Board Members of the Foundation chaired by HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa took stock of the Foundation’s latest activities.
On Monday, October 3, 2022, Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa chaired the Board of Directors Meeting of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection in Marrakech.
Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa took the opportunity to highlight the Foundation’s principal achievements.
A highlight of 2021 came with HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa’s appointment as Patron of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development, a network of prominent global partners committed to action in favor of the ocean.
As a founding member of the Decade of the Ocean Alliance, the Foundation took an active leadership role, as in the case of the Blue Talk held in partnership with the Portuguese Embassy in Morocco, and the 2nd Foundations Dialogue, bringing together global leaders from over thirty philanthropic foundations. Both events paved the way for the United Nations Oceans Conference in Lisbon in June 2022, attended by the Foundation.
HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa also spoke of the Air Climate program, another core component of Foundation activities. The Foundation together with its partners set-up a task force to decarbonize Morocco’s economy. The Foundation’s Greenhouse Gas Assessment tool is currently being reviewed and upgraded, to specifically account for the European Union’s Carbon Adjustment Mechanism (CAEM), which applies to Moroccan companies. This regulation will gradually come into force in 2023.
This tool provides a basis for measuring emissions, an essential first step for economic stakeholders in achieving the low-carbon transition, now critical in the face of the global climate emergency. It also enables implementation of technical measures under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, thereby supporting Morocco in fulfilling its voluntary commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa also updated Board members on the rehabilitation, with the support of Foundation partners, of two historic gardens: El Haboul in Meknes and Ghabat Chbab in Marrakech, as part of the historic parks and gardens rehabilitation program.
HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa emphasized that program deployment remained on track despite impact from the two-year pandemic. The Foundation, having for a long time invested in new Information Technology, quickly redeployed to advance programs at the onset of Covid-19, with the support of its Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training.
The Foundation’s flagship programs still met their objectives, and adapted to the circumstances: 74 Eco-Schools hoisted the Green Flag, 671 Young Reporters for the Environment entered the competition, 28 beaches hoisted the Blue Flag and 22 companies joined the Qualit’air pact.
The Foundation is also very active in Marrakech, where the Board Meeting was held for a second time. In 2004, the Foundation rehabilitated Arsat Moulay Abdeslam and, starting in 2007, began a comprehensive program to safeguard and develop the Palm Grove. The Foundation is also heavily engaged in the city with its Air and Climate program. Marrakech is currently a pilot area for the deployment of the Carbon Instrument. Technicians and executives from the city, Region and Wilaya received training on both the use of the Carbon Tool and the implementation of a territorial climate plan, as well as the development of electric mobility.
Furthermore, the Foundation conducts educational and awareness-raising programs in the city, with pre-school and primary school children (Eco-Schools), high school and university students (Young Reporters for the Environment, Green University Network and Youth Education in Africa), as well as visitors for sustainable tourism.
The Board of Directors approved the financial statements for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.