As the 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commences on Sunday, November 6, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) has made a plea for the materialisation of the commitments of the Paris Agreement at the global summit.
President of UCLG Africa, Mrs. Fatimetou Abdel Malick, who made the submission at the 28th session of the Executive Committee and the 26th session of the Pan-African Council of UCLG Africa held in Tangiers, Morocco, from November 1 to 2, urged member states to actively participate in the “Adaptation COP”.
“We are preparing to participate in the COP27, to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh on African soil in Egypt. We must together during this Adaptation COP plead for the materialisation of the commitments of the Paris Agreement. Adaptation is above all a territorial issue. We invite you to participate massively in COP27,” Malick said.
She expressed the organisation’s gratitude to King Mohammed VI of Morocco for his support to UCLG Africa since the installation of its headquarters in Rabat in January 2008, and to the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco for the support provided to the organisation.
Malick, who is also President of the Region of Nouakchott in Mauritania, chaired both sessions, where Mr. Mounir Lymouri, President of the Municipal Council of Tangiers and President of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils (AMPCC), delivered a speech.
“Our meeting today in Tangiers has more than one connotation and meaning, for a city that has symbolic significance in terms of history and geography, being the gateway to Africa from Europe and the exit door from Africa to Europe. If this city is destined to be a place of civilisational cross-fertilisation, it must also be the voice of the peoples of Africa, in particular the voice of its local elected officials, convinced of the need to meet the challenges of development,” said Lymouri.
UCLG Africa disclosed that it has a pavilion in the Blue Zone at COP27.
“This pavilion will be the rallying point for African local authorities present at COP27. All the delegates of local and regional governments of Africa are encouraged to use this space for their bilateral meetings or for their potential meetings. African delegates are also encouraged to participate in the sessions organised by UCLG Africa, in particular in its pavilion in the Blue Zone of COP27,” said the organisation.
Eight projects were presented to the members of the Executive Committee and of the Pan-African Council: The city of Berkane’s Smart City experience; the “Building Climate Resilience for the Urban Poor Globally and Regionally” (BCRUP) initiative; the operationalisation of the partnership between UCLG Africa and PACJA (Pan African Climate Justice Alliance); Innovation in policy dialogue: the experience of Mauritania; the African Territorial Agency for Trade and Investment (ATIA); the support tools of the African import-export bank (Afreximbank); the African Network of Urban Agencies; and the Trombino Platform of UCLG Africa.
