BGF gathers local stakeholders of the Municipality of Kamenica for advancement towards a zero Carbon Economy

For the advancement and progression of environmental development practices in rural areas, Balkan Green Foundation, within the framework of Green Rural Deal project, held a workshop with local stakeholders of the Municipality of Kamenica to push forward a productive and interactive dialogue and definition of common grounds and goals towards a sustainable transition in the Municipality of Kamenica.

The workshop included representatives of the Municipality of Kamenica, Ministry of Environment and Economy, CSOs, businesses, national and regional actors, academia, and local development agencies.

The meeting commenced with opening remarks from the Programmes and Operations Manager of BGF, Rinora Gojani, who stressed the importance of the development and implementation of transformative policies in rural regions and establishment of the grounds for evidence-based decision-making for sustainable development.

The speech was followed by a statement by the Mayor of Municipality of Kamenica, Qëndron Kastrati, who expressed the readiness of the Municipality to further these efforts and build on the already existing sustainable infrastructures towards a zero-carbon economy.

Timon Wehnert from Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy (research institute for sustainability and simultaneously lead partner from Germany) went on to underline the spirit of the project “Green Rural Deal” which is to share the learnings and experiences transnationally, bringing the experiences of developed German municipalities in Kosovo, and other regions.  

Participants delved into an in-depth analysis of the current situation in the Municipality of Kamenica alongside initiatives for decarbonisation, challenges towards a transition to a zero carbon economy, particularly underlining the strengths, weaknesses, risks and opportunities in the Municipality of Kamenica.

As possible areas for intervention towards the zero carbon economy, each sector and stakeholder in the workshop gave their inputs and contribution in regards to the social, economic and environmental indicators, all the while emphasizing the importance of cross-sectorial cooperation.

During the discussion, it was agreed that consensus action, discussions and grounded cooperations can serve as crucial pathways to the officiation of progress and fuitive dialogue leading to meaningful policy and programmatic changes to address important issues and contribute to paving the way for a sustainable transition. 

Green Rural Deal project is implemented by Balkan Green Foundation (BGF) in cooperation with the Wuppertal Institute and Germanwatch from Germany - as well as two energy and environmental organizations from Greece and Serbia, are implementing the Green Rural Deal project. The project is supported by European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).