Italy to assist Lebanon in developing clean energy
The Italian Development Cooperation will assist Lebanon in developing clean energy to combat climate change, a statement by the Italian Embassy in Beirut said on Tuesday.
"It is possible to combat climate change in the Middle East and Northern Africa through clean Energy," it said.
The World Bank, the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry and the European Commission have launched a new technical assistance program in the MENA region through a $5-million fund promoting investments in sustainable growth based on renewable energy. The initiative was presented at the Foreign Ministry during a meeting between the World Bank, the EU Commission, 13 area countries and Italian organizations and unions.
Italy”s Secretary of State Stefania Craxi opened the sessions, asserting that the fight against climate change was one of the Italian G8 presidency”s top priorities and that Italy is the MENA countries” economic partner.
The basic goal, according to vice president of the World Bank for the MENA region, Daniela Gressani, was to supply "technical assistance to facilitate the development of knowledge and institutional skills in order to face the problems of climate change in a region with a major scarcity of water and a population living in coastal areas subject to flooding as a result of rising sea levels." In particular, the challenge is "to develop the solar and wind energy in which this region is particularly rich."
Through the fund, to which Italy is a major contributor, the Italian Development Cooperation will be able to assist Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and Yemen.