15th November 2022 – Sharm El-Sheikh
The meetMED project (Mitigation Enabling Energy Transition in the Mediterranean region), an EU-funded project, developed by the Mediterranean Association of the National Agencies for Energy Management (MEDENER) and the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) was fortunate to co-organize and participate in seven side-event sessions at the 27th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) hosted in the green city of Sharm El-Sheikh this year.
COP27 is the world’s most important conference about climate change, bringing together partners from the public and private sectors, civil society, and academia to accelerate action toward the goals of the Paris Agreement and to strengthen climate action.
Kicking off meetMED’s presence on November 7, 2022, where the Mediterranean pavilion hosted a high-level dialogue on Boosting Energy Efficient Buildings in the Mediterranean Region, Cristina Casella, Programme Manager – Climate Action, DG NEAR, European Commission said “I am very honored to be part of the discussions today that are dedicated to a very important issue about energy efficiency in buildings. Shifting towards more energy efficient buildings is an absolutely a priority. Renovating both public and private buildings has actually been singled out in the European Green Deal as a key initiative to drive energy efficiency in the sectors and to deliver in the goal of climate due triality. Through our various bilateral and regional cooperation programmes as well as through our blending facilities which combine grant funding with loans, the EU is supporting partner countries in implementing concrete energy efficiency measures in the buildings and other sectors. The meetMED programme funded by the European Union, supports the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in the buildings and appliances sectors and also aims to raise public awareness of the energy transition and it also tries to harmonize policies and strategies – as well as accelerate public and private sectors involvement in the sector.”
In his opening remarks, Dr. Jauad El Kharraz, the Executive Director of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), shared the sense of urgency regarding climate action “Welcome to the RCREEE pavilion, the first of its kind in the history of the COP. RCREEE and its member states are unwavering commitments to supporting swift decarbonization that has now become a prerequisite not only for saving the planet from climate disasters but also for adjusting and inclusive energy transition at a global level. We are very pleased to host meetMED side events highlighting the implementation of energy efficiency measures in the project’s beneficiary countries, focusing on the Building and the Appliances sectors”.
From his side, Giorgio Graditi, the President of the Mediterranean Association of the National Agencies for Energy Management (MEDENER), focused on the importance of meetMED participation at COP27 as a global platform for communication between regional and international partners about climate crisis “ It’s a unique opportunity to highlight the commitment of the meetMED project to support energy efficiency in buildings and appliances, as well as to strengthening the cooperation with our partners to raise awareness and increase climate actions in the Mediterranean region with the support of the European Commission”.
“In the meetMED project, MEDENER and RCREEE are working to enable the energy transition in the Mediterranean Region. The launch event of the new PEEB Med programme at the COP27, organised by the AFD and supported by the Union for the Mediterranean, opened a very fruitful dialogue between our organisations, fostering the future of our partnership in the Mediterranean Region” declared Roberta Boniotti, the Secretary General of MEDENER.
Throughout the conference, meetMED organized seven side events at the RCREEE and Mediterranean pavilions at the conference blue zone in Sharm el-Sheikh. These events addressed a broad range of climate-related issues, such as resilience, adaptation and mitigation actions for the building sector, energy efficiency sustainable finance and business models, awareness raising, district cooling and monitoring and evaluation of energy efficiency public policies.
About meetMED:
The Mitigation Enabling Energy Transition in the Mediterranean region (meetMED) project is an EU-funded project, developed by the Mediterranean Association of the National Agencies for Energy Management (MEDENER) and the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE).
Following the success of its first phase (MEETMED I, from 2018-2020), meetMED project commences its second phase aiming at strengthening the decarbonisation of national energy mixes and the implementation of energy efficiency measures in buildings and appliances through a multiscale, multi-partner and inclusive approach at local and regional levels, thereby fostering regional cooperation among 8 Southern Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia).
For more information and media inquiries, please contact:
Ms. Asmaa Ahmed – meetMED Communication Manager
Email: asmaa.ahmed@rcreee.org