Sen. Lhou Lmarbouh (Morocco), President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, presented PAM’s ongoing initiatives and commitment on climate change issues to Ms. Assia Bouzekri, President of the MEDCOP22 Steering Committee and Vice-President of the Region of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima.
The bilateral meeting took place on the occasion of the event organised at the end of May in Tangier by the Committee to define the program of the 2nd Conference of the Parties of the Mediterranean littoral states on climate change to be held on July 18 and 19, in Tangier, Morocco.
At the request of Ms. Bouzekri, President Lmarbouh confirmed the support of PAM in ensuring the success of MEDCOP22, in particular in facilitating the coordination with the organizers of MEDCOP21,
UN agencies specialized in climate change issues, and other experts in the field. PAM will also activate its parliam
entary network to assist in the engagement of the regions and the capital cities of the Mediterranean in order t
o improve visibility and commitment to climate change goals across the region.
The need for synergies also emerged during the preparatory meeting to which representatives from local authorities, the private sector, youth organisations, NGOs, civil society and PAM, were present.
MEDCOP22 plans to bring together 2,000 participants to fulfil their commitment and prepare climate projects in view of the implementation of a roadmap for adaptation and mitigation of climate change in the Mediterranean.
All participants, who stressed the need to preserve good living conditions and human development, recognized the fragility of the Mediterranean region in respect to climate change effects.
On its part, PAM welcomed the work of this forum aimed at asserting a Mediterranean voice and in mobilizing all actors to find and implement solutions to the climate change problems. PAM also highlighted its long experience in tackling climate change issues, starting with the Malta Parliamentary Declaration, signed in 2009, and its continuous participation to the UN COP events, in the framework of the UNFCC, the participation to MEDCOP21, and its parliamentary debates on energy and waste management.
PAM assured its full support to MEDCOP22, on the same lines of MEDCOP21, and will contribute to the final declaration where once again the Assembly will highlight the role parliamentary diplomacy can play in tackling Climate Change, sustainable development and related issues.