Morocco used the platform of COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, this week to lay out the scope of its climate commitments. Acting on royal instructions, a high-level Moroccan delegation is taking part in the 31st UN Climate Change Conference, running from November 9 to 20, with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita representing King Mohammed VI at the leaders’ summit held on November 11 and 12.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Moroccan pavilion, Bourita was careful to frame the kingdom’s role. « Morocco is taking part in this summit not merely as a guest or a beneficiary country, » he said, describing instead a strong commitment, decades of experience and concrete national solutions to the climate challenge.
On mitigation, Morocco’s top diplomat recalled the kingdom’s pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 53 percent by 2035, through projects spanning several sectors, chiefly the energy transition. He pointed to the royal vision of pushing renewable energy above 52 percent of installed electricity capacity by 2030, a target meant to ripple through industry, transport and a wider low-carbon economy.
On adaptation, Bourita highlighted Morocco’s track record managing water scarcity, citing seawater desalination plants, inter-basin water transfer schemes and more rational water use, alongside measures in agriculture and natural disaster management. That experience, he said, is one Morocco stands ready to share with other countries facing similar pressures.
The minister also pointed back to the African initiatives King Mohammed VI launched at COP22 in Marrakech in 2016, which gave rise to three African climate commissions covering the Sahel, the Congo Basin and island states. He described them as « pioneering experiences » that have since become a reference framework for the continent.
On the multilateral front, Bourita argued for energy justice and equity in the fight against climate change, calling for stronger financing of the energy transition and greater climate resilience, and said Morocco backs the search for innovative financing mechanisms.
He stressed that climate change must remain high on the international agenda, warning that today’s geopolitical crises should in no way push it down the list of priorities. A strong Moroccan presence at COP31, he concluded, reflects the King’s wish to spotlight the country’s national experience and regional vision in tackling the major climate challenges ahead.