MedCOP Climate 2016 in Tangier: Partnership agreement signed between the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region and the Union for the Mediterranean
Tangier, 11 July 2016. Climate change is a key priority on the international political agenda. COP21 provided a valuable impetus in the fight against climate change worldwide. The UfM Member States signed the Paris Agreement in New York on 22 April 2016 and are now preparing for COP22, which will take place in Marrakech in November 2016. As part of this preparatory process, the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region will host MedCOP Climate 2016 in Tangier on 18 and 19 July, in collaboration with the Union for the Mediterranean.
Given its geographical location and dynamic development plan, the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region provides a clear and practical example of the Mediterranean’s significant potential to transform climate change challenges into opportunities.
On this basis, together with the aim of mobilising key Mediterranean sustainable development stakeholders in Tangier, the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region and the Secretariat of the UfM have concluded a partnership agreement in order to work together to reinforce regional cooperation and integration in the Mediterranean within the framework of the MedCOP Climate 2016.
Ilyas El Omari, President of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Regional Council, highlighted that “Keeping the global temperature rise below 2°C, a goal set by the Paris Agreement, requires other actions besides contributions determined on a national level. In light of COP22, which is due to take place in Marrakech in November 2016, a coordinated regional approach within the scope of Climate Action is fundamental in order to achieve this goal within the Mediterranean, one of the regions that are most sensitive to the harmful effects of climate change.”
“We are happy to collaborate with the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region to make the MedCOP Climate a real starting point for devising an action plan in favour of the Mediterranean agenda for climate change. Our combined efforts are consistent with the strategy of the next CoP22 in Marrakech, which also aims to follow this course of action”, stated Fathallah Sijilmassi, Secretary General of the UfM.
The MedCOP Climate will bring together more than 2,000 representatives from various countries in the Mediterranean basin, from civil society organisations and various regional/international organisations to economic stakeholders and experts. Following the first MedCOP edition in Marseille in June 2015, it will mark a crucial step towards the implementation of a Mediterranean agenda for climate change.
The aim of the second edition of the MedCOP Climate will be to highlight current Mediterranean initiatives linked to climate action and to formulate innovative ideas in an attempt to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement.
Forming part of the Forum’s programme, there will be themed workshops, conferences and round table discussions on issues related to climate change. MedCOP Climate will also see the inauguration of a “Medina of Solutions”, which will reveal a potential circular economy adapted to climate change through creative and innovative solutions in support of sustainability. There will also be a forum for young people on 17 July, which seeks to create a network of young Mediterranean citizens dedicated to climate issues.
