The regional and international leadership of Morocco in the territorialization of climate action has been praised by the World Organization of Local Governments, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), on the sidelines of COP30.
During a side event dedicated to the access of Moroccan regions to climate finance, held on Friday in Belém, Pablo Mariani, UCLG’s climate officer, stated that the Kingdom “is among the first countries capable of demonstrating how a national architecture open to regions can enhance access to international funding, including for loss and damage.”
According to him, the Moroccan vision “lays the foundations for a genuine territorial restoration, grounded in the real needs of the population.”
Mariani commended the “driving role” of the General Directorate of Local Authorities (DGCT) and the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, as well as the ongoing commitment of national associations, which have made subnational climate action “a long-standing strategic priority.”
The expert reminded that regions, provinces, and municipalities are “on the front line” facing the climate crisis, exposed to irreversible impacts ranging from the destruction of infrastructure to the loss of agricultural land and water networks. Hence, he emphasized the need for direct or simplified access for territories to international financing mechanisms.
He advocated for the Fund to address loss and damage to include local funding windows tailored to the needs of communities and to formally recognize their place in the governance of the mechanism. “There can be no climate justice if territories do not have access to resources,” he insisted.
He also highlighted the structuring role of intermediate cities, central to the Moroccan agenda, describing them as “platforms for social innovation capable of providing essential public services that form the first line of climate adaptation.”
Looking ahead to the UCLG World Congress scheduled in Tangier in 2026, Mariani expressed that Morocco is “ideally positioned to showcase its advances in subnational climate finance” and to present a common position on community access to financing for loss and damage.
He added that this meeting will also promote “a renewed vision of multi-level governance focused on public services, resilience, and territorial equity.” “Without financed territories, there will be no successful climate transition,” Mariani concluded, thanking Morocco for its “constant regional and international leadership.”