco
Wael Farag Basyouny Kamel Keshk, General Manager at Mitigation and CDM Department, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, Egypt
William Kojo Agyemang Bonsu, International Labour Organization
Zhuolun Chen, Senior Advisor, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre

14:00-17:00

Atlantis C

Organized by UNFCCC

The DNA Forum provides opportunities for DNA representatives to exchange views, share their experiences relating to the CDM and bring forward common views and issues to the attention of the Executive Board. Apart from CDM discussions the much awaited Article 6 work will also be reflected in the agenda. The DNA participants and the speakers for the DNA Forum are expected to contribute to other events taking place at MENA RCW 2022.

Speakers:
Sohel Pasha, UNFCCC Secretariat
James Grabert, UNFCCC Secretariat
Omar Alcock, CDM EB (Pre-recorded video message)
Kudakwashe Manyanga, DNA Forum Co-chair, Zimbabwe
Motoharu Yamazaki, UNFCCC Secretariat (remote)
Frank Wolke, CDM EB (remote)
Amjad Abdulla, CDM EB

09:00-10:30

Silk A

Tracks

Open event

Planning and Implementing Long Term Strategies for Sustainable and Inclusive Development

Organized by UNFCCC secretariat, 2050 Pathways Platform and The World Bank

In this session, participants will learn from government and non-government stakeholders on their efforts to prepare the grounds for developing long-term targets and LTLEDS. It will explore the regional challenges and opportunities regarding the design and implementation of long-term climate strategies as well as the effective translation of long-term strategies into short- and medium-term actions. This will be achieved through a panel discussion providing a platform to regional State and non-State actions to share experiences and lessons learned, along with a discussion on how development partners can enhance country-led efforts for long term low GHG development that support sustainable and inclusive growth while ensuring a just transition.

Speakers: 
Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNFCCC Secretariat
Adeel Abbas Syed, MENA Regional Coordinator Climate Change, The World Bank
Bernd Hackmann, Team Lead, NDC, LT-LEDS, Sectoral Support Unit, Mitigation Division, UNFCCC Secretariat
Richard Baron, Executive Director, 2050 Pathways Platform
Estefania Luraschi, Associate, 2050 Pathways Platform
Bouzekri Razi, Director of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Green Economy, Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Morocco
Simon Benmarraze, Head of Unit, IRENA Innovation and Technology Center, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Olatunji Yusuf, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Islamic Development Bank Group
Radia Sedaoui, Chief Energy Section, UNESCWA
Mahmoud Fathallah, Director, Department of Environmental Meteorological Affairs, Economic Sector, LAS secretariat

11:00-12:30

Silk A

Tracks

Open event

Watch this event

Organized by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Global Wind Energy Council

The MENA region is vast in challenges and opportunities in terms of the energy transition. While the region has vast renewable energy potential, it is extremely dependent on fossil fuels. IRENA estimates that tapping only 5% of the region’s renewable power potential would enable renewable energy to generate more than half of the electricity mix by 2050. This generation would primarily come from wind and solar PV energy, with smaller roles for hydropower and bioenergy. How can countries shift their focus to technologies on renewable energy like wind and solar PV energy, as well as those on energy efficiency, and implement policy frameworks which can mobilize private sector investment in these areas?
This session will convene policymakers, businesses, and civil society in the MENA region to discuss what country-driven ambitions, measures and policies are needed to create an enabling framework that supports an accelerated energy transition.

Speakers: 
Gonzalo Muñoz, COP 25 High-level Champion
Diala Hawila, Programme Officer - Policy Advice, IRENA
Elizabeth Curmi, Director, Global Thematic Analyst, Citi Global Insights
Faisal Eissa, General Manager, Lekela Power Egypt
Amani Dibo, Development Director, Sustain the World
Nasma Jrondi, Senior Expert Climate and Decarbonisation, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection

12:30-14:00

Silk B

Organized by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt and COP27 Presidency Team

Explaining the core pillars of Egypt's presidency of COP27

Speakers:
Mahmoud Mohie El Din, High-level Climate Champion
Mohamed Nasr-Climate, Environment and Sustainable Development, MFA Egypt
Ovais Sarmad, UNFCCC secretariat

09:00-10:30

Silk B

Tracks

Open event

Organized by MENA CW Partners

With the overarching aim of promoting Nature-based Solutions to reestablish the link between cities and nature, the session will focus on showcasing and exploring the multi-faceted opportunities and the potential of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the MENA region, as well as gauging the interest of governments in mainstreaming NbS in their urban and climate policies and plans. The session aims to propel the discussion on the wider adoption of Nature-based Solutions in the MENA region through gathering both party and non-party organisations in one place, including national, subnational, and local levels of government, Environmental NGOs, the private sector, and academia. The selected speakers will include decision-makers on the local level of government and climate change policy makers on the national level who have had previous experience with implementing NbS in their countries. The mainstreaming of NbS into national and local urban strategies and climate action plans could contribute to governments’ adaptation and mitigation commitments. This session contributes to the efforts taken in the run up to COP27, which will take place in the MENA region.

Speakers:
Ali Al Kayed, Head of Studies section/ construction department, Greater Amman Municipality, Jordan 
Houcine Jrad, Mayor of Djerba, Tunisia 
Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco 
Faizah Slehat, Project Officer - Water and Climate Change, IUCN, Regional Office for West Asia 
Sonya Benjamin, Biodiversity, Ecology and Avifauna Expert Consultant, Biosphere Conservation Consulting Services 
Giorgia Rambelli, Coordinator, Climate Policy & Energy Governance, ICLEI
Yara Eissa, Programme Associate, UN-Habitat ROAS 
Yasmine Mostafa, Programme Officer, UN-Habitat ROAS

11:00-12:30

Silk B

Tracks

Open event

Organized by MENA CW Partners

The session will demonstrate the importance of a resilient, inclusive, just and green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The issue will be framed by an overview of the socio-economic conditions facing the region in the region due to COVID-19 and other stressors affecting recovery efforts. Lessons learned from responding to previous health emergencies and planning for human and man-made disasters can support resilience will be shared to help guide the way forward. This will include how early warning systems and cross-sectoral exchange can strengthen resilience building on local and regional knowledge as well as nature-based solutions. The session will also discuss approaches for greening and climate-proofing health care systems. Innovative instruments for funding green recovery efforts through public, private and donor initiatives will also be shared.

Speakers:
H.E. Minister Nasser Yassin, Minister of Environment, Lebanon 
Mohammad Hassani, Minister Assistant for Public Health Affairs, Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt 
Carol Chouchani Cherfane, Director, Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies, Cluster Leader, Climate Change and Natural Resources Cluster, UN-ESCWA 
Mazen Malkawi, Regional advisor, WHO 
Hisham Dinar, Advisor for the General Directorate of Emergencies, Disasters & Medical Transportation, and the National Health Emergency Operations Center, Ministry of Health, KSA 
Said al Sarmi, Meteorologist, Met Oman, Oman 
Jamal Saghir, Senior Advisor, Board Member, Global Center on Adaptation, Lebanon 
Muawieh Khalid Radaideh, Minister, Ministry of Environment, Jordan 
Nafaa Baccari, Director, Solar Energy, ANME, Solar Energy, ANME

09:00-10:30

Silk C

Tracks

Open event

Organized by MENA CW Partners

Together with climate change, globalization and demographic change, digitalization is one of the developments that are shaping our world. Digital technologies have radically transformed the way we live over the past decades. Digital technologies can support climate action and open up untapped potential in many areas. According to a study developed by the World Economic Forum, digital technologies could already help reduce global carbon emissions by up to 15% – or one-third of the 50% reduction required by 2030 – through solutions in energy, manufacturing, agriculture and land use, buildings, services, transportation and traffic management. This corresponds to more than the current carbon footprints of the EU and the US combined.
The MENA region is already embracing the digital transformation. Many countries in the region are early adopters of cutting-edge digital technologies, with governments increasingly diversifying their economies. The public and private sectors have made significant gains in establishing a robust digital infrastructure that supports innovation and opens new economic possibilities. Yet there exists tremendous potential for radical climate action leveraging the digital transformation already underway in the region.  
Digital technologies could be a game changer for the climate action in the region, which is facing pressing challenges related to energy security, aging energy grids, adaptation and resilience, food and water security, and extreme heat. Digitalization has deep ramifications in various sectors, including energy, building and agriculture, and may have socio-economic and environmental impacts which require scrutiny. 
Digitalization can be a critical enabler for enhancing resilience, mitigating disaster risk, expanding access to solutions, and supporting the creation of sustainable and inclusive economies and societies. Nevertheless, such cross-cutting issues require a coordinated response from policy makers, practitioners, private sector actors as well as civil society to truly leverage the promise of digitalization for climate action. 
In this session, stakeholders involved in the region across different sectors will provide insights about what digitalization for climate action can bring to the MENA region, and what can be done to help.  
Objectives: 
Highlight the main current challenges and opportunities for digitalization for climate action in the MENA region.
Shed light on the systemic change digitalization can bring through increased resilience of communities and a more efficient low-carbon economy. 
Discuss the main socio-economic and environmental impacts of digitalization.
Identify actions, policies and investments needed to speed up digitalization for climate action in the MENA region.

Speakers:
Jauad El Kharraz, Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Effiicency
Leila Benali, Minister Energy Transition and Sustainable Development
Helmut von Struve, CEO MENA 
Jauad El Kharraz, Executive Director, Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Jan-Willem Van de Ven, Head of Climate Finance and Carbon Markets, EBRD 
Mohamad Abugaoud, Representative from the Greater Madaba Municipality 
Vida Rozite, International Energy Agency 
Norhan El Dallal, Integrated Development Group
Abdulaziz AlMulla, CEO, Madar Farms
Bradley Todd Hiller, Islamic Development Bank
Alessandro Modiano, Special Envoy for Climate Change 
Chris Cormency

11:00-12:30

Silk C

Tracks

Open event

Organized by MENA CW Partners

The session entitled "Transformative Climate Action through Digitalization: Blockchain Technologies" will bring speakers from the MENA region and beyond, exploring transformative climate action in the MENA region through blockchain. It will discuss opportunities, challenges and lessons learnt about the blockchain application to climate action, targeting the audience who are willing to engage in the region for transformative climate action through blockchain and digital technologies.

Speakers:
Marwan AI Zarouni, CEO, Dubai Blockchain Centre
Ameera Al Haranki, Youth Climate Action Leader
Miroslav Polzer, Executive Director, International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges (IAAI GloCha)  
Jane Thomasson, Frontier Technology Leader 
Tia Kansara, CEO, Replenish Earth 
Faris AlSaqabi, Minister for Future Jobs & Capabilities at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
Mariam Nouh-Head, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Saudi Arabia 
Princess Abze Djigma, Special Envoy of the President of Burkina Faso for SDGs and Climate Change

14:15-15:45

Atlantis D

Organized by COP26 UK Presidency

The aim of this hybrid session at the UN Regional Climate Week for the Middle East and North Africa region is to explore actions for implementation of the recommendations developed by the COP26 Catalyst Access to Finance Group, hear where MENA countries and partners are already applying recommendations, where there might be challenges to implementing recommendations and what countries would like to see in any guidance for capacity building for access to finance. This will also be an opportunity to hear how finance providers can respond to the recommendations, and what changes to ways of working and available schemes and programmes to support capacity building might be made.

Speakers:
Nancy Lee
Meera Srinivasa Murali
Janet Rogan
Mohamed Nasr
Bertha Argueta
Unnikrishnan Nair
Gareth Philips
Randa Mounir
Claire Holzer Fleming
Mahamat Abakar Assouyouti
Jafry Tahseen
Ruth Kattumuri
Romeo Bertolini

15:45-18:45

Silk A

Organized by UK Science & Innovation Network, United Kingdom in the United Arab Emirates, British Embassy

This event will provide an opportunity for you to hear from and interact with key academics from the UK and UAE as Governments, policy makers, civil society, academia and the private sector look to assess net zero solutions and how we obtain the ‘Futures We Want’.

Speakers:
HE Patrick Moody, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
Nigel Topping, UK High-level Climate Change Action Champion

Moderator:
Janet Rogan, COP26 Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and Africa 

Panel Members:
Dr. Ludovic Dumee, Khalifa University
Prof. Adrian Fisher, University of Cambridge
Prof. Joseph Howe, University of Chester
Prof. Susan Krumdieck, Heriot-Watt University
Dr. Alejandro Rios Galvan, Khalifa University
Dr. Lata Sahonta, University of Cambridge

13:45-15:45

Silk C

Organized by Islamic Development Bank and African Development Bank

The event will discuss Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as cost-effective solutions for climate change adaptation by protecting, sustainably managing, and enhancing ecosystems and habitats in a way that reduces the vulnerability of livelihoods and economic assets in North Africa and the Middle East 
Among the main approaches raised will be the use of NbS for climate adaptation and Aligning Finance with Resilience that can help in realizing the potential of NBS for Infrastructure. The focus will be placed on how NbS have the potential to make infrastructure more resilient to climate change effects and add longer-term value to infrastructure assets. Thus, investments in NbS solutions have been identified as one of the main building blocks of a transition to a Green Economy.
The event will also present IsDB publication on Nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate adaptation, done with the support of UNEP.

Speakers:
Osama Ibrahem Faqaaha
Yasmine Fouad
Tarifa A. Alzaabi
Gareth Philips
Bradley Hiller
Abdourahmane Diaw
Daouda Oumar Ndiaye
Amer Bukvic
Syed Husain Quadri
Habib Auwal Abubakar
Uzma Suleiman

09:00-11:00

Atlantis A (part 2)

Building momentum to close adaptation knowledge gaps in the MENA region: Focus on climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions

Organized by UNFCCC secretariat, UNEP-ROWA, UNFCCC-WGEO RCC MENA & SA, UNESCWA

Objective of the event:

• Showcase ongoing initiatives in closing climate smart agriculture and nature-based solutions adaptation knowledge gaps to address climate impacts in the North Africa and GCC subregions in the context of the Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative (LAKI).
• Engage partners and participating organizations in the implementation of these initiatives. 
• Spotlight the role of the LAKI as a joint initiative that convenes and engages experts from different international, regional, national and local agencies to take further steps in closing existing knowledge gaps to address climate impacts in the region.

Background:
Responding to the knowledge and resilience needs of countries through tailored information for knowledge users is crucial to implementing adaptation action – a key element of the Paris Agreement.
In the context of the Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative (LAKI), the UNFCCC secretariat Nairobi Work Programme (NWP) is collaborating with the UNFCCC-WGEO Regional Collaboration Center for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia based in Dubai (RCC MENA & SA), the UNEP Regional Office for West Asia, and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)to close adaptation knowledge gaps in addressing climate impacts in the North Africa and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) subregions.
Several initiatives have been co-designed with LAKI partners through a series of virtual meetings with experts in these subregions. Building on the progress in 2021, the LAKI partners will continue to concretize actions and ideas in 2022 which will contribute to closing persistent climate adaptation knowledge gaps in the MENA region.
This event is an opportunity for government representatives, adaptation experts and practitioners, institutions, implementing agencies and networks in MENA and the Arab group of negotiators to gain in-depth understanding of the LAKI process and its outcomes.
It furthermore provides bilateral and multilateral donors with an overview of collaborative actions that are underway in closing adaptation knowledge gaps in addressing climate impacts in the North African and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) subregions as a result of the LAKI initiative.

Speakers:
Youssef Nassef, UNFCCC
Muna Al Amoodi, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates
Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment of the Arabic Republic of Egypt
Sahel Batayneh, National Agricultural Research Center NARC Jordan 
Elsa Sattout, UNESCO
Theresa Wong, FAO
Bradley Hiller, Islamic Development Bank 
Tarek Alkhoury, UN Environment Programme

Moderators:
Fatema Rajabali, UNFCCC
Tarek Sadek, UN ESCWA

09:30-12:00

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub Area

Organized by Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency (YOUNGO), Arab Youth Centre (AYC), World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), Regional Collaboration Center for MENA and SA, UNFCCC,  World Bank Group (WBG), Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar and Federal Youth Authority (FYA)

A brief introduction to YOUNGO and Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) as context for an interactive panel discussion between youth and key climate actors, featuring examples of best practices and means to enhance the role of MENA youth in climate action.        
The Youth-Circle on “The Road to COP27 and COP28” will take place at Youth Pavilion EXPO 2020 Dubai.

For futher infromation, please access: circles.youth.gov.ae.

Speakers:
Mohamed Maray Mohamed Elshikhi, YOUNGO
Selma Bichbich, YOUNGO
Elizabeth Gulugulu, YOUNGO
Disha Sarkar, YOUNGO
Deena Mariyam, YOUNGO
Amal Ridene, YOUNGO
Timothy Damon, YOUNGO
Xan Richard Northcott, YOUNGO

14:00-18:00

Atlantis A (part 1)

Organized by High-Level Champions and Marrakech Partnership

As part of the Improved Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action for enhancing ambition that was welcomed by Parties at COP 26, the High-Level Champions and the Marrakech Partnership will convene a workshop to facilitate a deep understanding of the needs on the ground and gather regional perspectives. The aim of the event is to provide an overview of the functions and tools of the Marrakech Partnership, including the global campaigns to mobilize and align non-Party stakeholders (Race to Zero, Race to Resilience and the Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero and the tools to drive systems transformation (Climate Action Pathways, 2030 Breakthroughs), and have a solutions-oriented dialogue on how to drive ambitious action across the region taking into account regional context and how the Marrakech Partnership can help.

Speakers:
Mahmoud Mohieldin, High Level Champion, COP 27 Presidency, Egypt
Nigel Topping, High Level Champion, COP 26 Presidency, United Kingdom
Marie-Hélène Nassif, International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Mohamed Ghanem, Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, Egypt
Shada Al Sharif, Prime Minister Office, Jordan
Khashman Khaldon, Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA)
James Grinnell, Dubai Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) representative
Salam Al Momany, Carbon Reduction and Energy Efficiency in Water Utilities, GIZ
Mohamed Zahran, World Youth Fourm

09:45-11:15

Atlantis D

Organized by WGEO and UNFCCC MOI

The UNFCCC secretariat, in cooperation with the Arab Group of Negotiators and the World Green Economy Organization, will convene the first consultation between the co-chairs of the ad hoc work programme on the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance and climate finance experts from Arab States.
At COP 21 in Paris, Parties decided to set a new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG) from a floor of USD 100 billion per year. The new goal will be set in 2024 and take into account the needs and priorities of developing countries.
At COP 26 in Glasgow, Parties established an ad hoc work programme from 2022 to 2024 on the NCQG, to be facilitated by two co-chairs. The co-chairs of the work programme on the NCQG for 2022 are mandated to maintain regular consultations with the constituted bodies as well as United Nations agencies, climate finance experts, academia, private sector and civil society actors with a view to informing the work programme. In Glasgow Parties also decided to conduct four technical expert dialogues per year, with one to be held in conjunction with the first regular sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies and one to be held in conjunction with the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, and the two remaining dialogues to be organized in separate regions with a view to facilitating inclusive and balanced geographical participation.
This event will provide an opportunity for the co-chairs to consult with experts from and operating in Arab States, including representatives from governments, multilateral and bilateral financial institutions, international and regional organizations, academia, private sector and civil society, on their views, expectations and priorities related to the process of setting the NCQG on climate finance. 
This event will also present an opportunity for the co-chairs of the ad hoc work programme to provide an update on the outcomes of the first technical expert dialogue (24-25 March 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa).

Speakers:
Albara Tawfiq
Federica Fricano
Kishan Kumarsingh
Mohamed Ibrahim Nasr Salem
Daniele Violetti, UNFCCC
Helmy Ghazi
Yolando Velasco, UNFCCC

16:00-18:00

Atlantis D

Organized by World Green Economy Organization and UNFCCC secretariat

The Glasgow Climate Pact reemphasizes the urgent need to address the scale of the global climate challenge and has requested Parties to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their nationally determined contributions, submit LTLEDS and accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems. The achievement of the Paris Agreement and the enhancement and implementation of ambition requires a holistic approach with the engagement of all sectors and stakeholders delivering towards a green economy pathway. This event will bring together policymakers and key stakeholders from the region to discuss, deliberate and share information, good practices, and the challenges and opportunities specific to the region to advance the development and implementation of ambitious LTLEDS, NDCs and sectoral policies to support the achievement of the Paris Agreement and aligned with green economy principles.
This event is supported by the Government of Japan.

14:00-16:00

Atlantis E

Watch this event

Organized by International Organization for Migration (IOM)

The Midde East and North Africa (MENA) faces a complex set of interconnected challenges and is particularly exposed to the adverse effects of climate change. The region is already the most water-scarce region in the world, with over 60% of its population living in areas with high water stress. Regional water scarcity is the result of diverse factors, including climate change leading to rising temperatures, droughts, floods, saltwater intrusion into freshwater, diminished river flows and limited groundwater resources. While 56% of the region’s population lives in cities, the agriculture remains a critical source of income and employment and the sector consumes 80% of current available freshwater resources. 
Today, war, conflict, and unemployment are more influential drivers of migration and displacement in the MENA region than events related to water, such as drought. But as the effects of climate change intensify, these historical mobility patterns may evolve. In areas that lack good governance, climate change could exacerbate vulnerabilities and create tensions over water resources, leading to a vicious cycle of water insecurity and fragility. Water insecurity is felt most acutely by the millions of forcibly displaced and their host communities. Water infrastructures are also targeted in conflicts in Gaza, Yemen, Syria, and Libya, leaving hundreds of thousands without access to water. The region also faces the greatest expected economic losses from climate-related water scarcity, estimated between 6 and 14% by 2050.
Several MENA countries have improved access to water services over the last decades, but their achievements are threatened by water depletion, unplanned urban expansion, governance issues, conflict and the impacts of climate change. Water shortages will contribute to seriously affect food security and livelihoods of millions of people in the region, to compound existing security challenges and to exacerbate the causes of migration and displacement4. Water scarcity will also threaten the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals, the long-term socio-economic development and stability of the region. 
Building water security in the MENA region is essential to strengthen the resilience of communities across the region to climate-related shocks, through addressing their ability to immediately respond to extreme weather events, whilst decreasing their long-term vulnerability to climate variability through preparedness and adaptation. Increased cooperation and dialogue between humanitarian, security, peace and development actors is also needed to respond to the multiplying effects climate change might have on already existing conflicts, water disputes, instability and displacement in the MENA region and to better protect and assist migrants, forcibly displaced persons and host communities. 
This event will discuss the complex and interconnected challenges of climate change, water, displacement, migration and conflict in the MENA region, the most recent findings of IPCC AR 6 report and will call for increased attention and investment in climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction, water governance and sustainable development measures to reduce related risks in the region.

