Renewable Energy is Important for Africa

For Morocco, this dimension of South-South partnership is a vision of strategic importance aimed at providing concrete answers to real problems, which is at the heart of its international and regional action. The Kingdom remains convinced that "multilateralism is the right choice to put into place our actions and move forward." This initiative can serve as a Moroccan-African platform to fight counter the effects of climate change. The Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) actions remain mainly oriented towards the African continent, with almost 80 pc of its initiatives related to African countries.

Renewable energy exploited from resources previously considered a constraint (sun, wind, floods ...) is becoming increasingly important for the African continent, it is now an opportunity for African countries. Morocco is a model of inspiration for many African countries, the signing of a partnership agreement between the Moroccan federation of electricity, electronics and renewable energy (FENELEC) and the Malian federation of electricity, energy, renewable and new energy (FENEM), which touches on the sector of electricity, electronics and renewable energy is a great example.

Green, Resilient Infrastructure Is Requisite for Sustainable Development

At the heart of government policies and public debate, the issue of sustainable development in Morocco includes many ecological, economic, institutional and cultural issues. The green economy, a large-scale project in which Morocco is making headway, is the best example of a laudable alliance between economic growth and ecological responsibility, the transition towards this model tops the priorities set by environment department. Aware of the strategic importance of this process, whose basic idea is to create environment-friendly employment and added value, the official of the ministry of environment has made the recycling of industrial waste her main concern.

Seven sectors were identified as part of the national program on waste management, namely plastic, polychlorinated biphenyl, batteries, tires, edible oils, lubricating oils and cardboard. The setting up of reliable, green and resilient infrastructure is a requisite to achieve sustainable development, the 5th forum of the standing committee of finances related to the mobilization of funding for resilient infrastructure, the construction of new infrastructure, mainly in developing countries, raises serious questions concerning their relation with the fight against climate change, that the setting up of good, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure cannot but promote economic development and human well-being.

There are two categories of infrastructure, namely green infrastructures that contribute to reducing climate change by limiting greenhouse gas emissions and adapted ones that help slash the vulnerability of developing countries. The construction of green and adapted infrastructure is intrinsically linked to public policies in force, highlighting the main role of private investors who are particularly involved in financing such infrastructure.

Morocco Convenes Meeting in New York on Climate Change South-South Cooperation

Morocco convened on Tuesday in New York a meeting on South-South cooperation with the objective of further strengthening this cooperation in line with the commitments made at COP22 in Marrakech. The meeting was jointly organized with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and was attended by several public and non-state actors, regional and international organizations and representatives of the private sector and of developing countries.

Speaking on this occasion, Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, thanked Morocco for this commendable initiative and its efforts to promote South-South cooperation to address the challenges of climate change. Correia Sacko affirmed that the African Union Commission is ready to support this initiative, given that climate change is a global issue that requires joint efforts, including by countries of the South, which are the most affected ones by this phenomenon. For the African official, dialogue and multilateralism have become an absolute necessity to achieve the development and transformation of Africa and to reach the objectives on the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union 2063 Agenda.

Ambassador Amena Yauvoli, COP23 special representative for the Pacific region, said he was "pleasantly surprised" by the relevance of this Moroccan initiative and its great potential to promote cooperation between countries to fight the effects of climate change. For him, South-South cooperation as advocated by Morocco "can turn these challenges into opportunities". UNFCCC spokesperson Nick Nuttall welcomed Morocco's initiative, noting that the Moroccan presidency of COP22 contributed to the emergence of a South-South cooperation action in this area. Nuttall underlined the importance of strengthening cooperation in order to fight the impact of this phenomenon.

Morocco Experience in Water Management

The importance of the challenges of security and water integrity for both the MENA region and Morocco, a country which, since its independence, has been committed to a water policy based on the control of water resources. Morocco still faces many challenges, including the excessive use of groundwater. Public authorities made considerable investments to meet the needs of people in urban and rural areas, Morocco made huge efforts to ensure better governance of its water resources and to develop tools that would strengthen integrity in the management of water-related services.

The importance of the adoption of the new Water Law N 36-15 which is aimed at promoting a decentralized and transparent management of water resources. The Moroccan official called for additional efforts and support for all initiatives aimed at promoting water security and integrity in the MENA region, in particular through the strengthening of international and regional cooperation.

World Water Week, which addresses this year the theme “water and waste: reduce and reuse”, is the largest annual meeting for water and development issues, organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). The Week brings together more than 3,000 participants from nearly 130 countries representing actors from governments, private sector, multilateral organizations, civil society and academia to shape joint solutions to global water challenges.