Climate action: Morocco, an example to follow in the MENA region and Africa

In the context of the COP28 activities in the United Arab Emirates, the president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Razan al-Mubarak, said in her speech during the side-event organised by the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, that "Morocco is considered one of the leading countries in the MENA region and Africa in terms of environmental protection and the fight against climate change, thanks to its efforts and its total commitment to the decarbonisation of the national economy".

The President explained, in this context, that the international community recognised that "action on climate change that does not include people, civil society and businesses will remain a dead letter". Morocco avoids this by advocating an inclusive and sustainable economy that respects its environmental commitment and consolidates its openness to civil society.

"Countries in our region and in Africa should be proud of Morocco's inspiring vision and hold it up as a role model," Al-Mubarak stressed, recalling the role of High Level Champion that was successful in Marrakech during COP22 in 2016.

At the Morocco Pavilion at COP28, a meeting on the issue was organised in partnership with the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), where the theme of "reviewing Africa's track record on climate action: successes and opportunities" was discussed and Razan al-Mubarak stressed that "there can be no transition, neither in the field of energy nor in the field of food, without the involvement of non-state actors".

In this sense, the president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature urged regional recognition of Morocco's efforts, and praised the work of the Moroccan government, which has truly adopted the climate action agenda, not as a theoretical plan, but as a road map that is applied on the ground.

"Morocco is one of the few countries that, according to climate data, has met the goal of limiting the temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius when it submitted its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2016," she added.

Al-Mubarak concluded by stating that, "while climate change is already present, the world should feel confident that it is already starting to implement measures to curb the factors that cause climate change".