Speakers:
Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC (TBC)
Dr. Luis Augusto Becerra Lopez-Lavalle, Chief Scientist, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA)
Dr. Emad Adly, General Coordinator of RAED “Arab Network for Environment and Development”
Rania Ahmed, Deputy Regional Director, MENA, IFRC 
Pr. Thanasis Hadzilacos, Adjunct Professor, The Cyprus Institute
Eng. Heba Al Hariry, BSc., MSc., Advisor (Water and Disaster Risk Reduction), United Nations
Sayeed Mohammed, Director, Knowledge, Policy and Strategy, Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar 
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Aty, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt (TBC) 
Caroline Dumas, DG Special Envoy on Migration and Climate Action, IOM

Moderator:
Manuel Marques Pereira, Head of Migration, Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Division, IOM, Geneva

16:30-18:30

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

09:30-13:30

Atlantis A (part 1)

Affiliated event

Organized by Global Manufacturing Organisation Limited, Mohammad Bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity, GMIS initiative and UN Habitat

The Mohammed bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity will conduct a series of ‘Challenge Design Workshops’ in collaboration with UN-Habitat to explore the key ideas required to develop a more sustainable and resilient construction and infrastructure sector. Following a design thinking approach – that is, idea iterations and solution development in a collaborative dynamic workshop context, the workshops will bring together policy makers, industrial technology experts, academic representatives, and some of the world’s leading incubators, accelerators and start-ups and SMEs to engage in in-depth round-table discussions that provided an informed and holistic perspective around the theme “Resilient Infrastructure & Construction”.

Speakers:
Dr. Kai Bruns, Entrepreneurship Education Designer & Business Coach

14:00-15:30

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency (YOUNGO)

A networking session between youth and both Parties and other non-Party stakeholders for the purpose of expanding partnerships and enhancing collaboration in the area of MENA youth climate action. Small group discussions will facilitate the exchange of views and identification of synergies. The networking session will be followed by the official closing of the Youth Event from 15:15 to 15:30 hrs.

Speakers:
Mohamed Maray Mohamed Elshikhi, YOUNGO
Selma Bichbich, YOUNGO
Elizabeth Gulugulu, YOUNGO
Disha Sarkar, YOUNGO
Deena Mariyam, YOUNGO
Amal Ridene, YOUNGO
Timothy Damon, YOUNGO
Xan Richard Northcott, YOUNGO

12:00-13:00

Altantis E

Organized by German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and Guidehouse Germany GmbH

Across the globe, countries have adopted ambitious climate targets to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement: Germany wants to reduce emissions by 65% and reach net-zero by 2045. The UAE plan to dramatically scale up renewable energy supply and reach net zero by 2050. Saudi Arabia’s net-zero target is set for 2050. In reaching those widespread decarbonization goals, green hydrogen, produced from renewable energy, will play a key role. 
The MENA region features vast renewable energy resource potential making the countries in the region prime candidates for green hydrogen production. Particularly countries on the Arabian Peninsula are leading the way with several successful pilots for green hydrogen. Many Gulf countries have historically built their economies on income from fossil fuel resources and their emissions per capita are currently among the highest across the globe. In view of the mounting challenges of climate change, however, this economic model is being challenged. Against this backdrop, the hydrogen economy can help achieve decarbonization targets, build future-proof economic value chains and create job opportunities for generations to come.
International cooperation can be a key catalyst for accelerating the global energy transition and for slowing down climate change by facilitating the scale-up of green hydrogen production. One example for such cooperation are the energy partnerships and dialogues Germany has established with many countries across the globe including in the MENA-region. The cooperation focuses on energy efficiency, renewable energy and hydrogen and sector coupling. Together, Germany and its partners initiate joint projects, facilitate knowledge exchange, and cooperate on research and development, to speed up the energy transition and support the uptake of decarbonization solutions such as green hydrogen.
The proposed side event will shed light on the importance of international partnerships for green hydrogen uptake in the MENA region:

The one-hour session will to be structured as follows: 
Introduction: Energy cooperation and the role of hydrogen for decarbonization (5 min). Including a short video on Germany’s energy cooperation with the countries of the Gulf region as an example. 
Part I: Three short presentations by business actors on bilateral and multilateral green hydrogen cooperation projects in the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia or other MENA countries (10 min each). Business actors will report on key challenges they faced when implementing international hydrogen projects and how they were overcome.
Part II: Discussion round: “How international partnerships can accelerate the hydrogen economy: Lessons from successful pilots in Gulf countries for the wider MENA region.” (25 min).
Goal: Assess key success factors and catalysts for project implementation and the role of accompanying policy support and international cooperation.
The round will include business stakeholders from Part I and government representatives from Germany (BMWi) and countries in the region as well as potentially other key actors on international cooperation such as IRENA (tbd).

Speakers:
Karin Zangerl, Director Abu Dhabi Office, German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce (AHK)
Henrik Schult, Senior Consultant, Guidehouse
Manuel Kuehn, Head of New Energy for Middle East and Africa, Siemens Energy
Emanuele Bianco, Hydrogen Expert, International Renewable Energy Agency
Harley Higgins-Watson, International Affairs Senior Executive, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure

10:45-11:45

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Organized by Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and The Adaptation Action Coalition (AAC)

Building a just, inclusive, and climate-resilient future is not possible without reliable, safe, and accessible water resources. At the same time, we know from the latest IPCC report that climate change is contributing to increasing water variability in many places, including the Eastern Mediterranean. Communities in the Middle East and North Africa have already adapted to thousands of years of water scarcity; today they are combining their traditional water diversion systems, falaj, with cutting-edge desalination (tahli-yat al-miy'ah) projects. But are these methods climate resilient? Meaning, are they both flexible enough to adapt as the climate changes, while robust enough to withstand such change without risking catastrophic failure? And how can we ensure that they are able to function effectively for decades – even centuries – to come? The Adaptation Action Coalition (ACC), co-led by Egypt and the United Kingdom, is working to enhance climate resilience at the national level across all sectors, including water. Over the past year, the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) and its partners have been working with the AAC to co-develop a new tool for national climate planners called the Water Tracker. The Water Tracker takes a whole-of-government approach, helping countries to assess the water needs of their climate plans, bringing together leaders from around the globe to share good practices in adaptation and demonstrate the importance of placing water at the center of resilient climate planning. The Water Tracker is currently being piloted in Egypt, Malawi, and Costa Rica. Following a successful event showcasing initial results at COP26, several more countries have signed up to apply the Water Tracker to their national climate plans in 2022. This side event will bring together national representatives from the MENA region, civil society organizations, and local experts to showcase the work of the AAC on water and climate resilience, demonstrating the value of combining local solutions with global methodologies to ensure a future that is both climate-resilient and water-secure for people, ecosystems, and economies.

Speakers:
Ingrid Timboe, Policy Director, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation
Ayman Amin Tharwat, Co-Chair of the Adaptation Action Coalition, Government of Egypt
Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Government of the Netherlands
Eman Syed, Head of the Planning Sector, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Government of Egypt
Muhammad Abdul Ati, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Government of Egypt

12:00-13:00

Spice B

Organized by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

The UN Secretary-General recently called for renewable energy and green resilient infrastructure to be prioritised in order to put the world on track in 2021. IRENA responded to this call and devised global strategies towards net-zero and a climate-safe 1.5°C pathway by 2050 in its 2021 World Energy Transitions Outlook.
Beyond enhancing NDCs, promoting holistic policymaking can help devise national strategies truly address multiple socio-economic objectives and enable an inclusive and just transition. In doing so, it is crucial to ensure coherence among sectors affected by energy transition, such as, water and agri-food value chain, provision of essential public services (health, education) and promotion of productive use of energy.
This event will present the latest findings on the energy transition drawing from IRENA’s flagship publication World Energy Transitions Outlook: 1.5°C Pathway (2021 edition) and contextualize it to the MENA context. Further, it will showcase the many options that MENA governments have to help them navigate towards an energy transition by exploring existing technology and innovation solutions for implementing mitigation and adaptation measures.
Building on these insights, representatives from MENA governments will provide insights into the work being done in their respective countries to achieve the proposed climate action goals, as well as showcase examples of new patterns of socio-economic development achieved through prioritization of renewable energy development.
A panel will discuss current initiatives, as well as outline the main achievements and challenges encountered in the MENA context and identify key opportunities for incorporating development needs to achieve low-carbon climate safe energy systems.

Speakers:
Zoheir Hamedi, Regional Programme Officer, IRENA
Gauri Singh, Deputy Director General, IRENA 
Belal Shaqarin, Director of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Environment 
Mohammed Ouhmed, Director Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainble Development 
Pierre El Khoury, Director Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation, Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation 
Nawal Al Hosany, UAE Permanent Representative to IRENA, UAE permanent representative to IRENA 
Gurbuz Gonul, Director CEP, IRENA 
Reem Korban, Associate Programme Officer, IRENA

13:45-14:45

Spice B

Organized by International Water Management Institute, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and FAO

The consequences of a more unpredictable and riskier water cycle on the MENA region, detailed in the IPCC AR6 report, demands urgent action if we are to meet future food and water needs of the people there. In this region, the development of resilient food systems and sustainable healthy diets for all call, requires much larger water use, but these resources are limited and needed for other vital functions. Water use in food systems needs to be brought within the natural limits of the region and reflect the “new normal” hydrological conditions. If innovations are harnessed and systems carefully managed, transformations in food-water practices and policies can bring climate mitigation and adaptation, and a social and environmental space that considers water and food needs of people alongside that of the ecosystems that provision them. Achieving transformations of water resilient food systems will require a compact between national and local government, communities and the private sector that bring together bundled solutions that integrate technology, data services, enhanced governance and policy. 
This session will bring together policy and law makers, farmers and water professionals, financiers, insurers and donors, implementers and researchers from across water and food systems who are tackling challenges of the climate and biodiversity crises. The opening framing will highlight the challenges faced by ministers and law makers in selected countries. The Wadi-side Chat will then explore these issues in more detail drawing on experience of leaders from different settings from across the region and world. In the final part of the session there will be a call to action followed by a focus on solutions that can be used to help build resilience in food and water systems, including nature based ideas.

Speakers:
Sandra Ruckstuhl, Special Advisor to the Director General and Senior Researcher, Climate Change Adaptation, IWMI
Rachael McDonnell, Deputy Director General, Research for Development, IWMI
Anders Jagerskog, Senior Water Resources Management, Global Water Practice, World Bank 
Ali Hayajneh, Water and Clima Change program Manafer, IUCN

15:00-16:00

Spice B

Organized by AfDB - IsDB

Green Banks (GB) or Green Financial Facilities (GFF) and National Climate Change Funds (NCCF) are institutions that support a pipeline of bankable green projects through grants and project preparation services. These innovative structures have a vital role to play in mobilizing finance for national carbon reduction targets and climate resilient green development. Around the world, an increasing number of countries and states are developing GB/GFF to mobilize funds through a “blended finance model” to leverage and increase private sector climate-related investments. Africa can benefit from GB/GFF’s to increase country-driven capacity to access and mobilize climate finance to support the implementation of NDCs and related national climate and development goals.
Through a panel of representatives of existing African Green Banks/Funds and Institutions like the AfDB, NDF who support this initiative, the event will bring perspectives on the approach to and added value of Green Banks/Green Finance Facilities to African Countries and Financial Institutions.

16:15-17:15

Spice B

Organized by CDP

Drawing upon insights from CDP’s global environmental disclosure platform, the session will showcase ambition of non-state actors (NSA)' near- and long-term actions aligned with the 1.5C pathway, demonstrating how they can be aligned to national commitments, and ultimately contributing to a nature-positive within the planetary boundaries that serves both people and planet. The session is structured to include key note speeches, to set the scene, followed by a panel discussion to document practical experiences and to explore the following aspects: -How disclosure of state- and non-state actors increases transparency, leading to accountability, and catalyses environmental action in the race to zero and resilience. -How bold environmental policies, NSA climate leadership, and collaboration reinforce the ambition loop. -How NSAs in the MENA region can meaningully engage in the near- and long-term towards achieving a 1.5C and resilient future. The event will convene a diverse panel of climate leaders in the region, from subnational government, companies, financial institutions and civil society, to bring into an engaging and diverse dialogue, and ensuring gender parity. As international processes take stock of climate action by NSAs, this discussion is particularly timely, and demonstrates why tracking and measuring progress economy-wide is critical.

Speakers:
Pietro Bertazzi, Global Director for Policy Engagement and External Affairs, CDP
Nigel Topping, UK High-Level Champion
Venetia Bell, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, GIB  
Bram de Graaff, Director, Economics and Sustainability Advisory, PwC Middle East 
Nick Baker, Deputy Director for Business and Engagement, COP26 Unit, UK Cabinet Office

12:00-13:00

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Organized by ICLEI Africa - Race to Resilience

Whilst the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26 is an important step. It is not enough. As stated by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in his wrap up message at COP26. “Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread. We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe. It is time to go into emergency mode — or our chance of reaching net-zero will itself be zero.”
We see nations working more closely with non-state actors than ever before to tackle climate change. There is momentum, yet the commitment and action gap is still significant.
At the city and local government level - water, food, nature, ocean, transport, energy and industrial systems are all interconnected and being impacted by climate change. The urgency to build climate resilience across and within sectors at a city level has never been higher. To build this resilience, Global South nations who have done the least to cause climate change, but bear the brunt of the impacts, need finance, but only 5-6% of total global climate finance flows to adaptation and resilience actions. This must change if we are to keep global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees. This session will showcase the step-change that is occurring in Global South cities and regions from around the world, particularly in the MENA region, in implementing innovative actions that build climate resilience, by unlocking finance and harnessing local political will. This session will bring together front-running leaders who are leading working in their respective cities and regions in the MENA region to build local resilience in ways that offer new insights of relevance to the world. Topics that will be covered include:

• Harnessing nature-based solutions to reduce community vulnerabilities, 
• Organizing the appropriate policies, strategies and instruments to unlocking climate finance at the local level, and
• Building resilient food systems that are climate responsive.

15:00-16:00

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Agriculture and land use are a key node for transformative action in climate change. At COP26, countries committed to continue working on Agriculture, targeting the adoption of a COP27 Decision for establishing a financing mechanism to support action on the ground. Addressing this need, FAO is launching the Regional Analysis of Nationally-Determined Contributions in the Near East and North Africa: Opportunities and Gaps in the Agriculture, Water and Land Use Sectors. The analysis is a landmark publication that analyzes the NDCs of NENA countries on the risks, actions and needs in the agriculture, forestry, and land use sectors. The session will comprise a presentation of the findings followed by a panel discussion by 3 countries on their progress in revising and implementing AFOLU and water priorities in the NDCs. Countries will discuss, with the help of a facilitator, questions on how the Koronivia process can be leveraged to enhance climate action in agriculture and landuse; coordination processes and stakeholder engagement around priority setting for the sector; and how countries are leveraging finance and innovative solutions to scale up transformation.

Speakers:
Qu Dongyu, Director General, FAO
Ibtisam Abuhaija, Ministry of Agriculture, 
Ayman Amin, Minister Plenipotentiary, Deputy director of Environment and Sustainable Development Department - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

16:15-17:15

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Organized by The Centre for Climate Justice Glasgow Caledonian University

Building resilience of women and girls and to help them cope with a changing climate requires climate finance to be directed at investing in supporting their adaptation needs now rather than what is currently commonplace; reactive mode directing investment to climate disasters as they happen. The focus of this event is putting the spot light at how climate finance can be enabled in terms of ‘investing in people – especially women and girls’; supporting their mental health and wellbeing from the impacts of climate change, and findings creative and innovative ways to build resilience so that they can lead economically strong households. To do this requires a fundamental step change in lending structures, policy and programme design and rethinking how to mobilise the climate finance to those who need it the most. We intend to frame the conversation around 3 pillars; changing mind sets and vision in development institutions and banks, radical change in programme design, development, how to incorporate aspirations and needs of women and girls and measuring/demonstrating impact in terms of equity, inequality and climate justice.

Speakers:
Tahseen Jafry, Director The Centre for Climate Justice, Glasgow Caledonian University
Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders
Gonzalo Munoz, UN High Level Climate Action Champion
Balgis Osman-Elasha, Chief Climate Change Officer for North Africa, African Development Bank Group
Gareth Philips, Manager Climate and Environment Finance, African Development Bank Group

17:30-18:30

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Organized by Mercy Corps and UN Habitat

Climate change is increasingly affecting vulnerable communities in Jordan, as the country simultaneously grapples with social cohesion and rapid population growth. Despite being one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, floods are a common hazard in Jordan, with intensity and frequency expected to increase due to climate change. Previous refugee arrival waves, including of Palestinians and Iraqis, and the indefinite presence of Syrian refugees continues to be a source of tension in the country, causing increasing levels of citizens' mistrust in local government entities and their ability to fairly manage shared resources such as water and land. Rapid population growth and public works have caused land use change, such as the decrease of land that can absorb rainwater - elevating the risk of flashfloods. 
With over 7 years’ experience in delivering flood resilience programming across multiple countries, Mercy Corps, a proud member of Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance, and UN- Habitat are currently working with Government of Jordan and flood prone communities to support the resilience of vulnerable communities in Jordan so that they can adapt with climate change.
This event features recent analysis by Mercy Corps and UN Habitat that a clear opportunity exists for building community governance structures for disaster risk management with strong ties to local authorities, where community has significant strength in their social capital that can be leveraged for collective action in a disaster. This event will therefore highlight how climate change exacerbates social instability in flood vulnerable communities in Jordan; and emphasize the need to address both social capital and physical capital to support climate vulnerable communities to adapt to climate change. The session will further provide recommendations on effective approaches and scalable solutions for transformational change. 
The panel discussion will be moderated by Mercy Corps and will bring together representatives from Government of Jordan, UN agency, donor, research institute, private sector and field staff from Mercy Corps Jordan. The discussion will focus on issues around how to create and sustain local leadership for climate adaptation, and provide recommendations on how national governments, donors, private sector, and civil society organizations can work together to identify opportunities and scale solutions. 
The session will also showcase a media video for a “virtual tour” that visually displays the risk and impacts communities face and actions that are being taken to address those risks.

Speakers:
Shorouq Aburazzouq, Project Team Leader, Mercy Corps
Lubna Shaheen, Senior Urban Programme Officer, UN-Habitat 
Belal Shqareen, Director of Climate Change Directorate, Ministry of Environment 
David Nash, Climate Change and Partnerships Senior Manager, Zurich Foundation
Haneen Hassouneh, Executive Director, Sustainable Community and Development Association (SCDA)

13:45-14:45

Spice A - Room B Davos 6

Organized by International Association of Public Transport (UITP), SLOCAT and International Union of Railways (UIC)

The rail and public transport sector will play an important role in getting both our economies and people moving again. Based on integrated urban planning and strong governance, by embracing digitalisation, innovative and sustainable solutions towards mobility challenges, the public transport and rail freight sector is at the core of the global transition towards a “new normal”, while ensuring the contribution to a more resilient, cleaner and safer post-pandemic world. Significant investments in rail and public transport projects show that the MENA region is witnessing a clear paradigm shift towards more public transport and “Building the Future of Mobility”. The side event will provide an update on MENA transport projects from transport leaders in the region, which equate to more than $100 billions worth of investments, upcoming investment opportunities and plans for MENA cities and lessons learned from authorities regulators from delivering action on the ground. The event will help to provide decision makers with concrete recommendations and technical considerations needed to improve rail freight, daily urban mobility and the quality of daily life for all citizens, which represents an area of untapped potential in national efforts and contributions necessary to align efforts with the Paris Agreement and make NDCs more ambitious in 2022.
A moderated panel discussion will include short presentations and discussion with a panel of 4-5 individuals from diverse perspectives and geographies on sustainable mobility strategies applicable in the Middle East and North African region. The panelists will include enthusiastic champions of sustainable mobility and the public transport and railway sector from the partners and global/regional members of UIC, UITP, SLOCAT, CETMO and GTMO 5+5 (Group of Transport Ministers for the Western Mediterranean). Speakers will be selected from National and Regional Administrations, Policy Makers and Regulators, Infrastructure Managers, Transport, New Mobility and Logistics Operators, Sectoral Institutions, Corporations and Academia.

