3rd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum: accelerating energy transition in the Mediterranean

MedCOP Climate in Tangier hosted the 3rd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum, gathering government representatives, experts, financial institutions, civil society, and private sector representatives, including young and women entrepreneurs, to explore strategies for accelerating the energy transition in the Mediterranean region.. 

22 June 2023, Tangier. The MedCOP Climate in Tangiers hosted the 3rd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum, jointly organized by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) on the 22 June 2023. The annual forum serves as a regional platform for structuring energy and climate cooperation between countries on both shores of the Mediterranean. It provided an opportunity for local authorities, representatives of the private sector, and civil society to examine their roles and exchange best practices. The forum saw the participation of UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel and UfM Deputies Secretary General Grammenos Mastrojeni, Almotaz Abadi, and Abdelkader el Khissassi.

The MedCOP Climate took place only a few days after the release of the ‘State of the Climate in Europe 2022’ report, jointly produced by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and showcasing how Europe saw its warmest summer on record last year.

A gender perspective on energy transition

The 3rd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum focused on women-led startups for energy transition and financial institutions, aiming to share good practices to promote gender-just climate and energy transition. Hiba Abu-Libdeh from Palestine, Guadaluna Chaer from Lebanon, Nadia Zeddou from Morocco, and Henrietta Miers from the EBRD discussed barriers to accessing finance for women entrepreneurs, among other issues.

The UfM, with the support of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), announced the launch of a pilot project for an online incubation program for 20 early-stage startups in Lebanon. The program will provide training for these startups in plastic recycling.

Sustainable Management of Water Resources  

As part of the MedCOP in Tangier, the UfM also hosted two sessions on water management with Plan Bleu, in one of the thematic hubs of the conference. The sessions of this HUB3 focused on the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus approach and the blue economy, aiming to transform the Mediterranean marine and coastal areas into resources for sustaining the local economy, creating jobs, and building resilient territories.