Photo: REIC
The 14th Regional Summer School on Low Emission Development Planning, held in Fojnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina ended on July 6 with an award ceremony. The program was successfully completed by 17 participants of various educational and professional backgrounds, coming from South-East European countries and beyond. All participants were fully funded by the organizers.
Participants included students of master studies in technical and natural sciences, and young experts active in the field of low carbon development.
GIZ Open Regional Fund for SEE-Energy Efficiency (ORF-EE) in cooperation with GIZ energy efficiency and renewable energy sources projects, active in Bosnia and Herzegovina, supported the Regional Education and Information Centre for Sustainable Development in SEE (REIC) in organizing the summer school, which has become a sector summer program staple, attracting students from the region and the world.
The summer school is primarily dedicated to the exchange of successful practices and solutions, as well as innovative ideas in the field of sustainable energy.
„Its goal, which is also in line with ORF-EE’s objective, is to provide participants with an exchange platform and examples of best sector practices on which they can build on, deepening their knowledge and inspiring innovative action,“ Dubravka Bošnjak, ORF-EE Project Manager stated.
A special focus of the school is on the multidisciplinary approach that provides innovative methods for overcoming barriers especially referring to the use of renewable energy in SEE.
Ina Kurteshi, from Albania, who successfully completed the summer program reflected on her experience in Fojnica.
She explained, “the Summer School exceeded my expectations. It was an immensely valuable experience for me. The program provided very concrete and easy-to-follow tools for evaluating energy sector concepts and working towards viable and effective sector solutions, also applicable in the region.”
„The Summer School was an amazing multinational experience with immense impact on my personal life and professional career. I would recommend this summer program to other young people around the world,“ Minja Marijanski another program graduate from Serbia, stated.
The motto of the school was “think globally, act locally”. The program set-up enabled participants to understand key global concepts associated with low-emission development, also in the context of putting these to use in the local setting.
The school encompassed key elements of development in four different sectors, i.e. energy production, sustainable urban mobility, use of energy in housing and use of energy in public buildings, taking into account environmental and social aspects of renewable energy use.
Lecturers were leading experts in the area of renewable energy and climate change from universities, international organizations and national authorities, including the non-governmental sector.
Last year the 13th Regional Summer School hosted 24 students and young professionals from nine South-East European and EU countries.
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