On January 5th, Green ScaleLab, part of the Green Forward Programme, delivered its sixth module titled “Regulatory Frameworks and Public Policy,” bringing together Business Support Organizations (BSOs) to strengthen their understanding of national and international regulatory landscapes and their role in shaping effective green policy advocacy.
Facilitated by Dr. Saed Dorra, PhD in Economics, the module equipped participants with a clearer understanding of the key Palestinian environmental and green business laws, licensing and certification pathways, and strategies for effective stakeholder mapping. Dr. Dorra also guided the cohort through the complexities of public policy instruments that influence sustainable entrepreneurship.
The first part of the session introduced participants to the national legislative and regulatory frameworks relevant to green and circular economy development in Palestine, including key environmental, investment, and economic policies. This was complemented by an in-depth overview of the EU Green Deal framework, highlighting its implications for non-EU countries and Palestinian businesses in particular. Topics covered included sustainability reporting requirements, value-chain due diligence and sustainable finance, with a strong focus on how these frameworks increasingly affect MSMEs through supply-chain and market access requirements.
Through practical exercises, participants mapped regulatory gaps and compliance challenges and conducted stakeholder mapping to identify key actors influencing green economy policy development. BSOs also engaged in ideation sessions to define concrete support and advocacy actions that could strengthen MSME engagement with regulatory processes.
The second part of the module focused on advocacy for policy influence, distinguishing between awareness raising, capacity building, and advocacy, and outlining the core principles and steps required to design effective advocacy campaigns. Participants reviewed selected local, regional, and international case studies demonstrating how structured advocacy efforts can lead to tangible policy change.
In a hands-on group exercise, BSOs worked collaboratively to identify the most pressing challenges faced by BSOs and MSMEs. This process will help participants develop more focused policy advocacy concepts by selecting two priority themes and translating them into initial outlines for structured policy briefs. The exercises emphasized practicality, clarity of messaging, and alignment with institutional mandates and national priorities.
By the end of the module, participating BSOs had strengthened their capacity to interpret regulatory frameworks, support MSMEs in meeting compliance demands, and engage more strategically in policy advocacy. Module 6 marked an important step in positioning BSOs not only as service providers, but also as informed intermediaries contributing to a more coordinated green business ecosystem in Palestine.
Green ScaleLab is implemented as part of the Green Forward Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by SPARK in partnership with Flow Accelerator, with the aim of advancing green and circular economy development across the Southern Neighbourhood.
