Rabat – The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has highlighted Morocco’s ecological efforts, alongside four other countries, within the framework of the “Greening the Permanent Missions in Geneva” initiative.
The initiative, aiming to reduce the ecological footprint of diplomatic representations across the globe, analyzed the practices in embassies in Geneva. It selected the Moroccan embassy, along with the Swiss, French, British, and American embassies, as exemplary in their approach to the initiative’s objective.
The embassies are an illustration of the environmental policies of their countries, said the initiative’s organizers, Geneva Environment Network (GNE).
“Morocco was the first of the Maghreb countries to host the Conference of the Parties to the UN Climate Change Convention (COP7, COP22),” GNE wrote.
Morocco’s diplomatic mission to Geneva “has developed the concept ‘Mission verte et durable’ (Green and sustainable mission), which is part of the continuous environmental policy of Morocco, and could in the long term, result in a common project and objective for all the country embassies,” the UNEP-coordinated network added.
GNE explained how the Moroccan embassy in Geneva developed a “guide of good practices,” based around four pillars: Water, electricity, waste, and mobility.
As part of the “Greening the Permanent Missions in Geneva” initiative, Morocco’s permanent mission to Geneva and other international organizations underwent an “environmental diagnosis.”
The diagnosis evaluated the missions’ actions in terms of electricity, energy, and water consumption, waste sorting management within the premises, modes of transport, and awareness on environmental issues.
Morocco is the only African, Arab, and developing country that has launched the project to promote greener diplomatic missions.
GEN is a cooperative partnership of more than 100 environmental and sustainable development organizations based at the International Environment House in Geneva.
The network, created in 1999, launched the initiative with support from UNEP and the Swiss confederation.
