The official commended Morocco’s climate leadership during a recent interview with Morocco’s energy minister.
Rabat – COP26 President and the British Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, has expressed satisfaction with Morocco’s climate leadership.
Alok said he hopes to benefit from Morocco’s expertise and experience in successfully organizing the 22nd World Climate Conference (COP22) in 2016.
The comments came during a recent virtual interview with Morocco’s Minister of Energy, Aziz Rabbah.
During the meeting, Minister Rabbah insisted on the importance of focusing on the monitoring and evaluation of promising climate initiatives launched since COP22. He highlighted those of the Congo Basin and the Sahel, broadening access to energy, and other initiatives.
Rabbah also emphasized the need to intensify efforts to boost multilateral negotiations to have a clear and comprehensive vision on climate issues before COP26.
COP26 will take place in November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. The UK is the host.
The Moroccan official said COP26 should serve as a “turning point towards real and tangible progress,” especially in terms of funding.
He also spoke about the need to consider more countries in recession after the COVID-19 crisis and the links between the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
Rabbah also spoke about the commitment of developed countries to a budget of $100 billion per year, highlighting the support of the UK and international organizations for funding and technical expertise in African countries.
“Developing countries, like Morocco, are committed to facing climate change and COVID-19’s impact. We are redesigning the whole development model and redefining all the sectoral plans and programs,” the Moroccan minister said.
He also reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to encouraging support for regional, international, and African efforts towards achieving sustainable development.
COP26 in context
In March, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described this year as a “pivotal year for how we address climate change.”
He said that if the world is committed to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius, it needs to “demonstrate, starting this year, how we will achieve emissions reduction of 45% from 2010 levels this decade, and how we will reach net-zero emissions by mid-century.”
The UN official listed several priorities for COP26, including the provision of finance. He called on developed countries at COP26 to focus on “delivering on their commitment to mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020.”
During the virtual meeting between Rabbah and Sharma, the two officials expressed a shared hope to see the partnership between Morocco and the UK grow. The countries aspire to develop “concrete actions in the fight against global warming,” the Ministry of Mining said in a statement.
The UK has commended Morocco’s leadership in climate change on multiple occasions.
In June, former British Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Reilly commended the country’s leadership in the field. He said the UK has been pleased to “partner with Morocco over the last years.
“I hope that partnership continues to strengthen and evolve,” he continued, in both the fight against COVID-19 and the issue of climate change.
Morocco-UK cooperation
The UK and Morocco cooperate in several other fields, including agriculture.
Former Ambassador Reilly told Morocco World News in July that Rabat and London have a significant trade relationship. He said the Morocco-UK trade value increased by £7 million in the past five years alone.
He said that 25% of tomatoes and 20% of soft fruit sold in UK supermarkets are from Morocco, and 19% of olive oil sold in the UK also comes from Morocco. Sardines, however, are the biggest Morocco-UK export, with 60% of sardines sold in the UK coming from Morocco.
