The European Union, through DG NEAR, is launching the Green and Circular Economy in the Southern Neighbourhood programme. The overall objective of this action is to support the green and circular economy in the Southern Neighbourhood region focusing on three levels of intervention: macro, meso and micro levels.

UNIDO has been entrusted with implementing Component 3 (micro level) focusing on support to small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) transition to green and circular economy.

This 48-month project, with a budget of €12 million, will contribute to the objective of the regional Team Europe Initiative “Jobs through Trade and Investment in the Southern Neighbourhood” to foster decent job creation through increased levels of trade and investments, as well as to contribute to an inclusive economic recovery through improved skills and entrepreneurship.

Presentation of UNIDO
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is dedicated to promoting industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization, and
environmental sustainability. It focuses on inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Member States, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency Unit promotes greener and more circular industries by minimizing resource use, thus achieving environmental goals while improving competitiveness.

Contacts

For more information, please feel free to contact:

Ulvinur Müge DOLUN, Project Manager, TCS/CCM/CER – UNIDO – U.DOLUN@unido.org

Building on the success of the SwitchMed Programme, the overall objective (impact) of the intervention is to create green jobs along the targeted value chains, including to contribute to sustainable economic growth, decarbonization and climate resilient development, decent jobs creation, and a safer, healthier, and pollution-free environment.

The project will achieve this impact through the specific objective (outcome) of strengthening the resource efficient and circular competitiveness of SMEs, brought about by two Outputs:

Output 1: Resource efficient and circular business models are demonstrated and capacity thereon, including access to finance, is built. Activities under this Output will relate to value chain and demonstration partner selection, company training and technical assistance via tailored resource efficiency and circular economy industrial pilot projects, as well as access to finance assistance.

Output 2: Resource efficient and circular knowledge is disseminated at educational, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and policy levels, including regionally.
Activities under this Output will relate to the introduction of resource efficiency and circular economy at educational level, regional cooperation, peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, roadmaps for scale up and creation of an evidence base on the intervention’s impact.