COP31: Morocco participates with strong commitment, solid experience, and concrete national responses to challenges (Mr. Bourita)

“Morocco is participating in this summit not merely as a guest or as a recipient country, but with a strong commitment, solid experience, and concrete national responses to several major issues and challenges on the agenda of this meeting,” Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates Mr. Nasser Bourita said.

In a statement to the press during a visit Wednesday to the Moroccan Pavilion, Mr. Bourita, who represented His Majesty the King at the COP31 Leaders’ Summit (November 11-12), reiterated that the Kingdom is providing robust responses to the two main pillars of the Paris Agreement, namely, climate change mitigation and adaptation, particularly through flagship mitigation initiatives.

Morocco has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 53% by 2035 through concrete projects in several sectors, particularly the energy transition. Mr. Bourita also spoke of the Royal Vision, which aims to increase the share of renewable energy in the country’s electricity capacity to more than 52% by 2030. These efforts also encompass industry, transportation, and developing a low-carbon economy.

“All of these initiatives make Morocco a pioneer in the field of climate change mitigation,” he emphasized.

Regarding adaptation, the minister highlighted the Royal Vision and the Kingdom’s pioneering experience in managing water stress, particularly through seawater desalination, water highways, and the rationalization of water resource use. “Morocco holds significant experience to share with other countries,” he noted, also citing the agricultural and natural disaster management sectors.

Beyond its national responses, the Kingdom is spearheading regional initiatives, particularly in Africa, launched by His Majesty the King during COP22 in Marrakech in 2016. These initiatives have notably led to the creation of three African climate commissions covering the Sahel region, the Congo Basin, and island States.

These initiatives represent “pioneering efforts” and provide a framework for Africa to address the challenges of climate change, Mr. Bourita said.

At the international and multilateral levels, Morocco also advocates a vision addressing the key challenges discussed at this conference, including energy justice, equity in the face of climate change, funding the energy transition, and strengthening climate resilience.

The latter requires significant funding. In this regard, the Kingdom has a vision for establishing innovative funding mechanisms, the minister explained.

He further urged keeping the climate issue at the forefront of the international agenda, despite a geopolitical context of multiple crises and significant tensions. “These conflicts must under no circumstances push the issue of climate change to the back burner of the international agenda,” he stated.

“It is precisely for this reason that His Majesty the King insisted that the Kingdom of Morocco be strongly represented at this summit, highlighting its national experience, its regional vision, and its contribution to major international issues related to climate change,” Mr. Bourita concluded.