COP22 Side Event Sheds Light on Climate Change as a Root-Cause of Instability in Africa

In preparation for the adoption on November 14 of the “Marrakech Declaration: Forging Sustainability, Stability and Security in Africa,” the COP22 Moroccan pavilion hosted on Wednesday a side event bringing together renowned experts who shared views on the means to address the multidimensional climate change risks on the continent.

Speaking at the opening of this side event, Senegal’s Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne stressed the need for gearing action during COP22 towards addressing climate change as a root-cause of the threats to sustainability, stability and security in Africa.

He said that the “Marrakech Declaration: Forging Sustainability, Stability and Security in Africa” and its Action Plan will be conducive to the efforts aiming at helping the continent “move from climate change vulnerability to resilience.”

In this regard, the action plan, dubbed “3S Action Plan for Africa”, which will be adopted along with the declaration at an African ministerial conference on November 14, aims, inter alia, to stabilize areas prone to migration and radicalization by preventing environmental degradation as well as to fight the influence of terrorist groups and human traffickers by strengthening monitoring and management of abandoned natural resources.

The panel was organised by the Senegalese and the Moroccan governments and the United Nations Convention to Fight Desertification (UNCFD) in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

This event was held as part of the third day of the Moroccan pavilion on the theme of migration, resilience and health. Throughout COP22, which runs until November 18, the Moroccan pavilion will feature side events under various themes including industry and the coast; transport and innovation, territories and oceans, heritage and security, gender and health in addition to finance and energy.

The side events in the Moroccan pavilion can be followed in different languages thanks to the availability of an interpreting service.