Rabat, Morocco February 11, 2020 – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in close collaboration with the Department of Environment within the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Environment and with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment organized a one-day consultation workshop on Policy Approaches under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The objective of the event was to gauge interest, build capacity and share insights on Article 6 and the potential for international carbon trading through transacting International Transferred Mitigations Outcomes (ITMOs) , and to evaluate country readiness for program implementation by exchanging about Morocco’s experience in terms of carbon market policies and activities.
The event gathered over 40 officials from various institutions within the Moroccan government, such as the Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Green and Digital Economy; Ministry of Energy, Mining and Environment; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of National Territory Development, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy; and the Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water. Other key partners involved in the carbon market were present such as, the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN), the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, and the initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA).
The workshop was opened by the Department of Environment within the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Environment represented by Mr. Bouzekri Razi, Director of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Green Economy, who highlighted Morocco’s involvement in the development of the negotiations related to Article 6 implementation under the Paris Agreement. He also sees an opportunity for the private sector to get involved in the implementation of Morocco NDCs and noted the overall Moroccan target of 42% GHG emission reduction by 2030.
In her opening remarks, H.E. Merethe Nergaard, Norway’s ambassador to Rabat, highlighted the full support from the Norwegian Government and expressed Norway’s hope that a fruitful collaboration could be developed between Morocco and GGGI in the field of Article 6 under the Paris Agreement on the carbon market. Ms. Nicole Perkins, the GGGI Country Representative for Morocco emphasized GGGI’s technical assistance for the implementation of this project, with the aim of helping Morocco to achieve its commitments and increase its ambition in terms of GHG reduction.
During the workshop, Morocco’s efforts in terms of carbon emission reduction were presented by different representatives. Mr. Abdelrhani Boucham, Head of Service of Climate Change within the Department of Environment, presented Morocco’s experience in the carbon market and the Program for Market Readiness (PMR) partnership project, highlighted Morocco’s interest in integrating into the international market, and explained the major efforts undertaken on GHG mitigation projects in the areas of waste, energy, solar pumping, transportation, etc.
The Direction of Air transportation within the Ministry of Tourism, Air Transportation, Handicrafts, and the Social Economy presented the CORSIA mechanism for which Morocco is technically prepared for global offsetting under this mechanism. In terms of air transportation, the country’s largest airline Royal Moroccan Airlines (RAM), acts on carbon quotas to offset the effect on the environment, in accordance with the requirements of the European Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS), although RAM is not a large emitter of carbon emissions.
In her presentation on carbon transacting under the Paris Agreement, Ms. Fenella Aouane, Principal Green Finance Specialist at GGGI, explained the potential for Policy Approaches under Article 6 project, clarified the expected scope, timeline, methodology and selection criteria for Phase II as well as the benefits and next steps.
The presentation was followed by a Q&A session, where key areas as the need to strengthen the legal framework and ensure a close collaboration with the relevant stakeholders to capitalize on the results of the existing programs and projects were raised. The participants also expressed the importance of building an institutional capacity for practitioners and decision makers in the area of carbon transacting.
This meeting was moderated by GGGI Morocco’s Senior Program Officer, Mr. Abdelmajid Bennis, who highlighted in his closing remarks Morocco’s optimistic vision in terms of the country’s effort to reduce its GHG emissions, and commended its great progression and considerable work on MRVs and in policies steps towards a transformational change. It should be recalled that this project is part of the GGGI technical assistance in Morocco to increase the country’s ambition in terms of reducing greenhouse gases (GHG), and achieve the objectives set in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
About GGGI
Based in Seoul, GGGI is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization that supports developing country governments transition to a model of economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. GGGI delivers programs for more than 33 members and partners – in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific – with technical support, capacity building, policy planning and implementation, and by helping to build a pipeline of bankable green investment projects.
To learn more about GGGI, see https://gggi.org , and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and @GGGIMorocco