UfM and Turkish COP31 presidency launch Antalya Mediterranean Climate Dialogue series in Rabat

8 July 2026, Rabat. The first of seven Antalya Mediterranean Climate Dialogue consultations took place today at the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Rabat. Organised by the UfM alongside the COP31 host country, the initiative aims to promote a unified Mediterranean voice ahead of the UN climate conference, with conclusions from these talks consolidated into a Mediterranean Synthesis Note that will be presented in Antalya this November. As a hotspot warming 20% faster than the global average, the Mediterranean faces growing climate and environmental pressures that underscore the urgent need for enhanced regional cooperation on the matter.

Today’s consultation, held in cooperation with Morocco’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development and overseen by Turkish ambassador Mustafa İlker Kılıç and UfM Deputy Secretary General for Human Development Petra Kežman, brought together Morocco’s main climate actors around four thematic round tables aligned with the COP31 Action Agenda: electrification and the energy transition; access to climate finance and its implementation; oceans and seas; and synergies between the Rio Conventions and adaptation.

Participants emphasised the need for climate action and human development to advance hand in hand with education, skills, research and youth engagement serving as key enablers of resilience and sustainable growth. In this context, Morocco’s co-chairmanship of the Euro-Mediterranean University Initiative for Climate Action, which brings together 120 universities across the region, including seven Moroccan institutions, demonstrates the country’s leadership in mobilising higher education as a driver of climate solutions and regional cooperation.

“As the host of COP31, Türkiye has made strengthening the Mediterranean dimension of global climate action one of the of the focuses of its presidency. Through the Antalya Mediterranean Climate Dialogue, we seek to reflect the experience, priorities and aspirations of governments, civil society, private sector and academia in our region into the outcomes of COP31. I am particularly pleased that the very first national consultation of the Antalya Mediterranean Climate Dialogue is taking place here in Rabat,” said Türkiye’s ambassador to Morocco, Mustafa İlker Kılıç.

“The Mediterranean is home to more than half a billion people who are increasingly exposed to devastating heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and flash floods,” said UfM Deputy Secretary General Petra Kežman. “The root causes of these issues are cross-border in nature, meaning no single country can hope to tackle them alone. The Antalya Mediterranean Climate Dialogue is therefore an opportunity to move forward towards building the stronger cooperation on climate that our region needs.”

Given the toll climate change is exacting on our region, the UfM is once again working to organise a Mediterranean Pavilion at this year’s COP, the first of its kind on the shores of our shared sea. The pavilion will allow Mediterranean countries, scientific experts, the private sector and civil society to showcase their commitments to climate action and sustainable development. By joining forces with key regional players, the UfM aims to ensure the region’s unique climate challenges are present in global climate processes.