COP22: Civil Society Mobilization ‘Very Significant’ (COP22 Steering Committee)
Rabat, 20/12/2016 (MAP) – The mobilization of civil society during the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) was “very significant”, said the Steering Committee of the COP in a statement.
The space of civil society and other non-state actors was attended by more than 300 exhibitors, and witnessed the holding of 680 activities, debates and conferences, the statement noted, adding that this space was also visited by an average of 24,000 people per day, with a peak of 27,000 on November 15th, while 60 nationalities were represented.
The COP 22 also brought together 160 presidents of universities and about 30 chancellors of African Academies, who adopted a joint declaration.
This global event also witnessed the organization of the Youth Conference (COY12), which was attended by 2,000 participants from more than 30 countries, as well as a dozen art and photo exhibitions, two major concerts, contests of short films produced by children and young people in partnership with the UNICEF and the embassy of France in Morocco, as well as a large trade union meeting, in the presence of 40 trade unions from Africa, and the secretary-general of the International Trade Union Confederation.
It was also marked by the holding of the 2nd summit of local and regional elected representatives for climate, which brought together more than 1,100 participants, a meeting of presidents of Mediterranean regions, and an international meeting of 37 national human rights institutions on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Civil society actions included the organization of an international seminar for parliamentarians, initiated by the Moroccan parliament and the inter-parliamentary union, with the significant presence of all United Nations agencies in the two zones of the COP village, and more than 500 activities organized at Marrakesh’s Cadi Ayyad University by the Moroccan coalition for climate justice (CMJC) and international coalitions, the same source said.