Speakers:
Chris Dekki, Director, Global Advocacy & Engagement, Slocat
Nada Jasmin, Director, Safety, Risk, Regulation and Planning Department, RTA
Omar Mehyar, Global Lead Transport Specialist, Economic and Social Infrastructure Department, IsDB
Yarob Badr, Regional Advisor Transport and Logistics, UNESCWA
Khaled Jamea Yousif Ajjah, Assistant Manager Intermodal Business Development, Etihad Rail

17:30-18:30

Spice B

Organized by Pricewaterhousecoopers Middle-East

Addressing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues is rising on the agenda of public sector regulators and leading businesses in the Middle East. Pressure is coming from consumers, employees, board members and investors. For example, the latest PwC ME CEO survey 2021 highlighted that ESG is a topic that is growing in interest for the Middle East region; 35% of CEOs plan to increase spending investment by 3-9% over the next three years, and 11% plan to increase by over 10%. Similarly, the PwC ESG Consumer and Employee survey 2021 also found that 83% of consumers think companies should be actively shaping ESG best practices and 86% of employees prefer to support or work for companies that care about the same issues they do. 
To get a deeper understanding of key ESG concerns, PwC Middle East is now conducting a ground-breaking survey targeting heads of sustainability (or equivalent) in 2000 companies and government bodies. Companies across different sectors will be targeted, including (but not exclusively) banking and capital markets, oil and gas, construction, healthcare, retail, and transport. Companies and government policy makers are also being interviewed as part of the process. The survey aims to explore how important ESG concerns are in the region, what is driving this interest and key areas of concern such as climate change, biodiversity, and human rights among others, as well as how it will evolve with time. It will also Illustrate the level of maturity of ESG for corporates (from compliance driven through to leadership aspirations) and the potential for transformation across sectors to address climate change and other important topics. It will also explore key barriers hindering action on ESG as well as their possible solutions. 
The aim of this side event is to launch the preliminary results of this survey and facilitate dialogue between businesses and government bodies across the region on the implications of the results. The audience will include anyone involved in MENA Climate Summit, survey participants and civil society organisations. The event is planned to 1.5 hours with the following proposed agenda:

1. Welcome & introduction (5 mins)
2. Survey results (30 mins)
3. Q&A (10 mins)
4. Panel discussion (with up to 4 key organisations) (45 mins)
5. Closing (5 mins)

13:15-14:45

Silk A

Organized by Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs), Department of Geography, Sultan Qaboos University, Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS), American University of Iraq and CASCADES project

As the new CASCADES report on climate impacts in the MENA region shows, the Middle East is at the forefront of dealing with compound climatic, environmental and socio-economic risks. Looking at several successful examples from the Middle East region, this session will ask what is needed to incentivize, finance and scale up the kind of practices, infrastructure and technology that will meet climate challenges while also contributing to national economic transition goals – be that towards sustainable diversification away from oil and gas dependence, or green economy. In particular, it may consider circular approaches to waste-water management in Jordan, instituting flood management and recharge groundwater in Oman, and improving livelihoods and crop yields sustainably in Iraq. The session will aim to raise awareness of the ways in which such innovative MENA country responses can improve future approaches to climate resilience and inform international partnerships to achieve them.

Speakers: 
Noura Al Nasiri, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Meshal Abdullah, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Ali AlKarkhi, Humat Dijlah Association, Iraq
Salman Khairalla, Humat Dijlah Association, Iraq
Ahmad Shaqar, Water Authority of Jordan
Glada Lahn, Chatham House (Chair)

15:00-16:00

Silk B

Organized by Islamic Development Bank

This event will highlight the roles that green sukuk market plays in global green growth and transition effort and the lessons learned from different stakeholders and players in Islamic finance and green growth industries.

• The session would explore the role of the green/sustainability sukuk market in bridging the financing gap and how green Islamic finance products such as green sukuk can help economies build back better a robust and resilient post-COVID future.
• Identify ways to optimize and leverage Islamic finance products and instruments to address financing gaps and accelerate the implementation of sustainable development goals across IsDB sub-regions. 
• Illustrate the role of MDBs and Green Investors in supporting country efforts to mobilize more Islamic finance products for their low carbon and climate-resilient interventions.

Speakers:
Habib Abubakar, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Islamic Development Bank
Gareth Phillips, Manager Climate Finance and Environment, African Development Bank
Zakky Bantan, Manager Treasury Department, Islamic Development Bank
KPMG, Advisor ESG, KPMG

16:15-17:15

Atlantis E

Organized by Save the Children International

Through a generation of youth-led social movements with a strong focus on storytelling, a youth voice on climate action continues to grow and many children around the world are already leading the way on climate change and inequality action. Building on the commitment of the Egyptian Government at the World Youth Forum, we must support children to be a meaningful part of youth engagement and urgently address the connected crises of economic inequality and climate change. We will do this by ensuring children have a voice at the table when climate action and decisions are being made, to ensure the voices of those children most impacted by climate change are heard and listened to, including supporting Children to Speak Up at the MENA Climate Week in Dubai, 2022. This will be a hybrid 60-minute event with a high-level panel in the room and children joining remotely from Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The dialogue will be led by children, speaking about the impact of climate change on their lives and their communities, and the actions they want to see taken forward on this. Children will prepare different themes of discussion based on their experience of climate change, and will highlight key recommendations for the high-level panel members to help guide the discussion in creative ways, which may include story-telling, or sharing artwork.

Speakers:
Nourhan Abdel Aziz, Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications and Media Director, Save the Children Egypt
Ekin Ogutogullari, Regional Director, Save the Children Middle East and Eastern Europe, Save the Children International 
Amr Essam, Senior Advisor, COP27 Presidency Team, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt
Ambassador Doctor Haifa Abu Ghazalla, Undersecretary of Social Affairs, League of Arab States, League of Arab States
Omran Fyad, Member of the Technical Committee of the Children Women and Family Department, League of Arab States
Her Excellency Reem Al Falesi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Childhood and Motherhood, High Council of Childhood and Motherhood
Ms. Anupa Lamichhane, Regional Manager, Asia Pacific, Green Climate Fund

16:15-17:15

Spice A - Room 8 Davos 6

Organized by APCO Worldwide

Historically, the MENA region has been a bastion of innovation that has significantly contributed to the development of humanity, and climate action is not the exception. This has been in part thanks to the cooperative environment that prevails in the region, which enables and accelerates the formation of partnerships between the private and public sector, together with multilateral organizations and civil society. The present side event will showcase leading examples of how local and global company´s offices in the region, in conjunction with partner governments and originations, are implementing ambitious climate mitigation and adaptation actions that are not only contributing to fight against climate change in the region, but that have a global impact and, more importantly, an example that can be easily replicated in other regions.

17:00-18:00

Virtual event

Watch this event

Organized by FMDV - Global Fund for Cities Development and AMPCC Moroccan Association of Mayors

This session introduces key initiatives illustrating the still unleashed potential of the Climate Financing Value Chain « continuum » from international funding and financing to subnational climate action.
Examples of integrative approach, encompassing international, national and subnational channelling of resources for transactions supporting local infrastructure projects financing will be showcased with a specific focus on the Moroccan flagship and innovative National Program for Climate Financing Subnational Action, called SISTIF.

Challenges and barriers for an integrative financing value chain and Solutions/Initiatives already delivering and needing scaling up and out: 

• Inspirational initiatives for: partnering for success, addressing the Subnational Project Preparation & Match Making Gaps, showcasing key initiatives linking all levels of action and multi-stakeholder coalitions
• Gain and disseminate an overview of the latest innovative programs developed in the MENA Region including Parties, Multilateral, bilateral, national and subnational development banks/agencies; Coalitions of Investors and other partners along the financial value chain on project preparation and match making, and consequently identify, reinforce and demonstrate convergence among the actors involved in this key issue for the MENA region transition and transformation.
• Define a joint strategy between coalitions and stakeholders – under the Global Action Framework for Localizing Climate Finance integrated in the MPGCA Human Settlments Pathway - to align Global and National efforts to Local and Regional Governments efforts in supporting NDCs implementation
• Build bridges and encourage partnerships among constituencies in order to obtain sufficient financing for each stage of project preparation for SDG11 and local climate action implementation.
• Link investors and projects, filling the gap between supply of and demand for urban climate finance; sustainable, inclusive and resilient development; capacity building efforts that better position local and subnational governments and their partners to take action and access funding

16:00-17:00

Virtual event

Organized by WWF

COP26 delivered outcomes reflecting the stark reality of collective climate ambition and finance. With COP27 in Egypt, 2022 is a crucial year for the MENA region to explore their role in closing the ambition gap on mitigation and adaptation to ensure countries are collectively on for 1.5d; and in closing the credibility gap, ensuring long and short term pledges and action are also in line. 
The subject for discussion will be to explore to what extent MENA NDCs reflect strong mitigation and adaptation ambition; what the role is for decision-makers in fostering highest ambition in the face of multiple development challenges; and opportunities for regional and national (and global) leadership. In doing so, we will draw on the work of WWF’s holistic assessments of NDCs in the region through the NDCsWeWant checklist, providing a framework for Parties in the region to consider the COP26 request for updated NDCs in 2022. 
This event will also reflect on a possible roadmap to Sharm El-Sheik for the region. In doing so we will bring together the UK presidency and its campaigns of COP26 (cash, cars, coal, and trees), with activities and opportunities in MENA. 
This event belongs to a stream of relevant discussions on ambition by WWF during LAC, Asia-Pacific and Africa climate weeks in 2021.

14:00-15:00

Virtual event

Organized by CDP

The international environmental charity Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) would like to host a side event under 2 with the aim of introducing its cost-free services to local and regional stakeholders the MENA region.
Why CDP
CDP hosts the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting system which guides cities, States and regions to identify, formulate, prioritise, and their climate change related risks and vulnerabilities. As a holistic planning tool, it also guides participants to reflect on which groups are particularly impacted by the identified risks. Subsequently, the questionnaire supports cities in drafting adaptation plans for the identified risks and to adopt adaptation actions that include the needs of vulnerable groups. The reporting system can be used to annually the progress against set targets. 
In 2021, more than 1000 cities participated, including 27 MENA cities, and CDP aims to increase its support in this region. 
Proposed Workshop
A 2 side event is particularly suitable because locally led climate-resilient development including a focus on the integration of vulnerable groups is a main pillar of CDP’s work. Based on an analysis of the outcomes of the 2 discussions in the Africa Climate Week 2021, CDP would like to host a webinar addressing several key issues that participants identified in the main sessions. These key issues are consistent with CDP’s experience working in both, the African and Middle Eastern region, and similar issues are likely to arise in the MENA Climate Week as well. 
A key issue raised was the need for a strengthened data system to formulate risk assessments and inclusive policies and plans as well as the ability to the progress of adaptation actions. CDP would therefore like to present its free reporting system that aims to fulfil this need and highlight how it directly supports participants in their individual journey to improve local and national climate actions.
Moreover, participants expressed the need for regional collaboration, data sharing, and capacity building. CDP facilitates knowledge-sharing through thematic group webinars with different stakeholders from the same region, comparative reports, and access to the free Open Data Portal. In the webinar, CDP can demonstrate how interested stakeholders can browse its Portal to get inspiration from adaptation plans and actions from other reporting cities, States and regions. Moreover, CDP can showcase how it works as a hub for cities, States and regions to get connected to other environmental initiatives. When responding to the CDP questionnaire, cities can also join the UN-backed global Cities Race to Resilience Campaign for which the CDP questionnaire is a core requirement.
Another identified key issue was that the need for science-based policies and plans to attract investments for adaptation actions. In its webinar, CDP would like to address this, by introducing its scoring system and individual science-based feedback services which support participants in improving their adaptation plans, actions, and targets every year. Moreover, CDP would like to present its Matchmaker Portal which focuses on connecting cities in need of funding for their climate actions with green investors. 

16:00-17:00

Virtual event

Organized by International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA)

According to the WHO report on “Climate change and health research: Current trends, gaps and perspectives for the future”, there remains a huge gap of evidence on the interlinkage between climate change and health and even a wider gap on Gender-disaggregated data, as well as the impacts of climate change on the
health of vulnerable communities. In addition, in the MENA region specifically, an enabling environment for all genders to meaningfully engage in climate and health action is not adequately provided. This has been evident in the UNFCCC 2021 Gender Composition report that indicated that “women government delegates occupied, on average, 33 percent of all constituted body positions in 2021, as was the case in 2020 and 2019”. This represents a simple example of not just the lack of equal gender representation, but also the absence of sufficient powerful improvement plans over the years. Therefore, we find it is of utmost importance to ensure that a gender lens is present in the climate and health action to ensure a healthier climate and healthier planet for all. 
The side event will have the following outline:
Introduction through sharing some evidence and data on the interlinkage between gender, health and climate change
Panel discussions involving climate activists addressing the issue of gender in the climate change and health space
Open Space Discussion for sharing experiences, thoughts and inputs on how to improve the gender inclusivity in the climate action on national, regional and international levels
The outcomes of this side event will be used by the IFMSA to plan advocacy and mobilization of their medical students on the national, regional and international level and ensure that gender-inclusive environments are present in the climate action field within the IFMSA and outside it.

18:00-19:00

Virtual event

Organized by Middle East Institute's Climate - Water Program

This Side Event hosted by the Middle East Institute’s Climate and Water Program will include a panel of experts affiliated with the Middle East Institute to assess and discuss three main critical topics:
1. MENA’s current vulnerability to climate change
The MENA region’s vulnerability to climate change has escalated over the last few years as demonstrated by record breaking peak summer temperatures in the Middle East due to extreme heat, more frequent occurrences of extreme weather events associated with severe tropical cyclones forming in the Indian Ocean and striking the Arabian Peninsula (e.g. Cyclone Shaheen), enhanced wildfire activity in North Africa and the Levant, and the challenging coupling of drought and flooding due to short and intense precipitation events over the Nile River Basin. These impacts correspond to real consequences to public health and safety, infrastructure lifespan and maintenance, and the reliability of water resources and agricultural production.
2.How projected increases in global warming will impact the MENA region
The future of the MENA under higher levels of global warming, as indicated by projections of global temperature increases from the IPCC sixth assessment report, is highlighted by an intensification of the region’s current vulnerability to climate change. Higher global temperatures exacerbate extreme heat in the region, leading to more heat-related illnesses and places pressure on cooling requirements for people and critical infrastructure. Tropical cyclones originating from the Indian Ocean will occur with more frequency and severity, leading to more landfalls in the Arabian Peninsula with corresponding damages and fatalities. Coastal communities and agricultural districts around the Mediterranean (North Africa, Levant, and Turkey) will be more vulnerable to sea level rise and wildfires. More extreme flooding events are anticipated to occur in surface water systems like the Nile River Basin and other high-elevation snowpack-driven rivers due to earlier and larger snowmelt.
3. Specific climate adaptation and mitigation strategies for the region
These current and projected climate change implications to the region add a sense of urgency to adapt and mitigate. However, broad climate adaptation and mitigation strategies to climate change need to be molded to best suit the particular climate change challenges that the MENA region currently faces and is expected to face in the future. These targeted strategies may include enhanced cooperation and coordinated reservoir operations between riparian nations that share surface water systems to better manage flooding events, advance warning systems and protection measures for dangerous and extreme weather, preventative public health initiatives that mitigate heat illness and death due to extreme heat, and rapid suppression and response protocols for wildfires during high heat index summer days.

Speaker:
Mohammed Mahmoud, Director of Climate and Water Program, Middle East Institute

16:00-17:00

Virtual event

Organized by UN High Level Climate Champions Team and #BuildingtoCOP Coalition

55% of the world’s population live in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. The transformation of human settlements into urban environments must address both scarcity of resources and equitable growth. However rapid urbanisation risks exacerbating existing disparities in access to quality places and spaces, due to lack of residential capacity at both pace and scale. 
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region is home to 65.9% of the world’s urban population. Additionally, the presence of informal settlements hinders the ability of cities to deliver environmental, social, and economic benefits to their residents. The Greater Cairo City Region for instance, has two thirds of its residents living in informal settlements (according to the Cities Alliance).
With increasing population growth and rapid unplanned urbanisation, there is mounting demand for buildings. Without immediate action, construction of urban housing and its associated infrastructure will significantly deplete global resources. 
Subsequently, given that construction and the use of construction materials are huge contributors to global emissions, the pace and scale of this required housing construction has the potential to significantly exacerbate carbon emissions. The impact of this would disproportionately affect regions like MENA, where climate change is already causing extreme heat surges along with widespread drought stresses. Our buildings are already coming under increasing pressure with a changing climate, jeopardising their very essence of providing housing and shelter. 
This event will seek to establish how buildings must avoid ‘locking’ emissions in inefficient and unsafe new residential construction in MENA, whilst simultaneously addressing the huge need for rapid delivery of climate-resilient housing. The lag between design and construction means that such housing needs to be developed now.
Underpinning the rapid urbanisation and development of new buildings will be the need for skilled workers to deliver quality developments. The emerging understanding is that a transition to modern methods of construction such as pre-fabrication could offer more jobs, available to a more diverse workforce than those currently offered in the construction market. However, in the context of rapidly developing economies, understanding impacts and perceptions of these technologies on the labour market will be critical.
The UN High Level Climate Champions team will convene a chaired discussion to explore this immediate opportunity from two perspectives:
We will showcase local community-led projects to evidence exemplar ground-up projects and action which can be scaled up.
Highlight radical collaboration opportunities - examples of national and local governments as well as the private sector working together to advance green buildings and the role of the green buildings sector in meeting urbanisation challenges in the MENA region.

Potential moderator:
Elizabeth Wangeci Chege, Chair of Africa Regional Network, World Green Building Council

13:00-14:00

Virtual event

Organized by BirdLife International and United National Convention of the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UN CMS)

Increasing deployment of renewable energy on a global scale has been identified as a key mechanism to reduce emissions and limit warming to 1.5°C. At the same time, associated threats to biodiversity are rapidly multiplying. Renewable energy can help revitalize the economy by generating green jobs, ensuring energy security, improving clean air and health benefits, and strengthening community resilience. However, if located in the wrong place or without safeguards, these developments can have significant and detrimental impacts on wildlife, key areas for biodiversity and the wider contributions to people that nature provides. Building on the momentum of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP26 in Glasgow and the handover of the UNFCCC COP Presidency to Egypt for COP27, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure positive outcomes for nature, climate, and people with strong leadership from across the MENA region. 
This webinar seeks to showcase key mechanisms and innovative tools for the nature-sensitive deployment of renewable energy, such as those that are being established through the United Nations (UN) Convention on Migratory Species’ Energy Task Force (CMS ETF), a leading global multi-stakeholder platform. Examples will be drawn from across MENA and where appropriate more widely, to highlight transferrable opportunities for the region.
Key experts from across the renewable sector in MENA as well as specifically in countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Ethiopia and Morocco will explore examples of how nature-sensitive renewable energy deployment is becoming increasingly championed and mainstreamed by governments, industry, international finance institutions and other stakeholder groups. Amongst other key successes in the region, the event will highlight initiatives such as the award-winning Migratory Soaring Birds (MSB) Project (https://migratorysoaringbirds.birdlife.org), which focusses on mainstreaming the conservation of migratory soaring birds within countries located along the Red Sea/Rift Valley Flyway. This project is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the UN Development Program (UNDP). 
Speakers will highlight opportunities for the scaling-up of such good practice approaches and demonstrate how the upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15 and the UNFCCC COP27 provide opportunities to enhance synergies and deliver nature-sensitive renewable energy deployment for these joint agendas.

Speakers:
Osama Al Nourim, Project Manager BirdLife International 
Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
Dr Ute Collier, Deputy Director, Knowledge, Policy and Finance Centre, International Renewable Energy Agency

19:00-20:00

Virtual event

Organized by Liberal International

The panel discussion is intended to bring a vast array of influential experts and politicians that are either from the MENA region working on environment related issues, or from other regions in the world that have supported the implementation of net zero agenda in the region. Drawing from their rich expertise, the panel will aim to answer the following questions:
1. How will COP27, presided by Egypt, approach the issue of food security, in light of the latest IPCC report announcing grave warnings on land degradation and deforestation?
2. How will the Egyptian presidency push the developed world and the biggest emitters in increasing their ambitions and NDCs?
3. How can COP27 ensure a balance between adaptation and mitigation finance?
4. What needs to happen to ensure the promised target of carbon neutrality, and what is the role of the MENA region in it?

Speakers:
Susanna Rivero Baughman, Foreign affairs and Cooperation Advisers at the Secretary of Climate Action, Government of Catalonia
Sveinung Rotevatn, Former minister of Climate and Environment, Norway
Rania Al-Mashat, Minister for International Cooperation of Egypt – TBC
Rob Jetten, Minister for Climate and Energy, The Netherlands – TBC
Nigel Topping, UN High Level Climate Champion for COP26
Nils Torvards, MEP, Renew Coordinator for Environment, Norway – TBC
Emma Wiesner, MEP, Renew, Sweden – TBC
Senior Representative, African Development Bank

Moderator:
Hakima El Haite, President of Liberal International, UN High level climate champion

16:00-17:00

Virtual event

Organized by United Nations University Vice Rectorate in Europe (UNU-ViE), Fundación Avina, FLACSO Ecuador, IDRC and Future Earth

The session will engage youth representatives and practitioners from public, private and academia sectors to discuss and advocate for policies, practices, and innovations that advances national plans and improve reporting at the 2023 Global Stocktake. A keynote speaker will reflect on the role of youth and women to respond to broader climate action in a transformational way and how integrated capacity building approaches can facilitate their leadership in the MENA region. After the insightful presentation, short interventions will be made by panelists from youth organizations, government, universities and the private sector sharing their experience, particularly at strengthening national capacities toward 2023 global stocktake, preparation of a generation of thought-leaders who are proactive in current and subsequent Paris Agreement ambition cycles, support in the development green businesses and entrepreneurship, and overcoming the challenges in promoting green innovations. One speaker will share the experience from Latin America as a means to foster south-south collaboration and strengthen partnerships in climate action. This will be followed by a Q&A session. The major outcome of the session will be to encourage more inclusive policy making, collaboration, innovation, investment, and capacity building for stakeholders involved in Climate action.

Speaker:
Margaret Koli, Research Programme Associate at UNU-VIE

13:00-14:00

Virtual event

Organized by World Food Programme (WFP) and The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

The climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis. Finding a solution to mitigate the loss and damage experienced across the Arab Region is a complex task that requires a coordinated approach in which governments, donors, local, national and international organisations come together. In a joint side event, WFP and IFRC will demonstrate the contribution of anticipatory action and the opportunities that this entails for governments, communities and people in the Arab Region. The side event will present recent evidence based on a regional study and provide examples from the region where early warning, climate services and acting early are central to supporting adaptation and ways to mitigate increasing shocks and stressors.

