Rabat is hosting a national conference on climate change today under the theme "Sharing knowledge and engaged networks".

The general objective of this meeting, organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, is to offer a platform for sharing knowledge, discussing new issues related to climate change in Morocco, and also working in a network between the actors involved.

Aware of the dangers of climate change due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the organisers point out that these "are already being felt and the most serious and harmful impacts will affect developing countries, including Morocco, particularly in terms of agricultural production and rural development".

Several local scientists, academics, representatives, and experts in energy and institutions dedicated to climate change and environmental research, as well as Moroccan civil society, are expected at this conference and will attempt to address climate change issues in an innovative way in parallel with plenary sessions and working groups.

Representatives of national and international organisations directly concerned with energy, climate change, and the environment will also take part in this meeting, in addition to representatives of the public and private sectors working in the green energy industry.

During their discussions, the participants will notably "address the issue of collaboration between civil society and the various actors with a view to creating common ground within which decision-makers, civil society actors, and other stakeholders can identify the various climate strategies and policies in a participatory manner", the organisers indicate.

The idea, they specify, is to create the conditions for a better understanding by the general public of relevant issues relating to climate change in Morocco and a better understanding by the various actors of the role of women and local communities in addressing issues related to climate change and "the importance of recognising the gender approach in the context of climate change as a component of sustainable and effective policies".

The participants will also work to create a networking space for associations, organisations, and institutions representing the various actors in the fields of climate change and energy, and provide a space for Moroccan associations to prepare their position and recommendations for COP21 - the Conference of the Parties in Paris in 2015. "We are offering an exchange space to identify the best practices of all actors in the context of implementing adaptation approaches to the new climate at the local and national level. We wish to act in this way through an exhibition market that the conference will offer by allowing the various actors to present best practices on adaptation to climate change and measures for their mitigation in Morocco", the organisers reassure. Concretely, they specify, the exhibition market will help stakeholders in Morocco to exchange tools and mechanisms tested in the field to mitigate the impacts of climate change and ensure common learning and networking for the future.

Gender democracy, human rights, ecology, and sustainable development are the main areas of work of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, an institution founded in 1987 and funded by the German Parliament.