The Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA), through its Engineering Hub, conducted a workshop on adapting to climate change at the local level. The purpose was to explore the directions of the Ministry of Local Government concerning the integration of climate change issues into the planning processes and to explore the applications of green buildings in Palestine, in addition to the best practices for local authorities on issues of adapting to climate change. The workshop was attended by 39 participants from the Engineering Departments at the local authorities.

Eng. Shuruq Jaber, Head of Urban Planning Department at the Ministry of Local Government, presented the ministry's intentions for integrating climate change into planning processes, presenting some examples of project that were implemented in relevant fields. Furthermore, she presented the annex on integrating procedures of adapting to climate change and enhancing the capacity for resilience as part of the local development planning procedures for Palestinian cities and towns. Meanwhile, Eng. Ma'moun Abu Rayyan, representing the Engineers' Syndicate, presented the syndicate's experience and the applications of green buildings in Palestine, in addition to the main challenges facing such applications, and the guidelines manual, prepared for the purpose of clarifying the minimal requirements for the green buildings assessment.

Among the Engineering and Planning Hub' objectives is to enhance the exchange of experiences among employees working in local authorities in Palestine and with their peers around the world. Under such objective, Eng. Usama Hamdeh, Ramallah Municipality, explored the projects listed on the Municipality Action Plan 2023, under the municipal policies in responding and adapting to climate change. On another note, Eng. Mo'taz Qasem, Ajjah Municipality, presented the municipal projects in the fields of municipal energy investments. Moreover, three German municipalities "Municipality of Bergisch Gladbach, Municipality of Moers, and Municipality of Dortmund) presented the best practices among municipalities in Germany concerning adapting to climate change.

It is worth mentioning that the workshop is conducted under the Technical Hub Project for exchanging experiences among local authorities, implemented in partnership between APLA and LGRP-GIZ. The project comprises of five Hubs: Engineering and Planning Hub; Financial Management Hub; Public Relations Hub; Village Councils' Hub; and Creativity and Innovation Hub.