Amman, Dec 10 (Petra) -- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Water Reuse and Environmental Conservation Project (WRECP) handed over responsibility for The Network for Jordanian Industrial Sustainability to the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) in a ceremony on December 10 at the RSS.
The Network is an interactive web portal for sharing information about ways Jordan’s industrial sector can both conserve scarce resources and improve environmental performance.
The MOU signing ceremony, which marked the handover, was attended by HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, RSS President and Ms. Beth Paige,USAID Jordan Mission Director.
The MOU was signed by Dr. Muhammad Saidam, Executive Director of Knowledge at the RSS, and Mr. Christopher Dege, Deputy Director of the Water Resources & Environment Office at USAID.
HRH Princess Sumaya said "There is great strength in uniting efforts and combining resources". Adding that, "national needs must drive our development priorities – Indeed, Water and Energy are key constraints for economic development, yet these challenges have the potential to drive our innovation agenda." The Princess stressed that "through our networks and research alliances, we can all be vital agents of change in order to deeply embed the innovative potential of Science and Technology in Jordan and the region. It makes so much sense when this growing sector can create so many new jobs, inspire and support researchers and help to face the challenges posed by dwindling natural resources of water and energy" Ms. Paige confirmed the US government’s awareness of the challenges faced by Jordan’s industrial sector in competing worldwide for business, contributing to Jordan’s economy, and providing jobs for Jordanian citizens. These challenges include the high cost of energy, the limited availability of water, and the high cost of treating industrial wastewater. She reaffirmed the US government’s commitment to assisting industry in finding solutions that also protect the environment.
WRECP Chief of Party Eng. Charles Darnell explained that the project works with government and industry to foster the saving of energy and water, which will reduce production costs and improve the industrial sector’s competitiveness. The Network is one of many project tools for improving industrial environmental performance. It functions through the web portal (www.JordanNetwork.net) and through live events.
The handover ceremony was followed by a workshop on green finance – that is, how to find financing for process improvements that would save water and energy. The Network had already conducted a series of events on specific measures industrial facilities can take to lower their energy bills, but many of these measures take money to implement. This workshop took the industrial sector one step further towards actually implementing sustainable environmental solutions.
The event concluded with a panel discussion representing various sectors and started a dialogue about green finance and the opportunities it holds for Jordan. It also discussed the challenges it faces today and possible ways to overcome them. This workshop was the first to be carried out for The Network under the RSS umbrella with USAID WRECP support.
It is worth noting that The Royal Scientific Society is the largest applied research institution, consultation, and technical support service provider in Jordan and is a regional leader in the fields of science & technology.