15:30-16:00

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar

Young people are actively engaged at local, national and global levels in raising awareness, running educational programmes, conserving our nature, promoting renewable energy, adopting environmentally- friendly practices and implementing adaptation and mitigation projects. This Panel will have 3 youth from the MENA region Sharing their work on the respective countries.

Speaker:
Neeshad Shafi, Executive Director, Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar

16:00-16:30

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by Zest Associates

The UAE and UK have huge ambitions for the clean hydrogen sector, but how can they turn ambition into action? Zest Associates Managing Director Jeffrey Beyer will explore areas where collaboration across policy, innovation, trade and investment can accelerate both countries' clean hydrogen agendas. At this Action Hub, you'll get a preview of key insights from a soon-to-be-released landmark study on UAE-UK clean hydrogen collaboration opportunities, delivered in partnership with the World Green Economy Organization and HSBC.

Speakers:
Jeffrey Beyer, Managing Director, Zest Associates

09:30-10:30

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Organized by Tal Ronen, YKCenter

In 1993, the late president of Israel, Shimon Peres, proposed "A New Middle East". A daring vision for a Middle East, free of conflict and full of regional cooperation. Tal Ronen is one of the architects of the “New Middle East” plan. As a close confidant and coach to President Peres, Tal Ronen was priveledged to the thoughts from the back of the mind of Shimon Peres and other leaders working on, what at the time was, a rebellious reinvisioning of reality. Over the past decade Tal Ronen has been applying his lived experiences and learnings to create visionary change in businesses and organizations. Since 2012, Tal Ronen has also been working with Prof. Yehuda Kahane, a world renowned economist and thinker on transformation towards sustainability, and more recently, the SDGs. Throughout their shared work, Tal has been focused on and proposing an idea called "TransformNation". TransformNation is a merging of Prof. Kahane's economic thinking, Tal Ronen's methodologies, and national alignment with the SDGs. These ideas combine to create a plan for national-level transformation and aligning with the necessary paradigm shift into sustainability. The event will be a sharing of Tal's work from behind the scenes with Shimon Peres to this very day, where Tal is working to create national-scale transformation around the world.

12:00-13:30

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency (YOUNGO), Arab Youth Centre (AYC), World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), Regional Collaboration Center for MENA and SA, UNFCCC, World Bank Group (WBG), Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar and Federal Youth Authority (FYA)

A friendly introduction on how young people can engage in the UNFCCC process through YOUNGO, with an emphasis on the critical role of Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) and the road to COP27 and COP28.

Speakers:
Mohamed Maray Mohamed Elshikhi, YOUNGO
Selma Bichbich, YOUNGO
Elizabeth Gulugulu, YOUNGO
Disha Sarkar, YOUNGO
Deena Mariyam, YOUNGO
Amal Ridene, YOUNGO
Timothy Damon, YOUNGO
Xan Richard Northcott, YOUNGO

16:00-18:00

Silk C

Organized by IAAI & Climate Chain Coalition (both UNFCCC accredited observer organizations)

IAAI GloCha is co-host (with UN Environment of the MENA Climate Week 2022 Track 3 session "Transformative Climate Action through Digitalization: Blockchain Technologies" on Tuesday 29th 11.00-12.30. This session will serve as an important milestone to draw together blockchain stakeholders in the MENA region for shaping the common understanding of the technology’s potential for supporting countries with the Paris Agreement’s global goal. In order to add to the momentum of this official session, IAAI and globally leading blockchain4climate network Climate Chain Coalition are organizing an informal networking meeting of relevant stakeholders (blockchain solution providers, academia, public sector, impact businesses) to facilitate the formation build the thematic network/expert cluster which shall provide input to a potential digital innovation thematic focus of COP27 (Egypt) and COP28 presidencies (UAE).

Speakers:
Miroslav Polzer, IAAI GloCha
Massamba Thioye, UNFCCC & Climate Chain Coalition co-chair,
Ayesha Sodha, ImpactScope, 
Vim Meraki, IAAI UAE, 
Jane Thomason,
Diana D' Alo, Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Organization,
Katherine Foster,
participants from the blockchain4cliamte Track 3 session

14:15-18:00

Spice C - Press Conference

Organized by UNFCCC secretariat and ILO

This event plan to discuss planning transition from fossil fuel economies to green economy, tools and methods for assessing impact of policies, economic diversification, just transition, tracking mitigation benefits from economic diversification

Speakers:
Ambassador Mohamed Nasr, Incoming Presidency of Egypt
Atika Sabri, Member of planification commission, Moroccan Sahraouis Women's Association for integrated development, Morocco
Bradley Todd Hiller, Lead Climate Change Specialist (Mitigation), Islamic Development Bank
Christophe McGlade, Head of the Energy Supply Unit, International Energy Agency
Jan-Willem Van de Ven, Head of Climate Finance and Carbon Markets, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Jose Manuel Medina Checa, International Labour Organization
Karl Vella, Climate Policy Director, We Mean Business Coalition
Kusum Lata, Team Lead, UNFCCC
Manal R. Shehabi, Founding Director St. Antony's College, University of Oxford
Mandy Rambharos, General Manager at Just Energy Transition, Office of the Group Chief Executive, Eskom Holdings, South Africa
Marek Harsdorff, International Labour Organization
Michael Renner, Programme Officer, International Renewable Energy Agency
Moustapha Kamal Gueye, International Labour Organization
Nathalie Bavitch, International Labour Organization
Peter Govindasamy, Director at Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore
Romanas Savickas, Senior Advisor and Consultant, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre
Tidjani Niass, Saudi Aramco
Wael Farag Basyouny Kamel Keshk, General Manager at Mitigation and CDM Department, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, Egypt
William Kojo Agyemang Bonsu, International Labour Organization
Zhuolun Chen, Senior Advisor, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre

13:30-18:00

Atlantis A (part 2)

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Organized by UN-ESCWA-LAS-UNEP-UNESCO

Speakers:
Mohamed Ahmedoua, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
Taha Amimi, Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development
Hanadi Awadalla Abderasoul, Ministry of Agriculture, Forest National Corporation (FNC)
Dalal Elhaj Ebrahim Mohmmed, Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources
Ahmed Ali Ahmed Aboulgheit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mahmoud Fathallah, League of Arab States
Oday Hadi Haddawee Al-Bayati, Ministry of Environment 
Yousef A. H. Abuasad, Ministry of Transport
Tarek Sadek, UN-ESCWA
Ayman Shasly, Ministry of Energy
Mohamed Nasr, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Amr Osama Abdel-Aziz, INTEGRAL Consult
Aya Ibrahim, UN-ESCWA
Sara Qais Al Haleeq, Ministry of Environment
Mohamed Osama, Ministry of Industry and Trade
Bisher Imam, UNESCO Cairo Office
Tugba Icmeli, UNFCCC
Hassan Dhaini, Ministry of Environment, Lebanon
Nigel Topping, High-Level Champion, COP 26 Presidency of the United Kingdom
Mahmoud Mohieldin, High-Level Champion, COP 27 Presidency of Egypt

Moderator: 
Danielle Magalhaes, Team Lead, UNFCCC

13:15-18:15

Atlantis C

Organized by UNFCCC

The DNA Forum provides opportunities for DNA representatives to exchange views, share their experiences relating to the CDM and bring forward common views and issues to the attention of the Executive Board. Apart from CDM discussions the much awaited Article 6 work will also be reflected in the agenda. The DNA participants and the speakers for the DNA Forum are expected to contribute to other events taking place at MENA RCW 2022.

Speakers:
Sohel Pasha, UNFCCC Secretariat
James Grabert, UNFCCC Secretariat
Omar Alcock, CDM EB (Pre-recorded video message)
Kudakwashe Manyanga, DNA Forum Co-chair, Zimbabwe
Motoharu Yamazaki, UNFCCC Secretariat (remote)
Frank Wolke, CDM EB (remote)
Amjad Abdulla, CDM EB

14:00-15:30

Silk A

Tracks

Climate Finance in MENA Region: where we stand and the way forward

Organized by FMDV - Global Fund for Cities Development and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA)

Current efforts to meet targets for net-zero by 2050 have so far fallen short, and countries, globally and in the MENA region, begin to re-adjust existing targets and introduce new policies to curb the impacts of climate change. Financing these initiatives will be a particular struggle especially for developing countries. The MENA region is highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change with low penetration levels of renewable energy (13% of the energy consumption mix) despite vast renewable resources and some of the lowest cost generation in the world, and energy efficiency, whilst the fiscal space for financing efforts on climate change adaptation and mitigation remains limited, especially in climate adaptation where the region attracts the lowest share at only 6 %, so as to protect nature and support sustainable livelihoods. The role of international financial institutions and the development of climate change funds and mechanisms are critical in de-risking investments and providing much needed funding and financing in especially challenging investment climates such as those in/recovering from conflict.
This session aims to:

• Set the scene of climate finance in the MENA Region: key data, challenges, trends and achievements in public and private sector climate finance (exploring key elements such as: access, flows, intermediation/channelling, adaptation/mitigation finance distribution, risk management, guarantees/credit enhancement, regulations, etc.), at regional and national scales of action, including a focus on subnational dynamics with the example of Morocco’s National Program on subnational climate finance.
• Present national best practices and initiatives, and regional stakeholders’ dynamics (laws/regulations, specific partnering/blended finance mechanisms, sectorial dynamics and market analysis on climate finance opportunities).
• Showcase regional drivers for change in financing NDCs and stakeholders’ climate action (especially on adaptation)

Speakers: 
Venkata Putti, Program Manager, Carbon Markets and Innovation, The World Bank
Shada Al Shariff, Investment Priority Lead/Prime Minister Delivery Unit (PMDU), Jordan
Ignacio Carreras, Special Projects Manager, AMEA Power
Carlos de Freitas, Strategy Advisor, FMDV-Global Fund for Cities Development
Nabil Badr, Deputy Director of Banking Supervision, Bank Al-Maghrib, Network for Greening Financial Systems (NGFS)
Dahlia El Hawary, Lead Consultant United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative UNEP FI (Egypt)
Jan-Willem van de Ven, Head of Climate Finance and Carbon Markets, EBRD
Mohand Laenser, Honorary Chairman of ARM- Moroccan Association of Governors, Former Minister of Home Affairs, Morocco

16:00-17:30

Silk A

Tracks

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Organized by Climate Investment Funds (CIF)

Capital markets have been changing fast over the last decade due to expectations for the financial sector to pay a pivotal role in transforming the economic system to be sustainable and equitable. Investors have been responding to the evolving landscape by integrating sustainability or ESG considerations in their investment decisions and declaring their goals in contributing to climate action through numerous market initiatives, such as Net Zero Alliance, Climate 100+ and others.
While sustainable finance is becoming mainstream in developed and higher income countries, lower income countries’ access to sustainable capital has been limited. Out of 20+issues of green bonds, there has been only several emerging markets issuing green bonds and there have been only four emerging market issuers that are included in investment benchmarks that drive institutional investors flows. Out of $1 trillion of green bonds issued globally, less than 1% of that has been issued in MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa.
This panel will explore existing experience and opportunities for MENA countries in accessing capital markets for their green/climate investments from the recent green bond by Egypt, green sukuk by Islamic Development Bank, a prospective sovereign green bond issuance by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and from the lens of private sector financial institutions and investors.

Speakers: 
Zamir Iqbal, Vice President and CFO, Islamic Development Bank
Ekaterina (Katya) Gratcheva, Lead Finance Officer, Climate Investment Funds, World Bank
Eman Abdelazim, Head of External Debt, Ministry of Finance, Egypt
Lydia Harvey, Executive Director, ESG Specialist, J.P. Morgan
Steven Liberatore, Head of ESG/Fixed Income, Nuveen
Guly Sabahi, Senior Advisor, Senior Advisor, Climate Finance, NDC Partnership Support Unit, World Resources Institute

14:00-15:30

Silk B

Tracks

Organized by MENA CW Partners

This session will focus on the nexus of food and climate security and examine the response to food security in states under protracted conflict and political fragility amidst already-observed and expected changes in temperature, rainfall patterns, and the increasing frequency of extreme events. The session will explore key lessons learnt towards coherence with climate change and other international frameworks, focusing on adaptation and resilience actions with attention to improving food security in the context of conflict.

Speakers:
Aida Osman, Community Development Officer, Government of Sudan 
Luis Augusto Becerra Lopez-Lavalle, Chief Scientist, ICBA 
Nadim Farajalla, Director, Climate Change and Environment Program, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs 
Ibtisam Abuhajia, Department of Climate Change and Drought Management, Ministry of Agriculture, Palestine 
Sandra Ruckstuhl, Senior Researcher, IWMI 
Heba Hariry, Independent Consultant

16:00-17:30

Silk B

Tracks

Organized by UNDP, SIWI and IFAD

The convergence of the climate emergency with the COVID-19 pandemic and pre-existing trends of conflict and displacement exemplifies the complexity and interconnectivity of risks and has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities of communities in the MENA region, underscoring the need for greater attention to coherent, coordinated approaches to adapting to climate change, access to water and peace and human security. The session will focus on the overarching theme of climate action in fragile settings, in particular on climate change, water, peace and security. The objective of the event is to highlight the critical importance of considering climate security and the fragile contexts in which climate actions take place in the MENA region. 
The session will highlight the importance of integrated approaches to climate action, water, peace and human security through a panel discussion comprising representatives from countries, international organizations and academia. 
This session aims to:

• Highlight the critical importance of considering climate security and the fragile contexts in climate actions 
• Discuss integrated approaches to climate action, water, peace and human security
• Increase awareness about water-security nexus and inspire greater research on climate security, water risks and the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Speakers:
Mahmoud R. Fath-Allah, Director, Department of Environmental, Meteorological Affairs (EMA) Economic Sector, League of Arab States
Galal Awadh, Deputy Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Unit, Social Fund for Development, Yemen
Joanna Doummar, Vice President of the International Association of Hydrogeologists, Associate Professor of Groundwater Hydrology, Chairperson, Department of Geology, IAH/American University of Beirut
Rachael McDonnell, Deputy Director General – Research for Development, IWMI/CGIAR
Dane McQueen, Senior Advisor, United Arab Emirates Special Envoy for Climate Change
Naho Mirumachi, Reader in Environmental Politics at the Department of Geography, Kings College, UK
Kishan Khoday, Regional Team Leader, Nature, Climate and Energy, UNDP

16:00-17:30

Silk C

Organized by MENA CW Partners

The Middle East and North Africa region is already the hottest and driest on the planet, but the current level of emissions and expected climate impacts are set to make some areas uninhabitable. Without bold action, by 2100 50% of the population in the region will be exposed to “super-extreme” weather events. Cities will be most impacted by the rising heat, with maximum temperature reaching or even exceeding 60°C in MENA urban centers and megacities. In the Middle East, most capital cities could face four months of exceedingly hot days every year.
As the heat rises, access to thermal comfort in and around buildings is key to protect the health and prosperity of communities in the Middle East and North Africa, and the livability of urban centers. However, today, the process of cooling down buildings is a key driver of energy use and emissions. Direct and indirect emissions from air conditioning and refrigeration are projected to rise 90% between 2017 and 2050. The energy demand for cooling is particularly high in the MENA region: air conditioning already accounts for 70% of energy consumption in the UAE. 
Advancing the availability and accessibility of sustainable cooling solutions is a transformative opportunity for the MENA region to deliver increased resilience to climate risks, while avoiding rising emissions.  Bold policies and action is needed by national and local governments to urgently adopt strategies to keep people cool without warming the planet. From district cooling in Dubai, passive buildings solutions in Egypt, ambitious policy regulation in Morocco, to urban forests in Riyadh, this session will feature solutions that are being implemented to beat the heat in the region. Experts from cities, industry and country representatives will discuss what is needed to scale up implementation of best practices, to deliver increased resilience to extreme heat sustainably, for all. 
The event will mark the regional launch of Beating the Heat: A Sustainable Cooling Handbook for Cities, a new tool that provides actionable guidance for cities to organize action towards sustainable and equitable urban cooling.

Speakers:
Abdullah Taibah, Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia
Samira al Rais, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy, General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Dubai 
Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower 
Khaled Al-Zahabi, Chairman, Housing and Building National Research Center
Lahcen Amrouch, Mayor of Argana
Samira al Rais, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy, General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Dubai
Eleni Myrivili, Chief Heat Officer, City of Athens
Majida El Ouardirhi, Secretary General Secretary General of Housing and City Policy Department, Ministry for National Territory Planning, Land Planning, Housing and City Policy, Kingdom of Morocco
Giorgia Rambelli, Coordinator, Climate Policy & Energy Governance, ICLEI

16:00-17:30

Silk C

Tracks

Organized by MENA CW Partners

Almost 60% of the population of the MENA region live in cities with the population expected to double in the next 50 years. MENA’s urban populations are rising, and transport will be key for economic development, connectivity and urban-rural integration, and improving overall quality of life and equity. However, many cities in the region still have inadequate transport systems that do not support the growing population or simply do not exist.
Using public transport is one of the most effective actions that people can take to help stop the climate crisis. Rail will also be key to move towards more sustainable cities. Considering the low energy and CO2 intensities of rail transport, shifting passenger activity from more intensive modes such as private cars and airplanes to rail is a key strategy for net zero alignment.
With transport, already accounting for 37% of CO2 emissions from end-use sectors globally, the MENA region emitted more than 20% of global CO2 emissions in 2014, with Egypt’s transport sector contributing 15% to total greenhouse gas emissions, for instance. As a result, transforming the sector will be key to get the region on track with the Paris Climate goals, whilst reaping the multiple benefits associated with investments in low-carbon mobility solutions. 
Advancing the availability and accessibility of sustainable transport is a transformative opportunity to advance the realisation of global sustainability and climate frameworks - helping MENA countries achieve socio-economic ambitions, address environmental and planning challenges, as well as deliver on resilience to climate risks, and avoid rising emissions in the region.
From Amman’s Metropolitan Growth Plan and Urban Transport Master Plan to Rabat’s reorganisation of its bus networks, this session will feature solutions being implemented and lessons learnt to create sustainable transport solutions in the MENA region. Experts from cities, country representatives, and industry will illustrate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the MENA region and discuss the necessities to scale up and accelerate action on sustainable transport that can be accessed by all.

Speakers:
Christopher Dekki-Director, Global Advocacy and Engagement at SLOCAT Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport
Abdulla Al Basti, General Secretary, Executive Council of Dubai
Hend Hayari, BRT Operation Department Manager
Dr. Ayman Smadi, UITP Director MENA, UITP
Cezane Maherali, Director, Public Policy Middle East and Africa, Uber 
Zeina Hawa, Co-founder at The Chain Effect, Senior Engineer at Sustrans London Design Team

11:0013:00

Atlantis A (part 1)

Organized by COP26 UK Presidency

This session will build on the recommendations of the COP26 Catalyst Call to Action designed to share countries’ views on the opportunities and challenges—as well as build capacities and understanding among developing country actors—associated with adaptation action. The session will focus in particular on how countries are navigating the transition from adaptation planning to implementation, which can require a range of actions and collaboration of stakeholders to finance and/or implement strategies, project concept notes, incentive schemes, and campaigns for action, among others. Looking ahead to COP27, this session will be an opportunity for South-South peer learning and exchange to compare approaches and share common questions among policy makers and relevant stakeholders from Northern Africa and the Middle East. It will also explore how countries are leveraging existing adaptation planning processes and vehicles (including through their Adaptation Communications, National Adaptation Plans, and Nationally Determined Contributions) to deliver well-coordinated national approaches to adaptation.

Speakers:
Janet Rogan, Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and Africa, UK
Lea Kai, Project Manager, Climate Change Projects, Ministry of Environment, Lebanon
Claire Holzer Fleming, COP26 Unit, Capacity Building Negotiator, UK
Alejandro Kilpatrick, UNFCCC
Debra Roberts, Acting Head, Sustainable and Resilient City Initiatives Unit, Chief Resilience Officer, EThekwini Municipality
Anju Sharma, Global Center on Adaptation
Christian Ledwell, Policy and Manager, National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network
Dr. Balgis Osman, Elasha, ARA
Aurelie Ceinos

09:00-12:00

Atlantis A (part 2)

Organized by UNFCCC

The global stocktake of the Paris Agreement (GST) is a process for taking stock of the implementation of the Paris Agreement with the aim to assess the world’s collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the agreement and its long-term goals (Article 14).
The GST started at COP26 in Glasgow and this session aims to provide an overview of the GST, its themes, components and modalities, as outlined in decision 19/CMA.1. The GST has three components: Information collection and preparation; technical assessment, which includes meetings of the technical dialogue; and consideration of outputs, which will inform Parties in updating and enhancing their climate actions and support.
The event will be an opportunity to engage Parties and NPS in the GST process, by providing information on opportunities to participate in the GST and emphasizing the importance of the GST as a mechanism to increase ambition and foster action at all levels. 
The session will also provide a space to hold conversations on the themes of the GST (mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation, as well as response measures and loss and damage) and an opportunity to discuss possible inputs at the regional level, including on the collective progress to date, challenges and barriers to achieve the Paris Agreement goals, and directions to enhance action and ambition, highlighting effective and innovative solutions in the region.

