Amman, Sept. 28 (Petra) -- Climate challenges are affecting families and essential services across the Kingdom, making innovation necessary for future planning, Environment Minister Ayman Suleiman said on Monday.
Speaking at the Climate-Smart Innovation Forum, held under the Tabeaa (Nature) Project and organized by Mercy Corps in cooperation with Al Hussein Technical University (HTU), Suleiman stressed the importance of moving from planning to implementation and adopting an integrated approach to technological, social, and entrepreneurial solutions to strengthen climate change adaptation.
He highlighted the Environment Ministry's preparations to participate in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP) in Antalya, Türkiye, commending the Swiss Embassy's support in enabling six participants to learn about the conference's proceedings and take part in negotiations.
Suleiman called on institutions and international organizations to support broader participation, strengthen their presence, and ensure the continued engagement of Jordanian stakeholders in such forums.
Swiss Ambassador to Jordan Emilija Georgieva underscored the importance of platforms that bring together government entities, communities, and the private sector to address shared climate challenges, highlighting the partnership between Switzerland and Jordan in building climate resilience.
She expressed hope for expanding public-private partnership models in Jordan, noting their potential to generate positive impacts.
The forum highlighted the role of innovation in developing solutions to address climate challenges in Jordan and strengthen communities' resilience to the effects of climate change, while exploring opportunities to turn these solutions into scalable and investable projects.
It also provided a platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and partnership-building among public- and private-sector entities and financing institutions to support the transition of innovative ideas into practical applications.
The forum featured presentations of 10 projects participating in the Climate Tech Innovation Bootcamp, implemented by The CORE at Al Hussein Technical University under the Tabeaa Project.
The bootcamp combines prototype development, specialized mentorship, business model development, and investment readiness to help innovators turn their solutions into viable and scalable projects.
The program will enable two selected projects to proceed to the pilot implementation phase through grants totalling JD100,000 for the two projects, allocated according to their pilot implementation needs, alongside technical and operational support.
The phase aims to test solutions in their local context and build evidence of their commercial viability and contribution to strengthening community resilience, supporting future climate investment opportunities.
HTU President Ismail Al-Hinti stressed the importance of providing an environment that enables ideas to be transformed into prototypes and developed into practical solutions that can become products and companies with tangible impact.
Mercy Corps Jordan Program Director Candice Branchoux said the innovation bootcamp's challenges were based on needs and priorities identified by communities.
She explained that the approach focuses on defining the problem while leaving innovators free to propose solutions, ensuring that their responses address challenges identified by communities without imposing predetermined technological solutions.
The Tabeaa Project, titled "Enhancing Community Resilience and Response to Climate Change," is implemented by Mercy Corps Jordan with support from the Z Zurich Foundation and the Swiss Embassy in Jordan. It aims to strengthen communities' capacity to adapt to climate change, floods, and heatwaves through local and sustainable solutions.
//Petra// AF
