Morocco to host conference on climate change

Between November 4 and November 5, Morocco will host the second annual ministerial conference of the African Adaptation Initiative for Climate Change (AAA Initiative), a high-potential solution to tackle food insecurity and climate change in Africa.

The AAA Initiative will gather ministers and representatives of African governments, key financial and technical institutions, donors, private sector, universities and scientists at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Benguerir.

Among the 10 countries most threatened by global warming, six are in Africa, while the continent is only responsible for four percent of global emissions of greenhouse gases and accounts for 65% of the world’s arable land.

acording to a statement by organisers of the conference, the AAA Initiative aims to provide an innovative and concrete response to the challenges raised by climate change in Africa, by mobilising international knowledge and intellectual and financial resources.

“The first day of the conference will be devoted to the Scientific Day, during which leading international experts and scientists will discuss Africa’s food security challenges related to climate change, while the Donors Roundtable will discuss ways to mobilize funds,” the statement read.

“On November 5th, the African Ministers of Agriculture will meet to advise on the vision and strategic routes of the AAA Initiative.”

Launched in Morocco in 2016 ahead of the COP22, the AAA Initiative emerged with the awareness that in Africa, issues linked to adaptation to climate change and the agricultural world are hardly taken into account when it comes to international negotiations and funds allocation.

In the «Marrakesh Declaration», participants unanimously declared their commitment to support the AAA Initiative to help African agriculture adapt to climate change.

“Several milestones have been successfully reached, to give more visibility to the AAA Initiative, to help African countries to implement their nationally determined contributions (NDC) and to strengthen the capacity building of African policy makers and project holders.” the statement  read.

“Since January 2019, the AAA initiative is held by a foundation, under the impetus of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI, with the mandate of implementing the objectives of the AAA Initiative, but also of providing assistance, advice, capacity building and technical support to decision makers, local institutions, project holders and farmers in Africa. Since then, the Foundation has sought to contribute to food security, improve the living conditions of vulnerable farmers and promote employment in rural areas by encouraging climate change adaptation practices and channeling financial flows towards the most vulnerable farmers.

“The Annual Conference of the AAA Ministers has then become enshrined in the AAA Foundation’s statutes, as an advisory body in charge of identifying the action programs needed to achieve the adaptation of African agriculture to climate change.

The AAA Initiative is actively supported by the UNFCCC, the FAO and 33 African countries: Morocco, Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Malawi, Mauritius, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sudan, South Sudan, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.