Diplomatie.gouv.fr
This call has been read by the Minister and his Moroccan counterpart on September 20 on the occasion of the visit of President of the Republic.
1. Climate change is one of the most serious threats to humanity as a whole. Morocco and France are deeply concerned about its increasingly negative impacts on the environment, on social and economic development, and on international peace and security.
2. In the run-up to the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be held in Paris in late 2015, and with a view to the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties, which Morocco proposes to host in Marrakesh in 2016, we are launching an appeal for the international community to step up the fight against climate change.
3. Given the urgency, strong action and solidarity are needed for the climate. We need to take action fast, well and together. The decisions we make internationally need to be paired with tangible, rapid initiatives implemented on the ground.
4. Whilst the international community is preparing to adopt Sustainable Development Goals in September, in the United Nations framework, it is vital that we seize the opportunities of the Paris and Marrakesh conferences to speed up the transition towards a “global green economy”, reconciling legitimate aspirations to development with the requirements of sustainability of resources and reducing environmental risks.
5. The fight against climate change is a fight for development. It can and must be incorporated into national sustainable development policies, from the standpoint of food security, access to renewable energy or combating precariousness.
6. The North-South divide is not a fatality. The fight against climate change can be a shared combat if it is understood from the perspective of common but differentiated responsibility, solidarity and universal commitment to take action.
7. Morocco and France are committed to making every possible effort to work for the adoption at the Paris Conference of a universal, comprehensive, sustainable, balanced and legally binding agreement, based on the aims and principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and capable of limiting global warming to within two degrees Celsius, with a transition to a decarbonized economy. Given this goal, a regular enhancement of our national efforts and our collective effort is needed. The Marrakesh conference will be an important moment in this sense. This long-term effort requires the publication by all countries of national contributions ahead of the Paris Conference, as well as the drawing-up of national low-carbon development and long-term adaptation plans.
8. Great attention needs to be paid to developing countries, including the least developed countries and small island developing States, which are most vulnerable to climate change. The same importance should be attached to adapting to the impacts of climate change and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. The effectiveness and level of ambition of action by developing countries against climate change will be all the greater thanks to the considerable, stable and additional resources that will be raised for them.
9. We call upon developed countries to lay out the financial support they already contribute and will contribute in the coming years in order to achieve the goal or raising $100 billion per year from public and private sources, starting from 2020, to back actions combating climate change in developing countries.
10. International, regional and national financial institutions need to be encouraged further to foster the financing of projects with climate benefits and to mainstream climate risks in their decision-making.
11. We encourage an enhancement of international research and development partnerships and of technology transfers, as well as capacity-building programmes, in order to speed up the spread of clean-energy technologies in developing countries.
12. To be credible, the commitments entered into by the Parties to the international plan will need to be based on pro-active actions at national and local level. In this respect, even greater mobilization of local authorities, businesses, non-governmental organizations and individuals is a vital addition to government action.
13. A sustainable, effective mobilization against climate change requires improved access to environmental information and education. The greater the awareness of environmental issues, the better the understanding of the stakes attached to them and the more ambitious the action taken to combat climate change.
14. Combined with demographic growth, climate change is putting growing pressure on already-vulnerable ecosystems and already-fragile agricultures in Africa. Additional, rapid support is vital to support African countries in their sustainable development efforts. Morocco and France are fully committed to this and are prepared to further enhance their support, including in the framework of triangular cooperation.
15. Convinced that the Paris and Marrakesh conferences need to be complementary steps supporting the advancement of the fight against climate change, we have agreed to work hand-in-hand to ensure the success of these two events, in the spirit of cooperation, solidarity and excellence that has always marked the exceptional partnership between the Kingdom of Morocco and the French Republic.
