The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean represented by a delegation lead by President, Senator Lhou Lmarbough, participated at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 22/CMP 12, held on 7–18 November 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco. The PAM delegation included Hon. Nathalie Amoratti-Blanc, Head of the Monaco Delegation to PAM and Hon. Klodiana Spahiu (Albania).
In his address to the COP 22/CMP 12 High Level Segment, the PAM President underlined the need to see the national parliaments of the world, individually and collectively, transform the decisions of Paris and the resolutions of Marrakech into concrete and applicable legislative measures. “Parliamentarians must also play their role of monitoring public policies and respecting their governments’ commitments to tackle climate change”, Sen. Lmarbouh added.
The Mediterranean is an area that is highly vulnerable to climate change and is already affected by critical impacts on water, the economy, food security and migration. The PAM President stressed that climate migration is already affecting the region. Through its debates, PAM has established that the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa are now regarded as regions of immediate proximity to the Mediterranean, and consequently, Africa as a whole, is involved with our region.
For the follow-up of Paris decisions and the Marrakech resolutions, PAM will promote the organisation of MedCop meetings every year, and will associate Africa through its institutions, including the Pan-African Parliament. “We consider that the Mediterranean and Africa constitute the same region with respect to climate change and its consequences”, President Lmarbouh argued.
During the conference, the PAM delegation also attended several side-events which dealt with the reduction of fossil fuels, urban planning and the impact of climate change on health.
Furthermore, at the margins of the COP, the PAM President held a bilateral meeting with the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Hon. Roger Nkodo Dang. During the meeting it was highlighted that Marrakech must be considered as the COP of action, where the decisions taken in Paris are confirmed and implemented. The PAP and PAM agreed that common challenges, such as water management, migration management and urban planning, must be faced together, especially in the countries that are members of both organization in North Africa. While it was agreed that African countries need more help by developed countries in terms of know-how and technologies in their transition to a green development process it was equally important to push European institutions to focus more on Africa and the Mediterranean.