Speakers:
Cecilia Njenga, UNFCCC
Janet Rogan, COP26 Regional Ambassador for the MENA region
Nigel Topping, UK High-Level Champion
Hana S. Alhashimi, Head, Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change
Jamal Srouji, WRI
Omnia El Omrani, Youth4Climate
COP27 incoming presidency (tbc)

09:00-13:15

Spice C - Press Conference

Organized by UNFCCC secretariat and ILO

This event plan to discuss planning transition from fossil fuel economies to green economy, tools and methods for assessing impact of policies, economic diversification, just transition, tracking mitigation benefits from economic diversification

Speakers:
Ambassador Mohamed Nasr, Incoming Presidency of Egypt
Atika Sabri, Member of planification commission, Moroccan Sahraouis Women's Association for integrated development, Morocco
Bradley Todd Hiller, Lead Climate Change Specialist (Mitigation), Islamic Development Bank
Christophe McGlade, Head of the Energy Supply Unit, International Energy Agency
Jan-Willem Van de Ven, Head of Climate Finance and Carbon Markets, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Jose Manuel Medina Checa, International Labour Organization
Karl Vella, Climate Policy Director, We Mean Business Coalition
Kusum Lata, Team Lead, UNFCCC
Manal R. Shehabi, Founding Director St. Antony's College, University of Oxford
Mandy Rambharos, General Manager at Just Energy Transition, Office of the Group Chief Executive, Eskom Holdings, South Africa
Marek Harsdorff, International Labour Organization
Michael Renner, Programme Officer, International Renewable Energy Agency
Moustapha Kamal Gueye, International Labour Organization
Nathalie Bavitch, International Labour Organization
Peter Govindasamy, Director at Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore
Romanas Savickas, Senior Advisor and Consultant, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre
Tidjani Niass, Saudi Aramco
Wael Farag Basyouny Kamel Keshk, General Manager at Mitigation and CDM Department, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, Egypt
William Kojo Agyemang Bonsu, International Labour Organization
Zhuolun Chen, Senior Advisor, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre

13:30-16:30

Atlantis D

Organized by Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), Regional Collaboration Center for MENA and SA, UNFCCC and UNFCCC Youth Constituency (YOUNGO)

The in-person workshop aims to provide an avenue for ACE National Focal Points from the MENA and South Asia region to share experiences and lessons learned on ACE implementation, as well as to build capacity and to establish a regional network of National Focal Points. Along with country representatives, this workshop will also be attended by representatives from UN and international organizations. The interactive workshop will consist of a panel discussions and breakout sessions that touch on three important matters: the role of the National Focal Points at the national/regional level, the implementation of the Glasgow Work Programme and the action plan to be discussed at SB56 and adopted at COP27.

Speakers:
Naima Oumoussa, Responsible for Adaptation to Climate Change, Morocco
Lydia Mohamed Kamel Elewa, General Manager, Climate Change Technology and Research Departmenr, Egypt
Hadeel Ikhmais, Head of climate change section, Environment Quality Authority, Palestine
Mosbah Abaza, Ministry of the Environment, Tunisia
Fleur Newman, Lead of the Action Empowerment Unit, UNFCCC
Maria Laura Vinuela, Programme Officer in the Action for Climate Empowerment team, UNFCCC
Mohammad Darrag, UNFCCC/WGEO RCC
Georgescu Dakmara, Programme Specialist, UNESCO Beirut
Jose Manuel Medina Checa, ILO

10:30-12:00

Atlantis E

Organized by UN-ESCWA and IsDB

The affiliated event will discuss various avenues for mainstreaming climate change in development planning through a holistic approach that aims at promoting a green economic recovery in Arab States.  
Mainstreaming climate action is a multistage process. As such, the event seeks to examine assessment tools, integrated planning instruments, financing options as well as monitoring mechanisms for ambitious climate action. 
The event will showcase inclusive processes for mainstreaming climate considerations in strategic sectors, focusing on the water, energy and transport sectors. Focus will be placed on how development priorities and enabling environments can help to channel investments towards sustainable energy transitions.
The event will also present assessment tools and interventions for advancing natural resource sustainability under a changing climate.  This includes promoting a science-based approach that examines climate change impacts on the water and agricultural sectors and the implications this poses for socio-economic vulnerability in the region.

Speakers:
Carol Chouchani Cherfane, UN ESCWA
Amer Bukvic, IsDB
Walid Hakiki, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt (panelist)
Noura K. Al Issa, Senior Policy Analyst, Sustainability and Climate Change, Ministry of Energy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (panelist)
Dala Elhajj Ebrahim Mohammed, Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources, Sudan (panelist)
Christopher Dekki, SLOCAT Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (panelist)

Moderator:
Bradley Hiller, IsDB

09:00-10:30

Atlantis D

Nature stewardship for inclusive climate actions: Engaging with the knowledge and values of indigenous peoples and local communities from the Middle East and North Africa region

Organized by LCIPP-UNFCCC

Indigenous peoples and local communities have the knowledge amassed through generations of close contact with nature. The inclusion of such knowledge can contribute to overcoming the combined challenges of climate change, food security, biodiversity conservation, and combating desertification and land degradation (IPCC, 2020), and increase prospects for climate resilient development (IPCC, 2022). This is particularly relevant for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region where communities are at the frontlines of climate change impacts.
At the same time, the process of developing and implementing climate policies and actions remains scope to strengthen the engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities. 
The global community could unlock fundamental changes in its interaction with nature and accelerate collective progress towards meeting the Paris Agreement commitments and reserve biodiversity decline, through meaningful and equitable engagement of the knowledge systems, values and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities. 
Purpose:

1. To exchange experiences and observations of climate change impacts on livelihoods and ecosystems in the MENA region, and foster inclusive and equitable partnership between indigenous peoples, local communities, Parties and other relevant entities in the global effort to address climate change;
2. To engage with concrete practices of indigenous peoples and local communities related to stewarding nature and addressing climate change;
3. To amplify the voices of indigenous peoples and local communities to inform the design and implementation of inclusive climate policies and actions.

Speakers:
Handaine Mohamed 
Lydia Mohamed Kamel Elewa
Youssef Nassef
Hanadi Awadalla Abderasoul (tbc)
Rachid Ait Babahmad
Bachir Zahia 
Hoda Yacoub
Lydia Mohamed Kamel Elewa
Balgis Osman-Elasha
Amina El Hajjami

10:45-12:15

Silk A

Organized by UNFCCC, ICAT, FAO and PATPA

Exchanging experiences on building and sustaining transparency arrangements; discussing approaches and opportunities from different perspectives on transparency of action and support.

Speakers:
Tugba Icmeli, UNFCCC 
Ruba Ajjour, Royal Scientific Society, Jordan
Khadija Sami, Regional Director of Environment (Souss-Massa region), Morocco
Hadeel Hisham Ikhmais, Environment Quality Authority, Palestine

Moderator:
Mary Awad Menassa, UNFCCC

09:00-10:30

Atlantis A (part 1)

Organized by UNDRR Bonn Office and UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States

Climate change is changing the magnitude, frequency, duration, and severity of climate-related hazards, and has become a major driver of disaster losses and setbacks in development. As a result, risks are growing and are becoming more complex, leading to compounding and cascading impacts with adverse consequences on ecological and human systems.  At the same time, other underlying risk drivers such as poverty, demographic development, land degradation or conflicts are aggravating exposure and vulnerability to climate-related hazards.  
Therefore, the complex and systemic nature of climate and disaster risks requires the adoption of a Comprehensive Risk Management (CRM) approach. This includes applying this approach to the assessment and integration of risks into planning for the implementation of the 2030 global frameworks.
This session will address the following questions:

• Why is integrated planning important?
• What is Comprehensive Risk Management and how does it promote integrated planning?
• What are the impediments to and opportunities for integrated disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation planning in the MENA region?

Speakers:
Nena Stoiljkovic, Under Secretary General, IFRC
Animesh Kumar, Head of Office, UNDRR Bonn
Nuha El Tinay, National Consultant, Sudan, UNDRR  
Radwan Aden, Executive Secretariat for Risk and Disaster Management, Djibouti, SEGRC  
Camilo Tellez, Associate Programme Officer, UNDRR-ROAS

10:15-11:45

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by YOUNGO and Global Youth Development Institute (GYDI)

This workshop will provide a brief introduction into key technical aspects of youth engagement in both the UNFCCC process and climate advocacy/diplomacy, while the main feature of guided breakout group discussions will encourage MENA youth to strategize around these areas in the context of upcoming participation in COP27 and COP28. Outcomes of the session will be captured as a resource toward future MENA youth engagement.

Speakers:
Mohamed Maray Mohamed Elshikhi, YOUNGO
Selma Bichbich, YOUNGO
Elizabeth Gulugulu, YOUNGO
Disha Sarkar, YOUNGO
Deena Mariyam, YOUNGO
Amal Ridene, YOUNGO
Timothy Damon, YOUNGO/GYDI
Xan Richard Northcott, YOUNGO

12:15-13:45

Atlantis A (part 2)

Organized by NDC Partnership

Now that countries have completed the process of NDC revision, and in many cases raised ambition, the focus of climate action is once again on implementation. Mobilizing finance at scale is critical if the NDCs are to be turned into effective action. The size of the challenge means that finance from all sources, public and private, domestic, and international, will be needed. This peer learning event will bring together representatives from countries and institutions working through and with the Partnership to mobilize finance for NDC action in the MENA region. It will show how countries are taking innovative action to align both public and private finance, and how working through the Partnership with expert partners makes that action more effective. By working together, we achieve more.

Speakers:
Ralien Bekkers, NDC Partnership Support Unit
Romeo Bertolini, NDC Partnership Support Unit
Jan-Willem van de Ven, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD)
Belal Shqarin, Ministry of Enviroment
Vahakn Kabakian, Ministry of Enviroment
Hadeel Ikhmais, Enviroment Quality Authority
Janet Rogan, Government of the United Kingdom
Hanan Hijawi, State of Palestine
James Grabert, UNFCCC

10:30-13:30

Atlantis D

Watch this event

Organized by IsDB

09:00-10:00

Spice B

Organized by DNV

In Post COP 26 low carbon development scenario, the importance of structured process to bridge the gap between fragmented ESG initiatives, disclosures and long term Decarbonisation ambition is growing. DNV would like to organise this side event to support the Thematic track of National actions and economy wide approaches to bring stakeholders on the platform in partnership to share the knowledge and global best practices on how corporates, communities and counties can develop common framework for progress towards the Paris 1.5 degree goal achievement holistically.

Speakers:
Olga Rudkovskaya, Manager, Sustainability & Supply Chain, DNV
Kishor Rajhansa, Executive Director, Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD)
Anirban Chatterjee, Head of Business Development, India & ME, DNV

09:0010:00

Atlantis E

Organized by Global Resilience Partnership

Global temperatures are currently at least 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels, and many climate impacts are already locked in. These impacts will disproportionately affect those who are most vulnerable. Some will be able to adapt but many will not. The consequences of extreme heat, drought, floods and rise in sea-levels will impact communities throughout the Middle East and North Africa disproportionately as well. 
Building long-term resilience to the increasing risk of drought and flood – and doing so immediately – is crucial for cost-effective climate change adaptations as well as unlocking wider prosperity. Identifying effective climate resilience strategies and opportunities to create funding opportunities for them to be implemented and scaled are critical to maintaining economies and livelihoods in the region; including in urban, rural and coastal communities. 
The UN-backed Race to Resilience is helping address this by catalysing actions and investments by non-state actors. This session will focus on what Race to Resilience partners are doing in the MENA region to build the resilience of communities and businesses, and to protect the lives and livelihoods of people most vulnerable to climate change. . 
The side-event will focus on two of the themes for the Regional Climate Week: Integrated approaches for climate resilient development and Seizing Transformation Opportunities. 
The side-event will be a 90 minute moderated and interactive discussion featuring Race to Resilience Partners who are working in the MENA region The initiatives selected to participate are those focussed on building the adaptive capacity and resilience of vulnerable communities whose livelihoods are under increasing risk due to climate change. 
The purpose of the side-event will be to: 

• Provide the latest resilience analytics on community vulnerability to extreme heat and other climate stresses and shocks in the MENA region. 
• Demonstrate the actions being taken by non-state actors in the MENA region to adapt and build resilience to climate change, specific to water security, extreme heat stress and droughts. 
• Identify, through best-practice case studies, the integrated approaches state and non-state actors can adopt which build the resilience of rural, urban and coastal communities. 
• Highlight the work of the Race to Resilience to address resilience and adaptation challenges by building collaborative coalitions of non-state actors and sharing knowledge to scale up best-practice. 

This event will highlight the positive social, environmental and economic outcomes that investing in resilience and adaptation will bring.

Speakers:
Prof. Tasheen Jafry, Director, Center for Climate Justice, Glasgow Caledonian University
Nigel Topping, High Level Champion, COP26, UK
Mahmoud Mohieldin, High Level Champion, COP27, Egypt (tbc)
Noha Shaker, Secretary General of the Egyptian Fintech Association and Vice President of the Africa FinTech Network, Egyptian FinTech Association
Nuha Eltinay, Representative for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region, Resurgence
Nathanial Mathews, CEO, Global Resilience Partnership

11:30-12:30

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Organized by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)

The “Climate Resilient Drinking Water and Sanitation” day at the first ever Water Pavilion at COP26, clearly demonstrated the important role that climate resilient drinking water and sanitation (WASH) plays in tackling the global climate crisis, as both a necessary response, and as part of the climate action solution, from both a mitigation and adaptation perspectives.
Building on the momentum from COP26, we are proposing to do a deep dive session on the “untapped potential of drinking water and sanitation in climate action” in MENA. 
Climate change is a compounding factor for water scarcity in the region, and puts the COVID-19 recovery at risk. The WASH sector needs to respond to climate change, by adapting services, and by doing its part in a “whole of society” effort to address the underlying causes water scarcity. The needed action through WASH has both adaptation and mitigation benefits.
This side event, co-convened by UNICEF MENA Regional Office, multiple UNICEF Country Offices, and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), builds on a body of work undertaken through a longstanding partnership, and will present evidence on:

• how the drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector played a key role in the COVID-19 response, and that the pandemic highlighted underlying inequities and vulnerabilities, and that water scarcity was a limiting factor in the response
• how climate change is compounding water scarcity in the region, and the role that the WASH sector can play in alleviating water scarcity
• how adequately WASH is reflected in the NDCs, NAPs, and in bilateral/multi-lateral climate finance in MENA region

• undertaking multi-stakeholder climate risk, vulnerability, and adaptation assessments, and integrating the results into planning 
• presentations and films will be shown from countries that are undertaking climate action from both mitigation and adaptation perspectives:

1. Mitigation cases may focus on i) green energy use in services provision ii) wastewater treatment and reuse and circular approaches to tackle water scarcity whilst simultaneously contributing to GHG reduction iii) improving efficiency in services provision to reduce GHG emissions
2. Adaptation cases may focus on i) climate risk assessments ii) resilient infrastructure ii) innovations in water demand management and non-revenue water reduction iii) non-conventional water approaches, e.g., desalination etc.

The session is intended to be a mix of keynotes, presentations, panel discussion and country case studies (speakers, films etc). Speakers will be high level representatives from the co-convening organisations, their partners, and partners in the relevant countries.

Speakers:
Esmaeil Al-Azhari Ibrahim, Water, Environmental Sanitation Specialist, UNICEF MENA
Mahmoud R. Fath-Allah, (Economics) Director, League of Arab States
Robin Ward, Programme Manager, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
Tarik Hassan, Climate Change Specialist, UNICEF MENA
H.E. Jasim Al Falahi, Minister of Environment, Government of Iraq
Amgad Elmahdi, Water Sector Lead GCF and Chair of Water Security Bureau-IWRA, GCF
Rewa Assi, Waterlution / Climate Action Network, Program Coordinator / Youth Delegate - Waterlution
Khaldon Hashman, Secretary General, ACWUA

12:45-13:45

Spice B

Organized by ACT Alliance

Climate change is one of the topmost global challenges. Tackling climate change demands a whole economy and government approach if transformation is to be delivered at scale. Climate change actions across all sectors of the economy must be viewed, organized, and delivered as part of the broader efforts that contribute to low carbon climate resilient and sustainable economies in MENA. 
Whilst all sectors of the economy are affected by climate change and productivity continues to be compromised deepening levels of economic instability and poverty, responses within and across sectors are hardly effectively coordinated limiting the possibility of delivering wins in the fight against climate change. 
Barriers to multi-sectoral action impede scale, impact, and sustainability of climate change actions. Uncoordinated cross-sectoral planning and mainstreaming of climate change does not enable leveraging of diverse solutions and mobilization of innovative approaches. Silo planning and limited multi-stakeholder engagement to a large extent characterizes consideration of climate change unfortunately delivering incoherent policies, strategies, plans and interventions. 
Efforts to address climate change must be anchored on structures, processes and approaches that facilitate joint planning and implementation while integrating perspectives of all stakeholders at a community to national and international level.
Convened by Christian and Muslim people of faith, this side event, provides the opportunity to drive a reflective conversation that aims to unravel the barriers to and offer possible solutions and pathways to strengthen multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagement for effective climate planning and action.

Speakers:
Julius Mbatia, Global Climate Justice Programme Manager, ACT Alliance
Husna Ahmad, CEO, Global One
Tariq al-Olaimy, Co-founder & Managing Director, 3BL Associates
Abdullah Alahmad, King Salman Royal Nature Reserve Development Authority
Inès Belliard, Programme Manager, Global One
Dany Obeid, Lebanon representative, ACT Alliance MENA Climate Justice COP, ACT Alliance

11:30-12:30

Spice B

Organized by REN21

The Middle East and North Africa is rapidly evolving into one of the major hotspots for renewables, in particular mega-scale solar project. Yet, some countries in the region are not on track to reach the Paris Agreement. City governments can play a key role in shaping the region’s energy landscape – including advancing efforts to meet national decarbonisation goals. Across the region, city governments are taking action from mandating solar roofs to developing electric public transport. With rapid population growth, urbanisation and rising energy demand, cities across MENA region recognises the potential and benefits of renewable energy use. But legislative, financial and technological constraints persist. National and sub-national efforts need to be linked to ensure that actions implemented create a cohesive, just, inclusive and resilient energy system. 
The event will look at how cities are using renewable energy to ‘climate-proof’ their communities, while creating healthier and more livable urban environments. 
Speakers will discuss how cities can increase their climate ambition and action, contribute to local and national decarbonisation and support development goals. 
Different perspectives will be illustrated; speakers will represent local and national government, renewable energy experts and other stakeholders. Discussion will focus on exchanging approaches and identifying challenges and sharing action so we can collectively move forward on the energy transition in cities. The need for investment, building adequate policy frameworks and multi-level frameworks which are embedded in larger national strategies will also be discussed. The audience can interact and ask questions.

Speakers:
Laura Williamson 
Karim Maged Mahmoud

12:45-13:45

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Side event

Ogranized by WHO Regional Center for Environmental Health Actions (WHO EMRO)

This side event will provide a chance to discuss the undeniable impact of climate-related impacts and disasters on the health sector, including healthcare system and emergency preparedness.

Speakers:
Mona Khaleghy Rad, Technical Officer, WHO
Mazen Malkawi, Regional Advisor, WHO
Ali Ardalan, Regional Advisor, WHO
Dalia SAMHOURI, Program Area Manager, WHO

14:00-15:00

Spice B

Organized by Care About Climate

Although several analyses are conducted on Nationally Determined Contributions (or NDCs), few of them reflect on gender equity, the role of young girls and women in climate action, and intergenerational equity. Care About Climate’s NDC Equity Tracker provides both a platform and key education structures for international youth to develop local analysis, criticism, and suggestions for growth on their countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions through an equality and justice lens. According to studies conducted by the UNFCCC, women and young girls are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. Hence why it is important for Nationally Determined Contributions of MENA countries to not only identify the extent of their vulnerability but also to recognize them as change makers and leaders in climate action. Moreover, the UNICEF Children’s Climate Risk Index from August 2021 indicated that 820 million children are currently highly exposed to heatwaves, 400 million children to cyclones, 330 million to riverine flooding, 240 million to coastal flooding, 920 million to water scarcity, 600 million to vector-borne diseases, 2 billion (almost 90 percent of children globally) to air pollution, and 815 million to lead pollution. These numbers are too high to ignore when it comes to creating climate policy. Additionally, there are many countries within the MENA region that are at high risk when it comes to children’s vulnerability and social protection programs, environmental and climate stress factors, or both. Thus, it is crucial that youth voices are amplified in climate politics, which is one of the reasons why the NDC Equity Tracker is a beneficial project. The NDC Equity tracker project produces concrete recommendations for how countries can improve their commitments, and provides an international platform to highlight the experiences of vulnerable populations. During our side event, we will provide insight into the policy and equity gaps in current NDCs of the MENA region. We will discuss the NDC Equity Tracker project and how it can be a useful tool for bringing intersectionality into climate decision making as well as pushing for systemic change. Speakers in the event will talk about the analyses they conducted of their respective countries within MENA and bring to light what more needs to be done in order to ensure a just present and future. The project also emphasizes the importance of youth and civil society at the decision making table. The entire project highlighted several important conclusions that will be essential for adoption within the MENA and the globe. The importance of international collaboration, adequate representation, and community participation will be dissected and presented.

Speakers:
Deena Mariyam, NDC Analysis Ambassador, Care about Climate 
Sarah Alharthey, NDC Analysis Mentor, Care about Climate 
Ayshka Najib, NDC Analysis Ambassador, Care about Climate 
Hossam Emam, Volunteer, Care about Climate

09:00-10:00

Silk A

Organized by International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges (IAAI GloCha)

Digital innovation holds great potentials for all of society climate action empowerment. With the proposed side event we want to contribute new ideas to those in charge of preparing COP27 and COP28 on how to harness digital innovation for enhanced multi-stakeholder - and especially youth - engagement and empowerment. Starting points for the discussion will be 3 initiatives that IAAI and partners have launched at COP26: the blockchain based United Citizens Organization for Action for Climate Empowerment https://cointelegraph-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/cointelegraph.com/news/united-citizens-organization-launches-as-a-blockchain-initiative-at-cop26/amp, the DigitalArt4Climate initiative https://digitalart4climate.space/ and the COP in the metaverse initiative, which shall be implemented for the first time on a small scale in the context of the ACE youth Forum 2022.

