By Sana El Ouazi
Rabat – Morocco’s “Climate Champion” at the United Nations, Hakima El Haite, will not represent the kingdom at the global climate change conference COP23 which opens Monday in Bonn, Germany, reported the British online media Climate Change News.
The Former Minister Delegate for the Environment and Special Envoy of Morocco for climate change was expected to attend the event, led under the presidency of Fiji, as a UN “High-Level Climate Change Champion,” a title awarded to her by the governing body in 2016.
Her role as a “Climate Champion” allowed her to guide a program encouraging partnerships between countries, regions, and companies to reduce emissions.
But last week, Haite found her name on the list government officials to whom the Royal Cabinet announced that “no official responsibility would be entrusted to them in the future.”
The officials, including three ministers, were dismissed after failing to improve the situation of the country’s northern regions and the numerous malfunctions operated at the “Al Hoceima Manarat Al Moutawassit” development project inaugurated in 2015 in Morocco’s north, according to a royal statement.
El Haite announced on Friday that she was closing her Climate Champion Twitter account dedicated to her activities for the Global Climate Action Plan.
“I close this account shortly. To continue to follow my activities, follow me on @HakimaElHaite. Thank you for your loyalty,” she said.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) confirmed that El Haite will not be able to attend to COP 23 and that her absence will be filled by other Moroccan officials.
