UfM Climate Change Expert Group Fourth Meeting
The 4th meeting of the UfM Climate Change Expert Group (UfMCCEG) will be held at the French Ministry of Environment, Energy and Sea in Paris on 12 May 2016.
The momentum cannot be more suitable: on 22 April the Paris Agreement (adopted during the COP21 in December 2015) was signed by 175 countries in New York showing the commitment of the international community; and the Bonn Climate Change Conference that will, inter alia, prepare the COP22 (to be held in Marrakech in November) will start on 16 May. Therefore, the meeting of the UfMCCEG scheduled for 12 May will take place between these two important milestones of the international climate action agenda.
This fourth UfMCCEG meeting will gather UfM national focal points as well as representatives from stakeholders and civil society. It will focus mainly on the follow-up of the Paris Agreement, on the implementation of action in the field of local authorities, private sector investments and capacity building. It will be as well the occasion to discuss the work plan of 2016.
Climate Change is a threat multiplier for stability and security in the Mediterranean, one of the most vulnerable regions in terms of climate change impacts. An enhanced cooperation to face the common challenges is consequently needed and the Union for the Mediterranean offers a unique platform for it. In this sense, the UfM Climate Change Expert Group (UfMCCEG) was created in 2014 to act as a regional dialogue platform, showcasing how a complex system of relevant initiatives, programmes and structures may be brought together in order to create synergies while including stakeholders, the private sector and various levels of governance. Its aim is to enhance regional dialogue and catalyse the identification, support and development of specific projects and initiatives, both in mitigation and adaptation.