Speakers:
Ayesha Sodha, Representative in the UAE, IAAI GloCha
Miroslav Polzer, Executive director, IAAI GloCha
Irina Karagyaur, Head of Metaverse Growth, Unique Network
Kristina Corner, Editor in chief, Cointelegraph
Romi Sumeria, CEO, The Oblique Life
Dairou Sidiki, CEO, APCD Chad

17:00-18:30

Spice B

Organized by Global Carbon Council

This event will features how the MENA regions first and the only Voluentry Carbon Market Program, Global Carbon Council (GCC) is catalyzing the climate actions with sustainable development benefits in the region. The event will promote Carbon Finance opportunities for GHG emission reduction projects. .

Speakers:
Kishor Rajhansa, Chief Operations Officer, Global Carbon Council (GCC)  
Amit Thusu, Director Climate Actions, Global Carbon Council (GCC)  
Shashi Prakash, Expert, Sustainability & Carbon, Masdar 
Werner Betzenbichler, Executive Chairmen, Verico SCE
Hemant Nandanpawar, Director & Head of Climate Advisory, Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD) 
Dennis Kronborg Alexandersen, General Manager & International Business Development, BAUER Resources Bahrain W.L.L
Orjan Lundberg, Sustainability Expert at Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy
Joseph Prakash, Senior Manager, Climate Action at Global Carbon Council

14.00-15:00

Atlantis E

Organized by Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection and African Youth Climate Hub

This event aims to highlight the importance of climate education and the need to adapt climate education for African youth in order to develop concrete and innovative solutions to address climate change and promote sustainable development.
This event will also showcase some actions through the African Youth Climate Hub and its partners.

Speakers:
Nasma Jrondi, Expert in sustainable development, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection
Lesley Jones, President, Fondation for Ennvironmental Educaton
Neeshad Shafi, Co-founder & Executive Director, Arab Youth Climate
Ismail Farjia, Junior Executive Manager, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection
Said Mouline, Director General, Moroccan Agency on Energy Efficiency 
Hanane Mourchid, Vice President, The Sustainability Platform at OCP Group 
Nasma Jrondi, Expert in sustainable development, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection

10:15-11:15

Spice A - Room B Davos 6

Organized by Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA)

Concrete is the most consumed material on earth after water. It has shaped our modern world, and will be required to build the sustainable world of tomorrow.. As we face the important challenges for future generations, addressing the need for sustainable communities and prosperity, including key infrastructure, homes, clean water and providing resilient communities as our climate changes, as well as supporting the transition to low carbon energy concrete, it will be required to build the sustainable world of tomorrow.
However, cement - the key binding ingredient in concrete - has a significant CO2 challenge, representing around 7% of global emissions. 
Last year the cement industry made a global commitment to net zero concrete in line with the Paris climate target, with one of the most far reaching global industry net zero roadmaps of any global sector to date. 
The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) is a CEO-led initiative which represents 80% of the global cement industry outside of China, as well as several key Chinese manufacturers.
Following the global  net zero commitment our focus now has shifted to helping support and drive local action, especially in the global south including MENA where we are supporting our members and the wider industry to make that transition. 
We aim to use the MENA climate week as an opportunity to launch our programme and bring together key industry parties to begin the dialogues and activity – including local cement and concrete industry, governments and policymakers, wider stakeholders.

12:45-13:45

Atlantis E

Organized by Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of Cyprus and Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) of The Cyprus Institute

This session will present new initiatives of regional interest within the remits of Research & Innovation and Policy, which aim to accelerate climate actions in the Eastern Mediterranean & Middle East (EMME)  for the benefit of the wider MENA region and expected impacts globally. It will showcase ambitious solutions and discuss opportunities to further enhance and accelerate collaboration with regional actors.

14:00-15:30

Virtual event

Organized by Ministry of higher education and Scientific research

Introducing the Tunisian National Strategy in Climate Action; and focusing on the Higher Education national programs to enhance the awareness and adapt skills of the students, professionals and researchers in order to be more climate active citizens. A Mediterranean joint Master program called MEHMED (involving 6 countries) will be presented as a current example of a successful example to follow/ and to improve. The importance of developing and improving common Research and Innovation projects in the MENA region will also be explained. National delegates and Contact points for the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programs will present the opportunities that EuroMediterranean R&I programs offer to the MENA region countries. A project of constitution of a network of climate experts for the MENA region will be introduced and set out.

Speakers:
Helmi Merdassi, Director of UGPE, MESRS
Josep Vila Subiros, MEHMED project coordinator, University of Girona
Adel Ben Youssef, Expert on Climate Finance, University of Nice
Anna Maria Darmanin, AcrossLimits
Nermine Abdelaty, COSIMENA project coordinator
Borhane Mahjoub, CNN coordinator, MESRS

12:00-13:00

Virtual event

Organized by Arup, The Resilience Shift, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), World Resources Institute (WRI), Resilient Cities Network (RCN), Addis Ababa Resilience Project Office and WaterAid

The aim is to accelerate water resilience action linked to key COP26 and COP27 campaigns and desired outcomes. At the event, partners will share their experiences and perspectives on building water resilience across African cities. 
Climate change, population growth and increasing urbanisation has put increased pressure on our water systems. Much of the world is experiencing a combination of too much, too little, and polluted water affecting people’s health and well-being, devastating economies and threatening lives and livelihoods. The means to build urban water resilience requires a comprehensive understanding of the underlying issues that impact on urban water resilience. This in turn, requires expertise, experience, and insights from a wider range of stakeholder groups, sharing different perspectives and differing needs. We propose a storytelling session on the evolution of the City Water Resilience Approach with our city and industry partners as well as a discussion into the future of the CWRA and its place within the wider themes of Urban Resilience and Adaption. 
The City Water Resilience Approach is a multi-stakeholder systems-structured methodology which takes a city from understanding its urban water shocks and stresses to supporting the development of interventions to build its resilience. It was co-developed through extensive desk and field research and testing and piloted in cities across the globe. Arup, Resilience Shift, the Resilient Cities Network (RCN) – formerly 100 Resilient Cities – and the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) developed the City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA) – an open-source methodology to help cities understand the water-related risks that they face and improve the way they plan, manage and maintain their water system. To date, the approach has been used in 15 cities globally including four in Africa with another four cities planned for 2022 influencing and supporting investment to build water resilience.
We will involve our partners the World Resources Institute, the Resilience Shift, Resilient Cities Network and the Stockholm International Water Institute to explore how cities in the Middle East and across Africa can build their water resilience.
Specifically, we we hear from city representatives on their experience of urban water resilience - sharing learning and experience, including Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Kigali and how this experience can be applied to the MENA region.

12:00-13:00

Virtual event

Organized by ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas), CGIAR and NARS

Led by Mr. Aly Abousabaa, CGIAR Regional Director of Central and West Asia, and North Africa / Director General, ICARDA, this 'fishbowl' style event begins with experts kick-starting conversation on the relevant themes before inviting the audience to swap chairs to inhabit the 'inner virtual circle' and offer their expertise and informed opinion.
Speakers and audience are invited from national agriculture research centers, farmers, public and private sector, civil society, and donors, to present and discuss the viability of 'new science' innovation that breaks from business-as-usual approaches to address today's complex challenges.
Themes will include regional collaboration and knowledge sharing, water productivity, improved crops, integrated innovations, pillar industries, private-public partnerships, conserving and nurturing biodiversity and environmental health, women and youth, and market access.

Speakers:
Aly Abousabaa, CGIAR Regional Director for Central and West Asia and North Africa, Director General ICARDA
Jean-Marc Faure, Regional Programme Leader, Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa, FAO
Amr El Mohr, Quality and Food Safety Manager, Kellog Tolaram Noodles Egypt

15:00-16:00

Virtual event

Organized by World Resources Institute and International Institute for Environment and Development

The Principles for Locally Led Adaptation are a set of 8 principles that guide the adaptation community as it develops funding, programs and new practices toward adaptation that is increasingly owned and led by local partners. The World Resources Institute, the International Institute for Environment and Development, in partnership with a coalition of actors engaged in the community of practice on Locally Led Adaptation, proposes a side event at MENA Climate Week to explore the 8 Principles for Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), and share lessons learned from examples of LLA from the MENA region and around the world.
More than 70 organizations have endorsed the Principles for LLA as of November 2021. By aligning their work with the Principles for Locally Led Adaptation, these organizations acknowledge that business-as-usual approaches to planning and financing adaptation are not working for the people and communities most directly at risk, and they commit to doing things differently to support more finance and decision-making power for local partners.
Our proposed session will contribute to efforts to put these principles into practice and to support follow-through on commitments. The format of the session will include expert remarks and time for open, frank discussion about challenges and solutions for supporting and scaling LLA, drawing on expertise from MENA and the African continent. Through the session we hope to share valuable learning on what it takes to implement LLA, and why LLA is a growing priority among governments, funders, and civil society organizations alike.

14:00-15:00

Virtual event

Organized by Arup and The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

This one-hour virtual side event for the MENA Climate Week from Arup and C40 Cities will be an introduction to our virtual Global Cities Climate Action exhibition, which showcases how eleven or more cities on five continents are taking climate action.
The exhibition comprises a series of ‘virtual city rooms’ for anyone with an interest in climate change and climate resilient development to experience how cities are taking climate action. Our proposal is to build on the content we already have, hopefully to add more cities in the MENA Region, introduce some of the key climate action and future plans in the cities and signpost people to the virtual exhibition.
Working with the cities, Arup and C40 Cities created the exhibition for COP26 as a physical exhibit in the Green Zone and as a virtual platform using Arup’s ‘Virtual Engage’ platform - see https://global-cities-climate-action-exhibition.virtual-engage.com/. Fully mobile phone compatible, the exhibition can be accessed and shared anytime from anywhere with internet connectivity.
We believe we have created an inspiring collection of virtual city rooms that feature climate action, focusing on the most promising policy developments and projects being implemented in response to city climate action plans. We have received feedback about the value of the exhibition in terms of the quality of the information, images, videos, 3D models, augmented reality, and soundscapes, and the ease of engagement and knowledge transfer among participating cities. 
Audience: We would target a broad audience of virtual visitors to the side event and to visit the exhibition from all corners of the world who are interested in understanding and participating in city-scale climate action. We know that people understand and respond powerfully to climate change issues at a city level. This is because people understand, care about, and identify with the cities they live and work in, or visit. 
We would tap into this human understanding of cities to capture the attention and imagination of a wide demographic, including students, professionals, policymakers, and members of the public. Visitors would be free to explore virtual city rooms without physically exerting themselves or being overwhelmed by the quantity of information. Each virtual city room is an entry point to an easy-to-navigate museum of projects and ideas showcased strategically and creatively. 
Collaboration, Inclusivity and Representation: This collaboration between Arup and C40 Cities does more than showcase the formal climate policies and action of city administrations across five continents, including the global south. It also involves and draws on the work and voices of the organisations achieving change at grassroots level in cities, from NGOs, community groups and the private sector. In this way, our Global Cities Climate Action exhibition of virtual city rooms includes experiences and ideas of marginalised communities, people most vulnerable to climate impacts, and Indigenous Peoples. 

12:15-12:45

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

organized by Mercy Corps

Our session will focus on highlighting the importance of understanding on how resilience is built and locally led decision making to adapt to climate change by introducing the Flood Resilience Measurement for Community (FRMC) framework which is used to help government and development practitioners develop a deep understanding of their communities and facilitate community participation in decision making and intervention design. The session will include audience quiz and interactions with Mercy Corps staff working on the ground to learn about how we are building flood resilience in Jordan.

Speakers:
Yazan Haddad, Project Officer, Mercy Corps
Ahmad Jaber, Project Officer, Mercy Corps

11:00-11:30

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by Save the Children International

This event will showcase several methods for engaging with young people, including through child-led campaigning, and through facilitated workshops and events using story-telling and arts. We will present a short video highlighting some examples of these methods from across countries where Save the Children works in the region and with partners, before engaging the audience to take part in a short facilitated activity using child-friendly This event will showcase several methods for engaging with young people, including through child-led campaigning, and through facilitated workshops and events using story-telling and arts. We will present a short video highlighting some examples of these methods from across countries where Save the Children works in the region and with partners, before engaging the audience to take part in a short facilitated activity using child-friendly creative methods, to enhance their work with young people in preparation for COP27 and leading to COP28.

Speakers:
Caitlin Smith, Regional Campaign and Advocacy Manager, Middle East and Eastern Europe - Save the Children International
Nourhan Abdel Aziz, Advocacy, Campaign, Communications and Media Director - Save the Children Egypt
Yara Wael, Member of Banlastic and Facilitator, Banlastic

13:15-13:45

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

This event will be a live interview with Dr. Abdulhakim Elwaer, Assistant Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa. The interview will cover the intersections between the food and climate agendas, the significance of the Food Systems Summit, and how the agrifood system is an important locus for solutions to the climate problem as well as to pressing issues in the region such as water scarcity.

Speakers:
Dino Francescutti, FAO Subregional Coordinator for the GCC states and Yemen and FAO Representative in the UAE
Abdulhakim Elwaer, Assistant Director General, FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa

12:45-13:15

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by DNV

The session will explore concrete and viable ways to put together their best energies and competences in order to advance initiatives and partnerships in the field of sustainable development through innovative and appropriate technological and financial resources.

11:30-12:00

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by Practical Action

Adapting to climate change in Sudan: For more than 10 years Practical Action has worked with communities in Darfur to help them overcome the challenges presented by their changing weather patterns. In the 1990-2000s, climate change plunged Darfur into civil war as desertification and drought displaced communities and created conflict over scarce resources. Practical Action continued to operate, creating networks so that skills, training and knowledge could be shared and ploughs made by local blacksmiths were distributed so farmers could continue to feed themselves. 
North Darfur is acutely drought prone. Farming crops and animals has been tough due to droughts, flash flooding, new pests and weeds. Growing crops and raising animals has never been tougher. With Practical Action’s support, the Korga dam was built, running for kilometers after the community helped map the catchment area in 2016. Our long-standing presence and community links in Darfur helps us understand these local challenges and work together to form solutions
Our water management techniques store floodwater before it runs off, rehabilitating land lost to drought, routing water close by, giving women who collect it more time for their businesses.

Speakers:
Muna Eltahir Hamadan, Country Director, Practical Action
Awadalla Hamid Mohamed, Wadi Elku Catchment Management Project Manager (Environmental Conservation Manager, Practical Action

15:15-15:30

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by Sustain The World

Speakers:
Amani Dibo, Development Director, Sustain The World

14:00-15:00

Spice A Room A Davos 6

Organized by World Health Organization - Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) - Centre for Environmental Health Activities (CEHA)

As observed during COVID-19 pandemic, health systems are the main line of defense in protecting populations from emerging threats, including the impacts of a changing and more variable climate such as: food and water insecurity; flooding; extreme weather; reduced air quality (including increasing ground level ozone); among others. 
It is essential to ensure that health systems can continue to deliver essential health functions during extreme events and under climate stress, and for them to play their critical role in a coordinated multisectoral response to emergencies. Climate change places stress on the capacity of health systems to prevent, adapt and respond to increased and new health risks and can also be impacted by shocks posed by increased extreme weather events. In order to protect the health of populations from the effects of climate change and avoid widening health inequities, countries must build climate resilient health systems, which consider the current climate and future projections.
With the recent initiative launched by the UK COP26 presidency in cooperation with WHO as a leading partner to build a climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health systems (CRESHS), we have been promoting this initiative to the countries to be adopted by the ministries of health as commitments. Fortunately, nine countries from the region already announced their commitments to start working on this initiative which requires our support and guidance to successfully achieve this. 
Through this side events, our panelists and speakers representing experts in this regard will introduce the concept of climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health systems, what are the main components of it, how and where you need start to build and enhance such health system, what are the available tools, guidelines and resources to help in reaching a CRESHS. In addition, the side event will present a regional examples of the work that have been achieved in this regard at different levels.

13:45-14:15

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by International Association of Public Transport (UITP)

2022 is the time to act and get the transport sector on track to achieving the Paris Agreement. If we really want the enable the transition to zero emissions road transport and make it faster, cheaper, and easier for all, we must first provide people with more and better rail and public transport. The region is leading the way in innovation on many public transport and rail fronts. The TED style talk double act will discuss success factors to scale up ambition to move from concept to implementation of integrated and innovative low/zero carbon transport solutions needed for a resilient recovery and leaves no one behind.

Speakers:
Chris Dekki, Director, Global Advocacy & Engagement, slocat
Philip Turner, Head of Sustainable Development, UITP
Nada Jasmin, Director, Safety, Risk, Regulation and Planning Department RTA
Farida Moawad, Urban Mobility Researcher at the UITP MENA Centre for Transport, UITP

15: 30-15:45

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by Digital DEWA

In line with the Dubai 10X initiative to position Dubai 10 years ahead of other global cities - DEWA launched Digital DEWA – to redefine the concept of a utility, and create the world’s first digital utility using autonomous systems for renewable energy, storage, AI adoption and digital services.
Digital DEWA’s disruptive, agile technology is the way forward to accelerate progress for: Businesses, Governments, Start-ups, Investors, Youth and Society
Digital DEWA comprises of four pillars, bringing together new technologies to generate improved outcomes for society:

• Solar Energy
• Energy storage
• Artificial intelligence and 
• Digital services

Speakers:
Aysha Ali Khalfan Alrazzi Alshamsi, Specialist Innovation Effectiveness, Digital DEWA
Arif AlMalik, Chief Digital Solutions Officer, Moro Hub
Omar Radiadah, Regulatory Manager, InfraX
Karim Mousa, Senior Vice President, eMobility 

09:00-13:30

Silk C

Organized by UN-ESCWA-LAS-UNEP-UNESCO

Speakers:
Mohamed Ahmedoua, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
Taha Amimi, Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development
Hanadi Awadalla Abderasoul, Ministry of Agriculture, Forest National Corporation (FNC)
Dalal Elhaj Ebrahim Mohmmed, Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources
Ahmed Ali Ahmed Aboulgheit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mahmoud Fathallah, League of Arab States
Oday Hadi Haddawee Al-Bayati, Ministry of Environment 
Yousef A. H. Abuasad, Ministry of Transport
Tarek Sadek, UN-ESCWA
Ayman Shasly, Ministry of Energy
Mohamed Nasr, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Amr Osama Abdel-Aziz, INTEGRAL Consult
Aya Ibrahim, UN-ESCWA
Sara Qais Al Haleeq, Ministry of Environment
Mohamed Osama, Ministry of Industry and Trade
Bisher Imam, UNESCO Cairo Office
Tugba Icmeli, UNFCCC
Hassan Dhaini, Ministry of Environment, Lebanon
Nigel Topping, High-Level Champion, COP 26 Presidency of the United Kingdom
Mahmoud Mohieldin, High-Level Champion, COP 27 Presidency of Egypt

Moderator: 
Danielle Magalhaes, Team Lead, UNFCCC

09:00-19:00

Atlantis C

Organized by UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE)

Speakers:
Aisha Al Abdooli, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment 
Hatem Abushammala, Abu Dhabi University
Kemal Celik, New York University Abu Dhabi
Waleed Abdelaziz Mohammed Zeiada, University of Sharjah 
Aaron Chow, New York University Abu Dhabi
Jhon Fredy Mojica Moncada, New York University Abu Dhabi
Rania Al dweik, Abu Dhabi University
Suzan Marwan Shahin, Umm Al Quwain University
Blazs Adam, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University
Fatima Ali Mazahir, Al Jalila Children's Speciality Hospital/Imperial College London
Amy Lehoczky, Abu Dhabi Ports Group
John A Burt, New York University Abu Dhabi
Zouhair Lachkar, New York University Abu Dhabi
Alain de Verneil, New York University Abu Dhabi
Nadia Solovieva (Kettell), Higher Colleges of Technology
Prasoon Raj, Khalifa University
Parvathi Vallivattathillam, New York University Abu Dhabi
Hussein Ibrahim Hasan Hamed, Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi
Bart van den Hurk, Deltares
Sourav Taraphdar, New York University Abu Dhabi
Theresa Massoud, University of Balamand Dubai
Elke Gabriel Neumann, College of Agriculture and veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University
Seta Tutundjian, Thriving Solutions 
Khaled Masmoudi, College of Agriculture and veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University
Fatin Samara, American University of Sharjah 
Francesco  Paparella, New York University Abu Dhabi
Rahaf Ajaj, Abu Dhabi University
Mazen Bader Ahmad Almalkawi, WHO
Alexandra Egorova, WHO
Mona Khaleghy, WHO
Saleh Mohammad Oda Ali Rababa, WHO
Gholamabbas Shirali, WHO
Mohammad Rahimi, WHO
Abbas Shahsavani, WHO
Zafar Fatmi, WHO
Shaijal Babu Thru Ppoyil, United Arab Emirates University
Ayesha Alam, United Arab Emirates University
Nasim Ashoobi, American University of Sharjah
Sham Marwan Mirou, University of Sharjah
Ayat Gamal Ashour, University of Sharjah
Reem Nasef, University of Sharjah
Adil Al Tamimi, American University of Sharjah
Israa Al Khaffaf, American University of Sharjah
Rania Al Dweik, Abu Dhabi University
Hamna Anver, Abu Dhabi University
Sashank Manda, Kasturba Medical College India
Alaa Al Hurini, Dept. of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University Ajman UAE
Ewan Thomas Ambanattu, Dept. of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE
Ethel Aputerebuno Akolaa, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University Ajman, UAE
Hisham Abubacker Musthafa, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University Ajman UAE
Nour ElHouda Debouza, United Arab Emirates University
Karthika Gopi, United Arab Emirates University
Mohamed Singer, American University of Sharjah
Meera Al Hammadi, American University of Sharjah
Yasmin Shameem, American University of Sharjah
Amal Al Gergawi, United Arab Emirates University
Georgenes Cavalcant, University of Oxford
Serter Atabay, Federal University of Alagoas
Jonas Saman, New York University Abu Dhabi

15:00-17:00

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Closing

Wrap-up and Closing Ceremony

Organized by MENA CW Partners

09:00-10:30

Silk A

Tracks

Watch this event

Organized by Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar (AYCMQA), UN-ESCWA, ILO, World Bank and Connect4Climate

As the transition from predominantly fossil fuel-based infrastructures to more sustainable renewables-based energy systems progress across the MENA region, the need for inclusion in the process has become apparent. The renewable energy knowledge gap between developing and developed countries continues to increase as equity and equality become more prevalent topics in the world. In all of this, it is still evident that if critical members of society like youth and especially women, children, and the poor are not included in the energy transition, the success and objectives of the transition are risked as well as the achievement of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
An inclusive and just energy transition in the MENA region would promote increased innovation capacity and encourage a widespread adoption of renewable energy practices, policies, and action all while broadening opportunities for youth, women and other members of civil society that have traditionally been left excluded. Further to discuss practical means through the NDC formulation and implementation to achieve a just transition for all and consider policy frameworks that countries MENA region can employ.
This panel will explore, and showcase work being done by proactive youth in the just and inclusive climate action and energy transition in the MENA region that addresses various aspects of the transition including inclusiveness and justice. The dialogue will provide insights on how young people are building a movement for greater climate ambition and will focus on the social and employment impacts, inequality, and inclusiveness of a transition towards low-carbon and climate-resilient economies. Finally provide concrete policies that support a just transition coupling climate action with decent job creation for young people in the MENA region.

