The Parliamentary Meeting at COP 22 held in Marrakech, organized by IPU and the Parliament of Morocco on 13 November, brought together 300 delegates from more than 60 countries spanning five continents. The parliamentarians received first-hand information on the main issues and orientations of COP22/CMP12, gained better knowledge of the recommendations included in the IPU's Parliamentary Action Plan on Climate Change and discussed ways of ensuring speedy operationalization of the Paris Agreement.
The Meeting showed that parliamentarians everywhere are aware of the need to take concrete action on climate change, in particular as it concerns legislating for the nationally determined contributions (NDCs), transition to renewable energy and transfer of technologies. What stands in the way in many countries is the capacity of parliaments to make effective and concrete contributions, help establish strategies and ensure their financing. Investing in building this capacity is a prerequisite for sound legislation and action.
The Parliamentary Meeting underscored that climate change is also an issue of social justice and equality and that effective action needs to take into account the issues of discrimination and human rights. The parliamentarians paid special attention to the social and health impacts of climate change, in particular on women, children and adolescents, as a vulnerable but often marginalized group. Laws and policies to combat climate change need to be inclusive of measures that specifically target these populations.
At the end of the meeting, parliamentarians adopted a forward-looking roadmap for their future action on climate change and implementation of the Parliamentary Action Plan on Climate Change.
