AFED at Global Green Growth Forum in Copenhagen

The Arab Forum for Environment and Development 'AFED' was represented by Secretary General Najib Saab, who was a panelist in a session dedicated to discuss energy options in the MENA region, with concentration on Morocco plans in the domain of renewable energy.

Saab discussed energy challenges in the Arab region from the perspective of resource management, supporting his argument with figures from the forthcoming AFED report on Ecological Footprint, which revealed that energy intensity in the Arab region is 50% higher than the world's average.

Carbon was responsible for most of the increase of footprint in the region. Saab concluded that energy efficiency and the shift to renewable energy are needed both economically and environmentally.

He lauded Morocco's clear political decision to embrace renewable energy, which made it achieve tangible results in less than 3 years, steadily moving towards its declared goal of 40% renewables by 2020, the most ambitious in the world. "Choosing this aggressive path to change and putting action before words, Morocco opted for public policies instead of public relations," Saab commented.

3GF is a unique platform to catalyse partnerships that can rapidly bring to scale green growth opportunities. Realizing the potentials of green growth requires the effective mobilization at scale of financial, technological and human capital. This will only be possible if governments and the private sector collaborate at the local, national and the international levels to overcome barriers, and create the right incentives for actors to innovate and invest.

The forum was opened by the Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and by the partner countries represented by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Hwang-sik Kim and the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources from Mexico, Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada.

Three new partners were announced: China, Kenya and Qatar. Mr. Abdallah Al-Atiyyah, Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar, delivered his country's statement in the opening session. The broad geographical composition of the partner countries underscores the global relevance of the issues discussed at the 3GF and the interest in pursuing sustainable solutions through international collaboration and building of new alliances.

Speakers highlighted the need to increase the sense of urgency to act. Arguments for postponing the transition to green economy until after the current economic crises were dismissed by compelling evidence presented by various institutions during 3GF, that the cost of inaction would be even greater. According to Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 'OECD', the cost of action is lower than the lowest monetary estimates of the damages caused by inaction.

Recognizing that there is not one model for achieving green growth, the Forum featured discussions of relevant experiences from six countries: Brazil, China, Germany, Indonesia, Morocco, and Turkey. In order to exploit the unique character of the 3GF, the focus was on public private partnerships in bringing forward sustainable solutions at country level. The sessions facilitated cross country learning and pointed to commonalities for advancing green growth at country level, including political leadership, private sector entrepreneurship, and innovative financing schemes.