Jerusalem24 – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) MOUSTADAMA program has just wrapped up its second edition of the “Palestine Cleantech Innovation Competition 2022”, which was celebrated simultaneously in Ramallah and Gaza City on 31 January.MOUSTADAMA (‘sustainable’ in English) is a four-year program that runs through 2023 “to boost competitiveness in the industrial sector in Palestine through promoting and applying sustainable energy solutions.”The project is tailored for small and medium-sized industrial enterprises in Palestine and aims to help them build their capacity in the fields of energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy, in order to “counter the chronic energy shortages and high costs of electricity” present in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.“We found that there is a major challenge that keeps the Palestinian industries uncompetitive,” Ahmad El-Farra, head of UNIDO program office in Palestine, tells Jerusalem24. “The average energy cost in the product is around 40% and in some sectors it goes up to 70%. This is a big cost compared to the region, here in Palestine.”MOUSTADAMA as well as other UNIDO projects are informed by the situation on the ground, and one of the key aspects of these programs is to ensure they “stay sustainable after the end date” of the project, explains El-Farra.El-Farra lauds the creativity and potential of young Palestinian entrepreneurs who have applied and succeeded in the competition. “You can see that Palestinian young men and women are very creative,” he says. “We’re going to be taking them forward, and they will be competing in international competitions.”To find out more about this year’s competitors and their innovations, watch the full interview on Vibes.
