Glasgow, 10 November 2021 – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, represented by Hon. Gennaro Migliore (Italy), PAM President, and Sen. Sebastian Cernic (Romania), participated in this year’s COP26 High-Level Segment.
The Conference of Parties is the foremost international conference on climate change. The main goals of COP26 are to encourage all parties to come forward with ambitious National Development Contribution (NDCs) plans that establish their emission reduction targets for 2030, discuss adaptation measures, increase climate finance and finalise the Paris Rulebook.
This year’s conference was attended by more than 2500 delegates and Heads of States, under the United Kingdom’s Presidency, in cooperation with Italy.
Addressing COP26 High-Level Segment, Hon. Migliore expressed PAM’s deep concern over the repercussions of climate change for the world in general and the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions in particular. He stressed that the PAM region, home to more than 500 million people, is a climate-sensitive zone, exposed to “desertification, food insecurity, extreme weather conditions, shortage of drinking water, soil erosion, risks of new diseases and climate refugees…”
Hon. Migliore urged developed countries and emerging economies to build coalitions to create the financial and technological conditions to accelerate the decarbonization of the economy, as well as the phase out of coal.
The President stressed that PAM and its 34 parliaments are committed to do their part to ensure the implementation of international commitments.
Prior to the COP26, Hon. Rocha (Portugal) represented PAM at the IPU parliamentary meeting on climate change. The meeting urged countries to reconsider their financial structures to adapt their development goals with the current situation, in an attempt to mitigate the impact of climate change, which is now described by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as a “code red” for humanity.
By participating in these high-level events, PAM reaffirms its full commitment to the Paris Agreement, while stressing the state of emergency due to the climate situation in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions and the entire world. PAM continues to urge for interparliamentary dialogue for accelerated actions to reach greener and sustainable economies.