The Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection takes active part in COP28, held November 30 to December 12 at Dubai’s Expo City in the United Arab Emirates.

Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa led a substantial Foundation delegation that actively engaged in a variety of events in COP28’s Blue and Green Zones.

As an Observer Member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 2009, the Foundation confirmed its role at this major global event in the fight against climate change.

This year’s COP28 iss a crucial opportunity to assess Member State progress in meeting climate change commitments.

The Foundation showcased initiatives in support of climate action and the decarbonization of Morocco’s economy as part of its Air Climate Cluster.  The presentation featured the Bilan Carbone tool, updated in 2022 with input from members of the Framework Convention for the Decarbonization of Morocco’s Economy, enabling stakeholders to assess their carbon footprint data using emission factors adjusted to local circumstances.

The Foundation already uses the Bilan Carbone® tool to assess its own annual greenhouse gas emissions, as part of the SME Climate Hub, a UNFCCC initiative to drive carbon emitters towards zero emission goals by 2050.

Seas and oceans are another key priority for the Foundation. At COP28, the Foundation will also showcase its significant work in terms of safeguarding seas and oceans, whose role in climate dynamics is now recognized as crucial. For over two decades, the Foundation has bee, implementing the Cleans Beaches Program, encompassing the Blue zone Flag, the Lalla Hasnaa Sustainable Coast Trophies, and more recently, #bharblaplastic (plastic-free seas). This initiative, now in its fourth edition, is integrated into the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science, aligning with actions against pollution. Collaborating with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, a key promoter of the Decade, the Foundation will present in Dubai the latest developments in its efforts for the Ocean Decade, with a particular focus on Africa.

Last, the Foundation spotlighted the work it is doing in Education for Sustainable Development, a core mission championed by HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa, who will take part in a high-level event on the subject in Dubai.  Twelve representatives of the Foundation’s “Young Reporters for the Environment” program, one from each of Morocco’s regions, are also present in Dubai, along with their mentors, to take part in some fifteen events, made possible with the support of the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports.

In regularly calling on African Youth Climate Hub and Young Reporters for the Environment ambassadors, the Foundation contributes to training a young generation attuned to major international conferences and complex negotiations.  Many of these youths are attending their third COP.

These young participants are all acting on Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa‘s call to young people to express their creativity and work to protect the planet in the face of the challenges of climate change.