3rd Capacity-Building Workshop: Unlocking Climate Finance for Women Entrepreneurs in the MENA Region

14 October 2025, Online – The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) will hold the 3rd Capacity-Building Workshop of the Community of Practice (CoP) on Gender, Environment and Climate Change under the title “Unlocking Climate Finance for Women Entrepreneurs in the MENA Region” on 14 October 2025 (online).

This event builds on the first two workshops—Athens (December 2024), which focused on women’s entrepreneurship and access to finance in green and blue sectors, and Brussels (June 2025, during Med Green Week), which addressed gender-responsive policy integration. The third workshop now turns to one of the most pressing issues in the region: bridging the gap between available climate finance instruments and the real needs of women-led businesses and cooperatives.

Main objective and focus
The workshop will provide practical tools, peer-learning opportunities, and real-world success stories to demystify climate finance, strengthen the investment readiness of women entrepreneurs, and connect them with accelerators, policymakers, and investors. It will showcase both successes and lessons from failed attempts in accessing finance, highlighting the pathways and partnerships necessary to scale women-led climate businesses.

Target group
The session will bring together women entrepreneurs, SMEs, startups, and cooperatives active in climate-relevant sectors across the MENA region, alongside policymakers, financial institutions, investors, accelerators, and development partners, reinforcing the CoP as a unique platform for multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Expected outcomes
Participants will gain a clearer understanding of climate finance instruments, acquire practical strategies to strengthen investment readiness, and benefit from peer-to-peer networking opportunities. The outcomes will also feed into the CoP’s governance structure and future actions, consolidating its role as a regional hub for gender-responsive climate solutions.

Through this workshop, the UfM reaffirms its commitment to advancing gender equality and inclusive climate action, in line with the 5th UfM Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society (2022).