In conjunction with the Mediterranean Climate Week, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) organized an Informal High-Level Conference on Climate Change.
The Conference focused on supporting national and regional efforts to prepare climate change goals, and thus advance progress toward a universal climate change agreement to be adopted at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC in Paris, France, in December 2015.
7 May 2015: In conjunction with the Mediterranean Climate Week, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) organized an Informal High-Level Conference on Climate Change. The Conference focused on supporting national and regional efforts to prepare climate change goals, and thus advance progress toward a universal climate change agreement to be adopted at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC in Paris, France, in December 2015.
Emphasizing that the Mediterranean is one of the most vulnerable regions to the adverse impacts of climate change, the Conference, which was held in Shikrat, Morocco, encouraged regional dialogue to foster cooperation on climate change among Mediterranean countries. Participants focused on ways to turn priorities into concrete actions, such as through the UfM Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) Initiative for the Mediterranean, which was presented by UfM Deputy Secretary General Teresa Ribeiro.
UfM highlighted the role it is playing in coordinating and supporting its member States in their work on climate. During the Mediterranean Climate Week, the UfM Climate Change Expert Group (UfMCCEG) met for the second time since it was conceived at the May 2014 UfM Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Change. UfMCCEG brings together national focal points, civil society and private sector representatives, and other stakeholders to exchange views on climate change mitigation, scientific knowledge and climate finance.
According to UfM Secretary General Fathallah Sijilmassi, UfM is facilitating the preparation of member States’ contributions to the UNFCCC process and assisting them in their implementation. He noted that, thanks to the UfMCCEG, the Secretariat of the UfM “is the platform of reference to gather the different initiatives and institutions currently working on climate change related issues.”
The Mediterranean Climate Week was held 4-7 May 2015 in Morocco. As the host country, Morocco co-hosted the Informal High-Level Conference, which was chaired by the UfM Co-Presidency, the EU and Jordan.
UfM countries are: Austria, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Tunisia, the UK, Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxemburg, Mauritania, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Palestine, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Syria and Turkey. [UfM Press Release] [Mediterranean Climate Week Agenda] [UfMCCEG Webpage] [High-Level Conference Webpage]