20 November 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan – The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, Hon. Enaam Mayara (Morocco), addressed today the High-Level Segment (HLS) of the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29). PAM was the only International Parliament to address HLS on this occasion.
In his remarks, PAM President conveyed the Assembly’s profound concern over the current climate emergency and the lack of concrete action taken by the international community to address it.
Referring to the Mediterranean Basin as a “Climate Change hotspot”, he highlighted the region’s alarming vulnerability, exemplified by this summer’s record-high surface temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea and by the devastating events recently occurred in Southern Spain.
Hon. Mayara commended the Parties’ engagement towards scaling up climate finance and urged them to submit and implement more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Stressing the essential role of national and international parliaments, he emphasized their ability to spearhead legislative initiatives that uphold environmental policies, including commitments made at COP.
He also recalled PAM’s contributions to this effort, including the recent publication of the first-ever Parliamentarian’s Guide to Protecting the Mediterranean Sea and Coast, prepared together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the institutionalization of the PAM Economic Forum in Marrakesh, which is today a well-established parliamentary platform to promote dialogue on sustainable and renewable energy transitions.
President Mayara’s statement can be found at the following link: https://pam.int/pam-president-addresses-cop-29/
Looking ahead, PAM will continue to actively contribute to global climate discussions and negotiations. This includes key frameworks such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), of which PAM will soon become Permanent Observer at its forthcoming COP16 in Riyadh, KSA, thus further reinforcing its role in addressing critical environmental challenges on the international stage. //