Beirut, Lebanon – In November 2025, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM)-City Climate Finance Gap Fund Partnership team joined the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut for a regional workshop on climate adaptation finance that brought together municipalities from Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. The gathering marked an important moment in the Partnership’s wider engagement across the Arab region, where cities are facing increasing climate pressures while struggling to access the finance needed to prepare and implement local adaptation projects.

Hosted at the United Nations (UN) House, the two-day workshop provided a practical space for cities to translate climate vulnerabilities into clear and bankable project concepts. With guidance from technical teams from the GCoM-Gap Fund Partnership, UN-ESCWA, UN-Habitat and regional partners, such as ClimaMed and the Association of Palestinian Municipalities (APLA), municipal representatives worked through climate risk assessments, project rationales, co-benefits, budget pathways and potential financing routes. The twelve participating municipalities focused on water security, circularity and waste, nature based solutions, energy efficiency and other priority adaptation sectors.

Throughout the workshop, the collaborative spirit was evident. Cities leaned on each other’s experience while experts provided direct, hands-on support. The team from Al Naseem Municipality in Jordan, represented by Eng. Omar Ayasrah and Eng. Husam Al Mahasneh, shared their reflections: “The course was highly valuable and successful. It provided enriching insights that enhanced the projects we developed. We look forward to maintaining our collaboration and benefiting from your extensive expertise.” From Lebanon, the Municipality of Majdal Anjar, represented by Wassim Alajmai, described the experience as both inspiring and energising. He said: “A heartfelt thank you to all the experts, specialists and administrators who supported us and helped municipalities develop valuable projects that will make a difference. The conference was inspiring and enriching. We gained important insights and had the honour of meeting amazing people from various Arab countries. We hope to stay connected and continue working together to achieve our shared environmental goals.”

This workshop represents a sustained effort across the region to build a strong pipeline of municipal climate adaptation projects. In the coming months, the GCoM team and partners will continue supporting the participating municipalities to refine and strengthen their concept notes. This will include tailored technical sessions, feasibility reviews, risk analysis, budget refinement and a mapping of suitable donor and project preparation facilities. The aim is to ensure the concepts turn into competitive proposals, ready for upcoming funding windows and donor pitching opportunities.

Building on the momentum created in Beirut, the GCoM-Gap Fund Partnership will host a Pathways to Finance event in Jordan in February 2026. The event will convene the municipalities that participated in the Beirut workshop and a range of donors and climate finance institutions. It will create a platform for cities to present their advanced project concepts, explore financing options and establish new connections with partners that can support full project development and implementation.