The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, met Tuesday in Rabat, with the Congolese Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and the Congo Basin, Technical Coordinator of the Congo Basin Climate Commission, Arlette Soudan-Nonault, who delivered a written message to His Majesty King Mohammed VI from His Excellency President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
During a press conference following her talks with Bourita, Soudan-Nonault said that her visit to Morocco is part of the preparation for the Summit of the world’s three great forest basins, scheduled to be held in Brazzaville in October.
On this occasion, Soudan-Nonault highly praised His Majesty the King’s solicitude for biodiversity and climate, particularly in Africa, recalling that the Sovereign initiated the creation of the three climate commissions on the occasion of the African Action Summit held in November 2016, in Marrakech on the sidelines of COP22.
The Congolese Minister emphasized that His Majesty the King is “the great sponsor of the three climate commissions in the African continental region,” noting that the Sovereign has been supporting the Congo Basin Climate Commission since its creation.
In this regard, Soudan-Nonault stressed that Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty the King, is a “great partner” of the Climate Commission alongside the 15 countries of the Congo Basin representing 10% of the world’s biodiversity.
“This coalition, led by His Majesty the King, should enable us to join our voices within the framework of South-South cooperation, bearing in mind that Northern countries must also be involved,” stressed the Congolese official, further noting that the climate emergency requires the funding of inclusive and sovereign projects that meet the expectations of the region’s populations.
In a similar context, the Congolese minister said that the Brazzaville Summit of the world’s three basins of African biodiversity will “enable us to partake in the Paris Agreement dynamic.”
The Congolese official concluded that the Brazzaville summit will also focus on the Amazon basin and the Borneo-Mekong basin in Southeast Asia, which account for 80 % of global biodiversity.