Speakers: 
Mari Pangestu, Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships, The World Bank
Neeshad Shafi, Executive Director, Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar (AYCMQA)
Marek Harsdorff, Economist, International Labour Organization
Radia Sedaoui, Chief, Energy Section, UNESCWA
Peter Govindasam, Director, Climate Change International Team, Ministry of Trade & Industry, Singapore
Ismail Farjia, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection & Coordinator African Youth Climate Hub, Morocco
Omnia El Omrani, Youth Sounding Board of the European Commission and the Lancet Commission on Post-COVID Population Health, Egypt Youth4Climate Delegate
Giulia Braga, Program Manager, Connect4Climate, The World Bank

11:00-12:30

Silk A

Tracks

Organized by International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC)

Following the Article 6 agreement among parties during COP26, the momentum for carbon pricing and markets has risen as key tools to tackle climate change. Public and private stakeholders have recognized the benefits of carbon markets.
At this session, participants will discuss challenges and opportunities of carbon pricing and markets that the MENA region faces after COP26, including the key role played by the private sector through such as participation in voluntary markets and adoption of internal carbon pricing. It will provide stakeholders with a better understanding of leading carbon pricing developments and an opportunity to explore collaborations among jurisdictions in the region after COP26. For example, it will discuss some key takeaways of Article 6 rules and its implication for the region, most notably for the private sector, and how regional cooperation can support the efforts.
The session will include a fireside chat bringing together leaders from the region to discuss mobilization of private sector actions for low carbon transition.

Speakers: 
Venkata Putti, Program Manager, Carbon Markets and Innovation, The World Bank
Stephanie La Hoz Theuer, Senior Advisor, Adelphi
John Kilani, Director of Sustainable Development, The Al-Attiyah Foundation
Ignacio Carreras, Special Projects Manager, AMEA Power
Andrea Bonzanni, Director, International Policy, International Emissions Trading Association
Mashael Al Shalan, Founding Partner, AEON Strategy
Ana Haurie, Co-Founder & CEO, Respira International
Kishor Rajhansa, Chief Operations Officer, Global Carbon Council
Perumal Arumugam, Programme Officer, Regulatory Development Unit (MRV) of SDM, UNFCCC

09:00-10:30

Silk B

Tracks

Organized by UNDP Regional Hub for Arab States - GEF Small Grants Programme

With climate change increasing in their severity and affecting millions of people, particularly in the developing world, it’s becoming more important to invest in resilience of ecosystems and communities depending on them. As we collectively address the global climate and nature crises, it is absolutely critical to engage youth as agents of change, creative entrepreneurs and innovators. Through education, science and technology, young people are scaling up their efforts and skills to accelerate innovative action. Young people play a crucial role in their communities as key drivers and actors of community-based adaptation as well as the beneficiaries of the actions and policies initiated. Active engagement of youth in global environment and sustainable development efforts is absolutely vital to achieving sustainable, inclusive and stable societies.

Speakers:
Kishan Khoday, Regional Team Leader, Nature, Climate, Energy, Regional Hub for Arab States, UNDP, Jordan
Khouloud Hamrouni, Climate activist, Tunisia
Hanane Rifai, Founder of HydroBarley, Morocco
Nadine Khaouli, Youth Delegate and activist, Lebanon
Mirane Abdi Ismael, Association Green Generation, Djibouti
Anas Khasawneh, Coordinator of Small Grants Program, Jordan
Dane McQueen, United Arab Emirates, Special Envoy for Climate Change, United Nations at UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs

11:00-12:30

Silk B

Organized by UNCDF - Union for the Mediterranean

Scaling up successful solutions, mechanisms, and actions that enhance the effectiveness of adaptation finance and ultimately empower local governments and local actors to contribute towards the implementation of adaptation measures is critical. These include strengthening transparency and responsiveness of donor funding, increasing ownership and participation of local communities, and building local stakeholders' capacity on climate risk informed planning and mainstreaming, among others. This session will discuss and share lessons learned on best practices on innovative technical and financial solutions that scale up adaptation finance for locally led adaptation in MENA countries. Moreover, it will showcase how climate risk informed local planning, combined with participatory planning tools, can help bolster evidence-based decision making and improve access to climate funds, at both national and subnational level, by providing sufficient evidence, justification and climate rationale for proposed intervention. It will also shed light on how the private sector can be mobilized in the region to finance small to mid-sized projects at the subnational level drawing on the example of the Global Subnational Climate Fund (“SnCF Global”) who managed to achieve a paradigm shift in the model for demandled climate finance.

Speakers:
Janet Rogan, COP26 Regional Ambassador for Africa and the Middle East
Khalid R Temsamani, Professor, Faculty of Sciences of Tétouan, Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Morocco
Nuha Eltinay, Representative MENA Region and Board Advisor, Resurgence
Ronan Pecheur, Senior Programme Specialist, UNCDF/LoCAL
Christophe Nuttall, Founder and Strategic Advisor R20 Regions of Climate Action
Daouda Ben Oumar Ndiaye, Lead Climate Change Specialist, Islamic Development Bank
Amin Naguib, Team Leader, EU Clima-Med

09:00-10:30

Silk C

Tracks

Organized by MENA CW Partners

The energy sector, known for its slow pace of change, is undergoing a dynamic transition. The imperatives of climate change, energy poverty, and energy security to underpin development and industrial strategy have made the widespread adoption of renewables and related technologies, as well as increased energy efficiency, the essential solutions to the challenges of climate change. 
An energy transition grounded in renewable sources and technologies that increase efficiency and conservation is the only way to give the world a fighting chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2050. This resonates with the Climate Action Pathway for Energy, which sets out sectoral actions stakeholders should take to achieve a 1.5°C resilient world in 2050, with overarching transformational milestones and key impacts that need to be achieved in the energy sector over the next 20 years. 
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has seen large growth of carbon emissions from oil-producing countries, compounding the risk of climate change. To achieve 1.5°C, annual energy-related CO2 emissions in the region would need to fall more than 70% from now until 2050, according to IRENA analysis. Aligning with a 1.5°C pathway will not only contribute to the region’s climate goals, but also development goals, promoting energy security, increased GDP, growing employment, and well-being.
Fortunately, the MENA region’s energy transition is on the right path, but more needs to be done to align with a 1.5°C pathway. According to IRENA, the MENA region’s renewable electricity installed capacity has steadily increased from 2010, almost doubling in 2020 compared to 2010.
Further, at the start of 2021, about 98GW of new renewable energy generation capacity was planned across the Arab region, with 39GW of additional capacity due to come on stream by 2025. The last two years saw three record low bids for solar PV, all of which were in the Arab region. USD 0.0157/kWh in Qatar, USD 0.0135/kWh in the United Arab Emirates and USD 0.0104/kWh in Saudi Arabia (IRENA). According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), these trends are expected to continue; particularly, renewable generation in the region is set to grow by around 120x between now and 2050. Therefore, the MENA region has ample space to grow and utilise its vast renewable energy potential.
However, increased renewable energy alone cannot help the region achieve its climate and development goals through energy transitions. Increased electricity consumption for cooling appliances across the MENA is foreseen to double by 2040, which makes energy efficiency a regional priority. Further, readily available savings from more efficient electrical products alone promise more than USD 20 billion in consumer savings in the MENA region with regional electricity savings equivalent to over 50 power plants and more than 100 million tonnes of GHG emissions annually (United for Efficiency, UNEP). Therefore, there is considerable opportunity for energy savings through energy efficiency standards, which will also contribute to cost reduction for governments and consumers, as well as support energy security while complementing the scaling up of renewable energy, thereby promoting a holistic energy transition. 
The MENA region is diverse in many ways, but every country has potential to accelerate its respective energy transition, through increased renewable energy, energy efficient solutions, and related infrastructure. There are many technical options available to meet these goals now; it is important that the region focuses on implementing these options while innovating for future technologies, such as green hydrogen. The options are vast, but all can help meet the region’s heightened energy demand, while promoting economic growth and socio-economic benefits, while achieving decarbonisation objectives. However, when implementing these technologies, it is important that these transitions are centred around people, promoting a just and inclusive transition. The MENA region has an opportunity to lead energy transitions by taking advantage of its renewable energy potential and necessity to increase energy efficiency solutions while building strong alliances with financing partners.
This event will:

• Explore how energy transition technologies, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and related infrastructure, can accelerate the energy transition in the MENA region and decrease GHG and methane emissions, providing socio-economic benefits, such as jobs, increased GDP, energy access, energy security, equity and social inclusion, health, and well-being. 
• Showcase the partnership opportunities to implement energy transition technologies in MENA region and beyond.

Speakers:
H.E. Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment
Claire Kiss, International Renewable Energy Agency
Sophie Loran, UNEP
Lamia Ghazouani, Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines
Saïd Mouline, Director, Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency (AMEE) 
Abdullah Al Abri, Director General for Contracts and Projects
Khalid Al Marzooqi, CEO, Tabreed 

11:00-12:30

Silk C

Organized by MENA CW Partners

Climate change is a global issue, one that can only be solved at a global level. The energy transition provides a solution to this issue, but requires increased collaboration and partnerships across the entire economy. Partnerships are needed to accelerate and broaden the scope of the energy transition, ensuring that all levels of stakeholders, as well as relevant sectors, are involved. Energy touches all facets of societies, so increased collaboration could not only help to accelerate the energy transition, but contribute to goals in other sectors as well. For example, the achievement of SDG7 contributes directly  to the achievement of other sustainable development goals, such as SDG 3 (good health and well-being), 6 (clean water and sanitation), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and 13 (climate action), among others. 
Despite the hardships imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was an important milestone in generating political momentum around the global efforts towards accelerating energy transitions. The UN Secretary-General convened the High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE), underlining the urgency to act decisively to transform the global energy landscape. As of now, the Dialogue has yielded 157 Energy Compacts, which are voluntary commitments to accelerate efforts to achieve SDG7. If implemented, they will lead to more than USD 2,100 billion in financing and investment. The positive momentum emerging from COP26 and HLDE must be sustained and built upon. 
A few months after the HLDE, COP26 provided a much needed central focus on climate action, most notably the five-year check up on progress in NDCs. By the end of COP26, 151 countries had submitted new or revised NDCs. According to the UNFCCC, for the 74 Parties that provided information on long-term mitigation visions, strategies and targets for up to and beyond 2050, total GHG emissions are estimated to be 70–79 percent lower in 2050 than in 2019. Many important announcements were unveiled at COP26, including the “Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement”, the “Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero Statement”, a “Political Declaration of the Just Energy Transition”, and numerous Head of State commitments to achieve net zero.  By the end of COP26, 74 nations had pledged to achieve net-zero, a majority of which aim to realise this by mid-century. While the global targets of the energy transition must remain, the pathways of how each economy achieves its energy transition will differ. It is therefore not only important to forge partnerships and collaborations around energy transition, but to recognize the different pathways that will be needed to achieve the commitments in a holistic manner. 
COP27 will provide an additional opportunity to build further momentum on the importance of putting the pieces in place for implementing just & equitable energy transitions at the country level.  The COP27 Presidency has already signalled its intention to focus on energy transitions.  
Energy transition collaborations and partnerships are important for all regions. The MENA region, although vastly different in needs, targets, and priorities, has similar potential and faces similar impacts from climate change to other regions, particularly in the Global South. South-South cooperation has promoted a large number of knowledge and expertise exchanges through programs, projects and initiatives that have helped solve specific problems in the countries of the Global South. Therefore, increased South-South cooperation could support the sharing of best practices and lessons learned in the region, helping countries in the MENA region further accelerate their energy transitions. 
As energy transitions reach beyond energy and can support further transitions in other sectors, collaborations and partnerships in the MENA region can help to enhance synergies among these sectors while implementing commitments and pledges made during climate and energy events, such as the High Level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE) and COP26.
This event will:

• Highlight the importance of increased collaboration and partnerships, including South-South cooperation, in supporting the implementation of energy commitments and pledges made at the HLDE and COP26, for example, in order to build momentum with concrete progress by COP27.
• Highlight the importance of viewing the energy transition in a holistic manner, enhancing synergies among other sectors. 
• Identify key partnerships, measures and policy reforms that can be implemented at national and regional levels to ensure that the energy transition is just and inclusive.

Speakers:
Sawsan Bawaresh, Clean Energy and Climate Specialist, the Royal Scientific Society in Jordan 
Radia Sedaoui, Chief of Energy Section, Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability Cluster, UN ESCWA
Ryme Assaad, Executive Director, RISE 2030
Ahmed Samir Elbermbali, Managing Director, Clean Energy Business Council
Jaseem Humadi, Chair of Iraq’s National Methane Taskforce, Deputy Minister of Environment
Bradley Hiller, Climate Change Team, ISDB
Mahmoud Mohieldin, COP27 High-level Champion
Eng. Ms. Taghreed, General Manager of Energy Efficiency and Climate Change, Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Egypt
Johan van den Berg, Head, Africa-EU Energy Partnership 

12:30-14:00

Atlantis A (part 1)

Organized by COP26 UK Presidency

Speakers:
James Corre
Vahakan Kabakian
Rehab Ahmed Hassan
Mary Awad Menassa
Noa Rose
Jigme
Henning Weuster
Catarina Tarpo
Ons Khechine
Ruba Ajjour
Claire Holzer-Fleming

09:00-13:00

Atlantis A (part 2)

Organizing by UNFCCC

The RCC Global Forum meeting offers an opportunity to promote the exchange of information, share experiences and exchange views among the partners hosting the RCCs, key global/regional partners of RCCs and the UNFCCC secretariat, with the view to build and enhance the capacity of the centers.

Speakers:
Abdulrahim Sultan, Director General, World Green Economy Organization (WGEO)
James Grabert, UNFCCC Secretariat
Edward Okot Omoya, Environmental and Social Management Specialist, East African Development Bank 
Kentaro Tamura, Programme Director, Climate and Energy Area, IGES REMOTE
Randall Waechter, Program Manager for Research Administration, WINDREF
Moubarak Moukaila, Head of RCC Lome, West African Development Bank
Gustavo Manez Gomis, Climate Change Coordinator, UN Environment
Muhammad Taimur Ali Khan Gandapur, Global Lead, RCC and Regional Lead, RCC Dubai
Carlos Ruiz Garvia, Regional Lead, RCC Panama and RCC St. George’s
Jens Radschinski, Regional Lead, RCC Bangkok
Suriya Mues, Regional Lead, RCC Kampala
Daniel Galvan Perez, Technical Officer, RCC Panama
Perumal Arumugam, UNFCCC Secretariat
Sohel Pasha, UNFCCC Secretariat
Zoheir Hamedi, IRENA
Karanpreet Kaur, IRENA
Global/regional development organizations (remote tbc)

11:30-12:30

Spice B

Organized by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

The latest UNFCCC Synthesis Report, published during COP26, shows that the world is currently not on track to reach the 1.5°C target agreed in the Paris Agreement. Governments all over the world are therefore in need to increase their ambition and try to formulate long term strategies. Long term planning for climate neutrality provides orientation and helps to develop coherent short-term climate action. It can also provide guidance on co-benefits, such as planning for resilient infrastructure, supporting sustainable development or investing in technological innovation. However, integrated and long-term planning is a complex and challenging process. One critical element is to examine different short-, mid- and long-term energy scenarios to avoid “stranded assets” and to plan for the most cost-effective low carbon energy mix. These technical findings need to be translated into political plans.
The event will showcase short- and mid-term developments with key findings of the latest Arab Future Energy Index™ report. It will also look into long-term energy scenarios and their economic viability for a synthetic Arab country, looking into the impacts of e.g. grid integration and increased energy demand through the uptake of PtX.
The audience will then hear from a country representative on the process of their LTS development and how they had to bring together different sectoral plans – which in turn were developed on the foundation of different scenarios themselves. To point out the importance of regional cooperation, we will bring in the voice of the League of Arab States’ Energy Department as a regional actor.

Speakers:
René Kieselhorst, Advisor, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Maged Mahmoud, Technical Director, Lead Renewable Energy Advisor, Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Akram Almohamadi, Senior Sustainable Energy Specialist, Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Kishan Khoday, Regional Team Leader, Nature, Climate and Energy, UNDP
Nele Maas, Consultant, Guidehouse Germany

12.45-13:45

Spice A - Room B Davos 6

"You(th) in Capacity-building":
The Role of Youth and Their Capacities in Enhancing Resilience for Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Implementation and National Development Plans

Organized by Paris Committee on Capacity-building (PCCB)

Recognizing the transformative role of youth, the Paris Committee on Capacity Building (PCCB) in collaboration with the PCCB Network, through the 'You(th) in capacity-building' side event at the UNFCCC climate week in the MENA region in 2022, will provide a platform for regional dialogue to promote effective resilience building amongst young people at local, national and regional levels in the MENA region, as well as the role of MENA youth in building community resilience to climate change impacts through capacity-building. In efforts to align the side event to the annual focus area of the PCCB (“Building capacity to facilitate the coherent implementation of NDCs in the context of national development plans”), the side event will take an approach to resilience in pursuit of the NDCs and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), facilitating a coherent implementation of climate action and the sustainable development agenda. The side event will feature a panel discussion, where members of the PCCB Network and youth ambassadors from the region will have the opportunity to share their experiences and exchange knowledge and best practices of their work related to engaging MENA youth in resilience planning and community resiliency efforts for adaptation and resilience building.

09:00-10:00

Spice B

Organized by KAPSARC

The Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and more recently the Glasgow Climate Pact, have accelerated global efforts to rapidly transition toward a carbon-constrained world to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century to avert exceeding 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels. Ensuring cost-effective transitions will require embracing a holistic and inclusive approach – i.e., technology-agnostic and catering to different country circumstances – to solving the climate problem as embraced by the circular carbon economy (CCE) framework. Also understanding the implications of global climate change mitigation efforts is crucially important to the MENA region, and especially so for oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia.
This side event will present work conducted at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) around net-zero emission pathways and metrics. The first presentation will showcase climate mitigation modeling and scenario analyses looking at both net-zero emission scenarios as well as the global stocktake of climate pledges with a focus on the MENA region and Saudi Arabia’s 2060 net-zero emission target. The second presentation will show KAPSARC’s CCE Index: it will provide an overview of the global 2021 CCE Index results and zoom in on a new paper focusing on the GCC region and its CCE progress and potential, which will be launched at the MENA Climate Week. The third presentation will provide an overview of the CCE online platform including showcasing the CCE Lab tool.

Speakers:
Fahad Alturki, Vice President of Knowledge and Analysis, KAPSARC
Mohamad Hejazi, Program Director, KAPSARC
Fatih Yilmaz, Fellow I, KAPSARC
Thamir Alshehri, Lead, KAPSARC

13:30-14:30

Atlantis E

Organized by Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government and HSBC Middle East

Economies in the Middle East have been hit hard by multiple shocks throughout the COVID-19 pandemic such as the threat to human health from COVID-19 and the disruptions to economic activities from the pandemic response. In addition, the region’s oil producing countries have been confronted with an unprecedented oil demand shock resulting from the global economic slowdown, which in turn has led to reduced government revenue. As a result, countries in the region focused on the immediate health and economic relief measures with limited focus directed towards long-term sustainable recovery paths.
The long-term economic recovery from COVID-19 offers a unique opportunity for countries in the Middle East to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, the is a need to ensure that policies and investments lay the foundation for cleaner and more resilient, prosperous and equal societies. In the context of the region, this means accelerating the major shifts needed in economic sectors and jobs, increasing mainstreaming of accounting for environmental costs and risks into decision making, and strengthening social protection and inclusion. Failing to correct course could put the region on trajectories of lower economic competitiveness in an increasingly carbon-constrained world, increase its vulnerability to external shocks, and lead to higher unemployment.
The aim of the side event is to

1. Shed the light on policy agendas focused on green, resilient and just recoveries, and the most pressing ‘better’ practices for the region’s sustainable development needs
2. Highlight the role of government in shaping the enabling investment environment and using targeted financial and economic instruments to mobilize sustainable finance.

