Addis Ababa – Morocco has put in place a unique pan-African approach to meet the environmental needs of the continent, by placing women at the center of cooperation programs, said Nezha Alaoui M’hammdi, Morocco’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Speaking at a meeting on gender policy and climate change, organized on Wednesday by the Moroccan Embassy in Addis Ababa, Alaoui M’hammdi stressed that the Kingdom’s commitment in terms of climate change in favor of Africa is carried by a proactive policy placing women at the heart of priorities.

“Many of the global initiatives and agreements launched over the past 20 years to promote the environment and sustainable development are the result of the commitment and active contribution of the Kingdom to global and regional processes in the field of environment, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI,” noted the Moroccan diplomat.

With its experience as a model country in the fight against climate change, the Kingdom is always determined to strengthen South-South cooperation and share and build on this expertise in Africa, said Alaoui M’hammdi.

In addition, she noted that this commitment is manifested through concrete initiatives launched by Morocco to the African continent, including the 1st African Summit for action for a continental co-emergence, organized on the sidelines of COP22 in Marrakech.

In this context, she recalled that three Climate Commissions had been launched at this summit to lead a continental policy of sustainable development, adding that several other initiatives dedicated to Africa were also launched at the COP22.

The Moroccan ambassador further noted that the Kingdom is now a model country in promoting gender and fighting climate change, citing in particular the Ouarzazate Noor program which represents “a remarkable example of Moroccan public policy to strengthen the collective commitment to address major challenges.

Morocco, aware of climate change’s devastating impact, has always opted for the potential of South-South cooperation while developing, over the years, a range of national strategies to improve water management, combat deforestation and strengthen the adaptive capacity of women, especially in rural areas, she added.