African Journalists Gear Up For Climate Change Conference

From Kofi Attenkah, Morocco
About 26 journalists from selected African countries, on Sunday July 10, arrived at Morocco to participate in a press trip, organised by the Steering Committee of the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 22) for them.

The trip, which was scheduled to take place from July 11 to 20, 2016, took the journalists to four major cities in the North African state, namely Rabat, Marrakech, Ouarzazate and Tangier.

The African press trip forms part of programmes lined up as a precursor for the COP 22 event, which is expected to take place in Marrakech, Morocco, from November 7 to 18, this year.

The COP 22 conference is expected to push for the implementation of the Paris Agreement by strengthening the mobilisation of all major players within the sector, as well as solicit for the needed funds to execute the COP 21 agenda.

In Paris, France, in 2015, during the COP 21 conference, the participants agreed on four major thematic areas; firstly, to establish rules and mechanisms to get the rest of the world to reduce the global temperature to 2°C, and to get all countries to reduce their greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, and to adapt to climate change.

The conference also urged all countries to contribute to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to raise US$100 billion annually to fight climate change, as well as mobilise all non-state actors to strengthen major partnership initiatives to mitigate or adapt in order to transform the world.

According to the organisers, the trip was expected to whip up the interest of the journalists in issues concerning COP 22, through their participation in a number of conferences and a series of other meetings with members of the Steering Committee and the Interdepartmental Commission and experts.

It was also to allow the African media practitioners to participate in important climate meetings, such as the International Conference on Water and Climate on July 11 and 12 in Rabat, as well as the MEDCOP Climate on July 18 and 19 in Tangier.

The trip was further expected to introduce the journalists to the city of Marrakech and Bab Ighli, the venue for the COP 22 event, as well as the solar array Noor in Ouarzazate.

After their arrival at the Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca on Sunday, the journalists were transported to the Hotel Cantor, Rabat, the same day to begin their preparations towards the following day's International Conference on Water and Climate.

On Monday, the journalists converged at the Hotel Sofitel, where participants for the water and climate event, dubbed “Water Security for Climate Justice”, had already started their deliberations.

The following day, (Tuesday) the journalists were ushered into the COP Academy, where they were addressed by ministers of states in the Moroccan administration, with regards to preparations the country was putting in place for the successful organisation of the COP 22.

First to address the African members of the media was Ms Samira Sitail, Head of the press and communication team of the COP 22 event, followed by Mr. Mohamed Benyahia, head of side events and director at the Ministry of Environment.

After the two had finished with the press, Mr. Said Mouline, head of Public-Private Partnership, Mr. Aziz Mekouar, ambassador for multilateral negotiations, and Mr. Said Benryane, ambassador counselor to the COP 22 president, also took their turns to address the journalists.

Later in the day, the members of the press, made up of four ladies from Senegal, Benin, Tunisia and Guinea, and 22 gentlemen from Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Tunisia, Mauritania, Algeria and Gabon, paid a working visit to the offices of the Maghred Arabe Press Agency and the Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies (FAAPA).

They were received by Mr. Khalil Hachimi Iddrisu, General Manager of the Maghred Arabe Press Agency, who is also the President of the Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies (FAAPA).

They were conducted round the operational areas, including the news rooms for both the TV and radio stations, as well as other departments of the Moroccan News Agency.

Beginning their day on Wednesday, the media personnel held meetings with Mr. Mohamed Hassad, Minister of Interior, and Mr. Nasser Bourita, delegate minister for foreign affairs, who also briefed them on the role of their respective ministries towards the climate change conference.

The African journalists, again, held another meeting with Mr. Nizar Baraka, President of the COP 22 Scientific Committee, who briefed them on efforts the Moroccan government was doing to ensure a successful water and climate change event in November, after which they departed to Marrakech, known as the City of Red.

Thursday was another interesting day for the members of the inky fraternity, as they visited the Menara Gardens, as well as the Menara Canopy, two of the many attractive tourist sites in the North African country, to enjoy the beauty of the desert.

The media personnel held a meeting with Mr. Abdeslam Bekrate, head of logistics, security and safety, Wali, at the Ministry of Interior, after which they were introduced to some top officials of the United Nations (UN), who form part of the organising team.

Before retiring for lunch, they toured Bab Ighli, the yet-to-be constructed site for the COP 22 event, and afterwards were briefed on preparations towards the construction of the £45 million conference village to be sited on a 60-hectare plot of land.

The journalists were later introduced to the Governor of Marakech, one of the most beautiful cities in Morocco (if not the most beautiful), and treated to a sumptuous lunch, one which sent members of the delegation to an early and cavernous sleep, as it overwhelmed them.

The Friday saw the press officers attending the African Forum for Renewable Energies (AFER Forum 2016), where they were briefed on the new renewable energies the Moroccan government was pursuing to address the energy problems facing the country.

The same day, they attended another conference dubbed the Carbon 360 forum, after they had held a meeting with Mr. Abdeladim Lhafi, Commissioner of COP 22, to discuss issues surrounding the upcoming event, and later moved to another city called Ouarzazate, which ended their day.

Waking up to another day, the media personnel paid a working visit to the NOOR solar power station, considered the biggest solar complex in the world, located at Ouarzazate, within the high Atlas Mountains.

Covering 3,000 hectares of land space, the site gathers four multi-technology solar plants (CSP parabolic trough, CSP tower and photovoltaic) with a total expected capacity of 580 MW, developed to meet environmental and technological international standards.

The NOOR solar plant, through the development of solar projects, is supposed to generate investments in excess of US$9 billion by 2020, and should enable annual savings in greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to 3.7 million tonnes of CO2.

The following day, Sunday, they were air lifted from Ouarzazate to Casablanca, and continued their journey by road to Tangier.

After their arrival at the Hotel Ibis, approximately around 5p.m., the wear and tear of the trip had its toll on the members of the inky fraternity, so that they could barely continue with their meetings with other top Moroccan dignitaries, and had to retire to look for solace in their beds.

After regaining their strength the following morning, the journalists started their day by attending the official opening of the Convention of Climate Stakeholders in the Mediterranean (MEDCOP) Climate 2016, which was also being hosted by Morocco.

Subsequent to the official opening of the event, around midday, the journalists later held separate press meetings with M. Driss El Yazami, head of the civil society activities and president of the National Council of Human Rights in Morocco, as well as M. Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fishing.

On Tuesday, the journalists returned to Casablanca by air and toured the leading television station in Morocco, 2M TV station, before moving to the Mohamed IV Airport enroute to their respective destinations.