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The 3rd edition of MedCop Climate, jointly organised by the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region and the “Mediterranean House of Climate” foundation, took place on June 22nd and 23rd 2023, in Tangier, Morocco. Held this year under the theme « MedCop, the driving force of climate action at the local and regional levels in the Mediterranean, » this congress aimed to be a space for exchange, and debate, to realign the trajectory of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement, based on the conclusions of the first Global Stock take to be held during COP28 in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023.
Aligned with the challenges faced by the international community, the MedCop Climate Tangier 2023 saw the participation of over 1,200 attendees representing 36 nationalities, including eminent climate experts and specialists. The congress brought together stakeholders from local governments, cities, and regions, development partners, intergovernmental organisations, private sector, academics, civil society organisations, women, and youth led CSOs. The objective was to design and catalyse actions and solutions to foster the implementation of the Climate Agenda in the Mediterranean region. This Agenda will provide a platform to shape a common vision and amplify the voice of Mediterranean cities and territories within the climate related decision-making processes, such as Conference Of Parties (COPs).
UNCDF was strongly engaged during this event:
- Participation to the high-level opening ceremony organised in three parts.
The inaugural ceremony was organised in three parts. The national segment featured speeches by HE. Omar Moro, President of the MedCop Steering Committee and President of the Tangier Tetouan-Al Hoceima Regional Council. HE. Nezha Bouchareb and HE. Mohamed Sefiani, Vice-presidents of the Mediterranean Climate House Foundation who welcomed the participants and recalled the context and the objectives of the conference. HE. Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water, and HE. Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, highlighted the leadership of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the enlightened guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in various advancements in sustainable water management and energy transition.
The second segment focused on regional and international participation, with interventions by the Union for the Mediterranean, UNCDF, UN-Habitat, UCLG World and UCLG Africa, the Mediterranean Climate House Foundation, and ICLEI. These actors emphasised the importance of local governments in implementing the Climate Agenda and the need to strengthen cooperation as a lever for accelerating innovation and sharing solutions, as well as showcasing ongoing initiatives and the necessity of enhancing synergies among them.
The third segment witnessed the signing of six (6) high-impact partnership agreements involving the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region, the Mediterranean House of Climate Foundation, UCLG Africa, AMCDD, UNCDF, AMEE in addition to a notable number of territorial collectivities. These agreements focused on significant programs that illustrate Morocco’s commitment at regional, national, and local levels toward a low-carbon, inclusive, and resilient economy.
- UNCDF and the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region signed Agreement to finance Green Public Lighting System
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to identify potential levels of energy optimization in public lighting in the region’s cities, define energy efficiency objectives to be achieved in this sector at regional level, assess standards in terms of social and economic impact, and identify funding providers. Capitalizing on the model developed by UNCDF and already implemented in the Moroccan Municipality of Chefchaouen, the agreement aims to develop an innovative financing mechanism for local public facilities in Morocco in which the energy savings coming from the network renovation are used to reimburse the concessional loans granted to fund the investment. By scaling up Chefchaouen’s pilot initiative to a first-time regional pooling, such MoU will help Moroccan local authorities to better contribute to the implementation of national energy efficiency strategies.
- UNCDF co-led a session on main stage in partnership with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM)
In a session entitled “Subnational Climate Facilities & Decentralized Cooperation”, UNCDF made two successive presentations. The first, by David Jackson, Global Director of the LTF Practice, on the LoCAL program, which aims to develop decentralized climate finance mechanisms for local governments; the second, by Christel Alvergne, Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa, on public lighting modernization programs financed through future energy savings, in Chefchaouen and soon throughout the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region.
The coming months will see both the deployment of the LoCAL mechanism in the Maghreb, particularly in Tunisia, and the implementation of the MOU signed at MedCOP 2023 with the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
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