Speakers: 
Moustafa Bayoumi, Associate Researcher Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government
Sabrin Rahman, Managing Director, Head of Sustainability for Europe and the Middle East HSBC Bank Middle East Limited
Mari Luomi, Research Fellow King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center
Jeffrey Beyer, Managing Director Zest Associates

11:30-12:30

Atlantis E

Organized by Emirates Nature, WWF, HSBC MENA

This side event – in association with HSBC – will take a deep dive into the question of how we can cost-effectively create healthy, productive and resilient ecosystems where nature and people thrive; and it will explore how the regional financial sector can play a decisive role in driving change by shifting financial flows at scale to nature-positive outcomes.

11:30-12:30

Spice A - Room A Davos 6

Organized by Islamic Development Bank and UN-CTCN

South-South Cooperation (SSC) is an important mechanism that development institutions use to support achieving development objectives, including in addressing climate change. The IsDB has long-standing experience in SSC by facilitating peer-to-peer exchanges to solve development challenges in its member countries. In recent years, the Bank has been scaling up its SSC interventions to address climate change and strengthen its member countries’ capacities in climate action, including areas such as climate smart agriculture, and renewable energy. Similarly, the UN Climate Technology Centre and Network has experience promoting accelerated, diversified, and scaled-up transfer of environmentally sound technologies, practices and know-how for climate change mitigation and adaptation in developing countries through South-South and triangular cooperation (TrC).
During this side event, IsDB and the UN CTCN will share good practices and lessons learned – as well as barriers to and enablers of – SSC and TrC. The IsDB will present its experience in facilitating exchanges in renewable energy between member countries in MENA region. The Bank will, in particular, provide details about its Reverse Linkage mechanism as its in-house methodology for SSC to address climate change as well as other development priorities. The UN CTCN will share concrete experiences - across a broad range of sectors and encompassing diverse stakeholders - of how technology cooperation via SSC and triangular cooperation can facilitate technology development and transfer for climate action in support of the implementation of NDCs and the Paris Agreement. 
Countries, multilateral organizations policy makers and practitioners will be invited to consider how to increase their engagement in SSC and TrC on climate action to support developing countries to expand the sharing of knowledge, practices, technologies and know-how, in line with priorities contained in NDCs.

Speakers:
Ahmed Faaruk Diken, Senior Technical Cooperation Coordinator, MENA & Europe, Islamic Development Bank
Syed Husain Quadri, Acting Director, Resilience and Social Development Department, Islamic Development Bank
Amna Fatani, Associate Director, Strategy, Community Jameel
Valentin Rudloff, Climate Technology Specialist, UN Climate Change Technology Center and Network

10:15-11:15

Spice B

Watch this event

Organized by Royal Scientific Society, Jordan

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has demonstrated its commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement, with its updated NDC committing the country to a 31% emissions reduction target compared to the business-as-usual scenario. As a country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, it also incorporates an adaptation vision and objective directly linked to the recently launched National Adaptation Plan (NAP). The NDC aims to drive post COVID-19 recovery processes onto a lower carbon and more climate resilient development pathway. It will also pave the way for a future climate change long term strategy (LTS), consistent with UNFCCC Decision 1/CP.21. 
However, there are no established guidance, best practices or ‘one size fits all’ approaches to LTSs. It is important that the process is country driven, but the requirements for development of such a high-level strategic document, the technical inputs and the supporting processes and engagement needed, can be significant. For many countries including Jordan, more used to shorter term decision-making and dealing with urgent challenges such as water scarcity, the Syrian refugee crisis, and COVID-19, planning to 2050 can be a significant challenge. In addition, whilst the need to set and act on ambitious GHG reduction targets is recognised, there is also increasing urgency to adapt to the impacts of climate change, which is not typically the focus for LTSs. To help bridge these gaps, the World Bank supported the development of a ‘roadmap and recommendations’ for Jordan, aiming to:

• Collate key information and data for each element and contextualise an LTS for Jordan
• Provide recommended approaches and suggested frameworks for the LTS development
• Identify existing practices, examples, and outline important challenges to consider
• Summarise the important processes, steps and actions that might be required for the LTS

This was informed by a systematic review of existing international examples and the Jordanian context (existing data, policies, governance structures etc). Likely challenges and bottlenecks were identified, and a framework for approaching each element outlined, with recommendations for content. This included not only the technical elements, but innovative and detailed recommendations for mainstreaming gender and SDGs, a detailed bottom-up citizen engagement process, governance needs, and the development of a novel approach for the overarching climate strategy that ensured adaptation could be prioritised. It also included mechanisms for mainstreaming the strategy into sectoral plans to drive implementation. 
This side event intends to:

• Showcase Jordanian leadership on climate action and provide an update on recent activities
• Share lessons learned from analysing existing practices, national needs and priorities, to develop a country-specific LTS response
• Provide a suggested methodology for the development of comprehensive and integrated climate strategy that can be used or adapted to develop an LTS
• Highlight the importance of mainstreaming cross-cutting priorities such as gender and SDGs, and the essential role of citizen and stakeholder engagement
• Provide inspiration to other countries that are planning to develop an LTS on the practical steps that can be taken and resources needed, demystifying the tasks, inputs and activities involved

Speakers:
Ruba Ajjour, Manager of Climate Change Studies Division, Royal Scientific Society, Jordan
Belal Shaqarin, Director of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment
Rose Bailey, Associate Director, Climate Action Planning and Transparency, Ricardo Energy & Environment
Mahmoud Abu-Ebid, Business Manager for the Middle East, Ricardo Energy & Environment
Ruba Ajjour, Manager of Climate Change Studies Division, Royal Scientific Society, Jordan 

09:00-10:00

Spice A - Room B Davos 6

Organized by Alliance of NGOs and CSOs of South South Cooperation (ANCSSC) and United Cities and Local Governments Africa (UCLG Africa)

ANCSSC is an official Alliance of NGOs and CSOs for South South cooperation which works in collaboration with the UN office of south south cooperation (UNOSSC). The Alliance strives to enhance civil society's understanding of the value of South-South and triangular cooperation in developmental, humanitarian, and related spheres. It encourages sharing of knowledge, expertise and contextually appropriate technologies and assets among NGOs and CSOs, particularly the ones that have been developed in their respective organizational and operational experiences in developing countries. The Alliance liaises with governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations to promote South-South Cooperation policies and disseminate best practices across its work. The activities of the ANCSSC is aimed at popularising South-South Cooperation modalities and approaches in the work of NGOs and CSOs in developing countries wherever these are deemed more appropriate and cost effective in undertaking specific tasks. Towards this goal, it seeks to strengthen the capacities of NGOs and CSOs when and where needed, through partnerships with other NGOs and CSOs capable of providing such services.
Objectives of the side event:

• To acknowledge successful projects & challenges from grassroots perspective. We want to draw attention to the projects led by our members of the alliance from the MENA region that have implemented local strategies to build climate resilience, especially post COVID 19.
• To explore challenges and opportunities towards mainstreaming gender and inclusion in building climate resilience and an inclusive green future in the MENA region.
• We will also invite speakers to focus on SDGs 13 and 17 and how we as civil society and the NGO sector can improve our interventions through strengthened partnerships and better governance in member states.
• To provide a platform for facilitation in strengthening partnerships in MENA region to accelerate climate resilience

Speakers:
Speakers:
Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa 
Mohamed NBOU, Special Advisor to Climate Task Force, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa 
Seinye OB Lulu, Briggs-Chair of the ANCSSC Fund, Alliance of NGOs and CSOs of South South Cooperation 
Omar Shoshan, Chairman, Environmental Societies Union
Lahcen AMROUCH, Mayor, Commune of Argana
Hana Albanna, International Initiatives Manager, Global One 
Saud Al-Subaie, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Social Responsibility Experts Company, Saudi Social Responsibility Association 
Ali Mohanna, Campaign Coordinator of "The Sea is Ours", CIVITAS

12:45-13:45

Spice B

Organized by Dake Rechsand

Water is a scarce resource, we need to conserve it by Harvesting, Reducing, Reusing, and recycling. Integrated Sponge Cities can be planned and designed to manage.

Speakers:
Chandra Dake, CEO, Dake Rechsand
Yuming Su, Vice President, State Key Laboratory of Silica Sand Utilization, Beijing, China & USA
Li Zhang, Deputy Chief Engineer, China Design Group Co., Ltd

13:00-14:00

Virtual event

Organized by South Pole

In the fight against climate change, the carbon removal industry is emerging as an important contributor. A leading group of major corporations and governments are now taking an interest. In addition to helping address the climate challenge, carbon removal presents a new climate finance theme that is particularly well tailored to the MENA region.
Carbon dioxide removal solutions can reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, thereby reducing the greenhouse gas effect. The MENA region is very well suited for engineered removals, with an abundance of solar and wind power and geological storage options. Unlocking this removal capacity is a major opportunity for the region, with various Direct Air Capture projects already being undertaken.
This session will look at what is needed to advance engineered removals in the MENA region, keeping in mind that both the COP27 and COP28 will be hosted here. We will assess the technological ramifications, particularly focusing on Direct Air Capture and storage solutions, and discuss the business models, investment vehicles, and regulatory incentives to help address the current investment gap.

Speakers: 
Talal Hasan, CEO, 44.01
Birk Teuchert, Head of Corporate Finance, Climeworks
Mireia Vilaplana, Director, Climate Policy, Finance and Carbon Markets, South Pole
Delia Meth-Cohn, Co-Founder, Rethinking Removals
Andrea Bonzanni, International Policy Director, IETA

14:00-15:00

Virtual event

Organized by Forum for environment and climate change (CANW), Climate Environmental Broker Platform and Climate Action Network Arab world (CANAW)

The event focuses on cities that are of great importance to the economy in North Africa and the Middle East because of their activities that have led to changing the urban climatic footprint and raising the carbon footprint of these cities, which has direct and indirect effects on gender in these cities.

16:00-17:00

Virtual event

Organized by UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States

The MENA region is not only among the worst hit by the effects of climate change. It is also host to multiple protracted conflicts in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, which severely impact on these states’ capacity to adapt and respond to the direct and indirect effects of climate change.
The impacts of climate change and its associated security risks have important gender dimensions that shape how men and women of different backgrounds experience, contribute to and respond to conflict. Climate change can exacerbate women’s vulnerabilities, particularly in conflict-affected contexts, due to existing gender inequalities, discriminatory laws and customs, and unequal access to and control of resources. Additionally, women are often left out of decision-making processes that could help mitigate the impact of environmental disruptions. At the same time, climate change affects gender roles and livelihood patterns in ways that can create new entry points for engaging women in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. In communities where climate-induced resource scarcity drive men to migrate in search of alternative livelihoods, women often take on roles that challenge traditional gender norms, such as mediating local conflicts or working in traditionally male-dominated economic sectors. If capitalized on effectively, these shifts have the potential to overcome longstanding barriers to women’s empowerment in peacebuilding processes, and secure more inclusive political, social and economic structures that advance gender equality and environmental sustainability in conflict-affected contexts.
The gender dimensions of climate security remain insufficiently explored in the MENA region. To fill this important knowledge and policy gap, the UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States has recently launched a new research initiative to study the linkages between gender, climate change and conflict in the region. The proposed virtual side-event will be an occasion to present the initial findings of this research. The event will provide an opportunity to bring together decision-makers, experts and civil society actors to discuss ways to ensure that women are a meaningful part of climate policy development and peacebuilding processes. Panelists will share their experiences and findings from across the MENA region and formulate recommendations to enhance gender analysis of climate-related security risks and develop gender-responsive mitigation and prevention strategies in conflict-affected settings. The event will conclude with an interactive Q&A exchange with the audience.

13:30-14:30

Virtual event

Organized by World Green Building Council

Urban areas and essential infrastructure across parts of the MENA region have suffered large-scale damage and destruction due to multiple, ongoing conflicts. 
Estimates suggest that over US$ 560 billion will be needed across the region just to repair and rebuild what was previously there in countries like Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Gaza. In Lebanon, losses from the 2020 port explosion are estimated between US $4-5 billion and the reconstruction costs are estimated around US $10 billion. In Jordan, there are 660,000 UNHCR-registered refugees, resulting in one of the fastest population increases in history and an urgent need for expansion of infrastructure and the provisioning of services in a sustainable and equitable manner.
With both COP27 and COP28 being hosted in the Middle East & North Africa region, it is important to ensure that this need for reconstruction, growth and recovery in MENA is coupled with integrated approaches for climate-resilient development. MENA countries are vulnerable to climate change impacts as they are naturally affected by harsh climate conditions, extremely high temperatures, limited groundwater and rainfall and scarce agricultural and arable land. MENA countries are also particularly vulnerable to sea level rise due to climate change. About 7% of the total population in MENA lives in areas where elevation is less than 5 meters above sea level and a large share of economic activities, urban centers, agriculture and population is concentrated in coastal areas which are exposed to increasing risks of flooding, land erosion and salinization.
Together with our partners, UN Habitat, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and our Green Building Councils in the WorldGBC MENA Regional Network (including Egypt GBC), this panel will discuss regional case studies and insights to building climate resilience through Sustainable Reconstruction & Urban Regeneration efforts. 
This MENA Climate Week side event will lead up to the regional launch of the WorldGBC Sustainable Reconstruction and Urban Regeneration Guidelines on 10 March 2022 and will provide access to internationally and locally recognised best practices across the key themes identified, including: efficient resource utilization, environmental and climate resilience, sustainable mobility and accessibility, integrative social and economic resilience, health and wellbeing, and heritage and identity.
Panelists across the MENA region for this side event will discuss the following questions:

• How do we strengthen climate-resilience and adaptation through sustainable reconstruction and urban regeneration?
• What are the challenges and opportunities to sustainable reconstruction and urban regeneration in the MENA region?
• How do we ensure that buildings and infrastructure are addressed as a whole in the sustainable reconstruction and urban regeneration process?

13:00-14:00

Virtual event

Organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Regional Climate and Energy Project MENA, Wuppertal Institute

To support transitions of energy systems in MENA countries, a clear understanding of the socio-technical interdependencies and system innovations in the energy system is required. And in order to improve the understanding of transition processes, a phase model for energy transitions in the MENA countries was developed and applied to 10 selected countries in the region and were detailed in separate reports. These analyses can provide valuable insights at the country level and offer key learnings for the whole region from findings across the analyzed countries. These reports provide a framework which structures the process of the energy transition over time through the differentiation of a set of phases. The model provides a vision for the transition and facilitates the early-on development of consistent policy strategies and policy instruments according to needs of the different phases. In this side event we will bring together national experts and partner organizations from different MENA countries and explain the needed steps for the energy transition for these countries as explained in the reports. This will be followed by a discussion on overcoming the challenges to proceed in the next steps of the transition and how to achieve a just energy transition for all.

16:00-17:00

Virtual event

Organized by Education International

Which countries are prioritising quality climate education for all? Join Education International as we present analysis of education’s inclusion in 18 MENA countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This side event will discuss the role of education in the fight against the climate crisis and will include a dialogue about how countries can step up their climate education ambition. 
Analysis of newly submitted NDCs globally shows that despite the urgency of the climate crisis, countries around the world are failing to make the grade on climate education, a fundamental component of a sustainable future. How do countries in the MENA region compare to the rest of the world on 6 criteria: policy ambition, pervasiveness, inclusiveness, quality, climate justice and system strengthening? Are their NDCs recognising the role of key stakeholders such as teachers and students when it comes to including education in climate policies and ensuring quality climate education for all? What can be learnt from countries that scored relatively high on the EI climate education report card? This session will explore these questions through an interactive online side event that highlights the importance of harnessing the transformative, yet under-recognised role of education in addressing climate change.

10:30-11:00

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Speakers:
Ashani Bartley, Associate Programme Officer, IRENA
Huiyi Chen, Associate Programme Officer, IRENA

12:30-13:00

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by UIC

Under the current policy trajectory, transport demand will double by 2050, while CO2 emissions are expected to increase by 15%. The urgency to transform the way we move has never been clearer. The UIC and UITP will present the 11 key transformation they share as essential for sustainbale mobility, focusing on two: Prioritising Public transport and low carbon freight logistics.

Speakers:
Lucie Anderton, Head of Sustainability, UIC
Philip Turner, Head of Sustainability, UITP

13:00-13:30

Atlantis B plenary / Action Hub area

Organized by International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges IAAI

DigitalArt4Climate is a youth climate action empowerment initiative, which uses creative economy concepts and blockchain technology (NFts) to engage artists and resource holders in Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE). At the Action hub event we will present the DigitalArt4Climate COP26 art competition, https://digitalart4climate.space/#rec374020001 - which has seen very positive response from MENA region, with 4 of the 30 finalists coming from MENA region (1 Saudi Arabia, 1 Morocco and 2 from Iran). With the presentation of the DigitalArt4Climate initiative at MENACW2022 we want to start preparations for similar art competitions to be held in the context of COP27 and COP28 with a focus on mobilizing artists/creative community in Africa/MENA region.

Speakers:
Irina Karagyaur, Head of Metaverse growth & DA4C co-coordinator, Unique network NFT platform
Miroslav Polzer, Founder and CEO, IAAI GloCha
Naveen Gupta, ArtsDAO

10:30-12:00

Spice C

Organized by UNFCCC secretariat and ILO

This event plan to discuss planning transition from fossil fuel economies to green economy, tools and methods for assessing impact of policies, economic diversification, just transition, tracking mitigation benefits from economic diversification

Speakers:
Ambassador Mohamed Nasr, Incoming Presidency of Egypt
Atika Sabri, Member of planification commission, Moroccan Sahraouis Women's Association for integrated development, Morocco
Bradley Todd Hiller, Lead Climate Change Specialist (Mitigation), Islamic Development Bank
Christophe McGlade, Head of the Energy Supply Unit, International Energy Agency
Jan-Willem Van de Ven, Head of Climate Finance and Carbon Markets, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Jose Manuel Medina Checa, International Labour Organization
Karl Vella, Climate Policy Director, We Mean Business Coalition
Kusum Lata, Team Lead, UNFCCC
Manal R. Shehabi, Founding Director St. Antony's College, University of Oxford
Mandy Rambharos, General Manager at Just Energy Transition, Office of the Group Chief Executive, Eskom Holdings, South Africa
Marek Harsdorff, International Labour Organization
Michael Renner, Programme Officer, International Renewable Energy Agency
Moustapha Kamal Gueye, International Labour Organization
Nathalie Bavitch, International Labour Organization
Peter Govindasamy, Director at Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore
Romanas Savickas, Senior Advisor and Consultant, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre
Tidjani Niass, Saudi Aramco
Wael Farag Basyouny Kamel Keshk, General Manager at Mitigation and CDM Department, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, Egypt
William Kojo Agyemang Bonsu, International Labour Organization
Zhuolun Chen, Senior Advisor, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre

09:00-16:45

Atlantis C

Organized by UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE)

Speakers:
Aisha Al Abdooli, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment 
Hatem Abushammala, Abu Dhabi University
Kemal Celik, New York University Abu Dhabi
Waleed Abdelaziz Mohammed Zeiada, University of Sharjah 
Aaron Chow, New York University Abu Dhabi
Jhon Fredy Mojica Moncada, New York University Abu Dhabi
Rania Al dweik, Abu Dhabi University
Suzan Marwan Shahin, Umm Al Quwain University
Blazs Adam, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University
Fatima Ali Mazahir, Al Jalila Children's Speciality Hospital/Imperial College London
Amy Lehoczky, Abu Dhabi Ports Group
John A Burt, New York University Abu Dhabi
Zouhair Lachkar, New York University Abu Dhabi
Alain de Verneil, New York University Abu Dhabi
Nadia Solovieva (Kettell), Higher Colleges of Technology
Prasoon Raj, Khalifa University
Parvathi Vallivattathillam, New York University Abu Dhabi
Hussein Ibrahim Hasan Hamed, Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi
Bart van den Hurk, Deltares
Sourav Taraphdar, New York University Abu Dhabi
Theresa Massoud, University of Balamand Dubai
Elke Gabriel Neumann, College of Agriculture and veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University
Seta Tutundjian, Thriving Solutions 
Khaled Masmoudi, College of Agriculture and veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University
Fatin Samara, American University of Sharjah 
Francesco  Paparella, New York University Abu Dhabi
Rahaf Ajaj, Abu Dhabi University
Mazen Bader Ahmad Almalkawi, WHO
Alexandra Egorova, WHO
Mona Khaleghy, WHO
Saleh Mohammad Oda Ali Rababa, WHO
Gholamabbas Shirali, WHO
Mohammad Rahimi, WHO
Abbas Shahsavani, WHO
Zafar Fatmi, WHO
Shaijal Babu Thru Ppoyil, United Arab Emirates University
Ayesha Alam, United Arab Emirates University
Nasim Ashoobi, American University of Sharjah
Sham Marwan Mirou, University of Sharjah
Ayat Gamal Ashour, University of Sharjah
Reem Nasef, University of Sharjah
Adil Al Tamimi, American University of Sharjah
Israa Al Khaffaf, American University of Sharjah
Rania Al Dweik, Abu Dhabi University
Hamna Anver, Abu Dhabi University
Sashank Manda, Kasturba Medical College India
Alaa Al Hurini, Dept. of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University Ajman UAE
Ewan Thomas Ambanattu, Dept. of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE
Ethel Aputerebuno Akolaa, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University Ajman, UAE
Hisham Abubacker Musthafa, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University Ajman UAE
Nour ElHouda Debouza, United Arab Emirates University
Karthika Gopi, United Arab Emirates University
Mohamed Singer, American University of Sharjah
Meera Al Hammadi, American University of Sharjah
Yasmin Shameem, American University of Sharjah
Amal Al Gergawi, United Arab Emirates University
Georgenes Cavalcant, University of Oxford
Serter Atabay, Federal University of Alagoas
Jonas Saman, New York University Abu Dhabi