On the 8^th June 2022, the first of six U-SOLVE hubs, has been inaugurated in Palestine. It will help entrepreneurs come together with their peers and other experts and support them in delivering advanced services as it aims to support business sectors triggered by the transition towards a sustainable society.

With over 50 participants joining the celebration including the governor of Bethlehem province, the President of the University, the Director General of Bethlehem Municipality, and representatives of universities, directorates, councils, incubators and community institutions in Bethlehem, Hebron. The celebration featured a panel discussion entitled "the connection between entrepreneurship, urban development and sustainable development in Palestine" with the participation of a group of experts in the fields: Dr. Ahmed El-Atrash, representative of UN-Habitat focused on Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is sustainable cities and communities, and explained the urgent need for entrepreneurship in urban planning. Mr. Tawfiq Nassar of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics explained the obstacles and limitations of innovation in Palestine, including the scarcity of resources and restrictions imposed by the occupation, and announced the availability of a database in the Bureau to help young people, or development agencies. Mr. Ali Ramadan from the business incubator of Palestine Polytechnic University, explained the increasing orientation of funded projects towards supporting and promoting entrepreneurship in Palestine due to the growing need for this. Mr. Emad Amouri who was part of a previous ENPI CBC MED project (Netkite) and is now owner of " Ibtaker" company addressed Palestinian entrepreneurs and emphasized that they must have a global vision and a real passion to make the necessary effort to reach the desired result in their projects, and urged them to go to centers like this hub” to help them in this field. Mr.Khaled Shanaa, U-SOLVE project manager in Palestine spoke about the challenge of linking entrepreneurship to urban planning and the urgent need to focus on Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals which addresses Water and Sanitation. 

The ceremony was concluded with the cutting of the ribbon and a tour in the center let by the project manger with a screening of a film reflecting the stages of preparing the center throughout the project.

U-SOLVE Project team in Palestine documented in video the inauguration of the hub with interviews with relevant experts of matters of urban and sustainable development in Palestine