Amman, Aug. 20 (Petra)-- In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Al Hussein Technical University (HTU), Mercy Corps convened a public-private roundtable on Thursday to discuss the role of climate-smart solutions in strengthening climate resilience in Jordan.

Held under the Tabeaa project, the roundtable brought together representatives from government institutions, the private sector and financing entities to discuss Jordan’s climate change adaptation priorities and explore ways to translate them into practical, scalable solutions.

Participants focused on strengthening cooperation among the public and private sectors, innovators and academia, while identifying key barriers, enabling factors and investment opportunities to advance climate innovation.

Assistant Secretary-General for Technical Affairs at the Ministry of Environment, Maha Maayta, stressed the importance of public-private cooperation, saying that neither sector can achieve progress or deliver solutions independently.

She underscored the government’s role in creating an enabling environment for innovative ideas to generate tangible impact, while highlighting the private sector’s role in transforming knowledge into decisions, investment and practical solutions.

Sara Haleeq, Head of the Adaptation Section at the Ministry’s Climate Change Directorate, said addressing the impacts of climate change is a shared responsibility, stressing that public-private partnerships have become a sustainability priority rather than an optional approach.

The roundtable was moderated by Hussam Khasawneh, Assistant to the President for Industry Partnerships at HTU, who guided discussions on innovation, public-private cooperation and the barriers and enablers affecting the development and scaling of climate solutions.

Rami Al Karmi, Assistant to the President for Innovation at HTU, presented the Open Innovation Bootcamp, which is being implemented under the Tabeaa project to support innovators and entrepreneurs in developing climate-smart solutions.

The initiative received 101 applications from across Jordan and selected 11 ventures to develop solutions addressing two key climate-related risks: heatwaves and flash floods.

The participating ventures are being supported through prototype development and connections with partners, service providers and investors, ahead of the National Conference for Climate Change Adaptation Innovations scheduled for September 2026.

Spiro Jildeh, Senior Partnerships and Influencing Coordinator for the Tabeaa project, said Jordan has innovative solutions, but the challenge lies in building links between these solutions and finance, policy, markets and potential partners to help them grow and scale.

He stressed that climate resilience cannot be achieved by a single actor and requires meaningful cooperation among the public sector, private sector, communities and innovators.

Since 2003, Mercy Corps has worked in Jordan on expanding access to clean water, climate change adaptation, strengthening youth and women’s civic participation, and promoting economic stability for Jordanians and refugees.

//Petra// MF