MedCop, the meeting of Mediterranean territories for climate action
Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the 3rd edition of MedCop Climate, jointly organised by the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region and the “Mediterranean House of Climate” foundation, took place on June 22nd and 23rd, 2023, in Tangier (Morocco), and concluded its proceedings on Friday, June 23rd, 2023.
The congress brought together stakeholders from local governments, cities and regions, development partners, intergovernmental organisations, private sector, academics, civil society organisations, women, and youth led CSOs. The objective was to design and catalyse actions and solutions to foster the implementation of the Climate Agenda in the Mediterranean region. This Agenda will provide a platform to shape a common vision and amplify the voice of Mediterranean cities and territories within the climate related decision-making processes, such as Conference Of Parties (COPs).
Held this year under the theme « MedCop, the driving force of climate action at the local and regional levels in the Mediterranean », this congress aimed to be a space for exchange, and debate, to realign the trajectory of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement, based on the conclusions of the first Global Stocktake to be held during COP28 in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023
Rich and intense debates
The debates of this MedCop revolved around key themes that aimed to bridge the gap in adaptation, mitigation, resilience, and finance. These themes included energy transition, water management and the blue economy, circular economy applied to urban waste management, urban resilience, access to finance and decentralised cooperation, nature- based solutions, climate and human mobility, inclusivity and the climate & gender agenda. Eight (8) thematic hubs and 15 sessions were led by 131 speakers.
Fatima Driouech, co-coordinator of MedECC was officially invited to participate in the side event “Hub 7: Climate and human mobility” in the Session 13: “Migration impact and opportunities”. Maria Snoussi (Mohammed V University, Morocco), member of MedECC presented also the MedECC Activities in the round table of the “Hub 3: Sustainable Management of Water Resources” in Session 5 “The wefe nexus and integrated coastal zone management: a new ambition for local authorities to ensure water resources and food security”.
Final declaration and recommendations
The work of the MedCOP Climate Tangier 2023 led to the adoption of a final declaration and recommendations emphasising the imperative of making this event a decisive milestone in the global agenda for the preparations of the COPs. Some of the main commitments and recommendations of the MedCop include Strengthening of multi-level and multi-actor governance, Incorporating territorial issues into the climate negotiation process, Accelerating the energy transition, Strengthening and structuring the framework for decentralised multilateral cooperation in the Mediterranean Basin, Strengthening the development of adaptation and mitigation plans, programs, and projects at the national and subnational levels in Mediterranean countries, adopting a gender-sensitive, equitable, and fully transparent approach, taking into consideration vulnerable groups, communities, and ecosystems. The full declaration can be found in the Official Press Release.
The results of MEDCOP will feed into the Mediterranean agenda for the COP28 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2023.
