The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is participating in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP22, which takes place in Marrakesh, Morocco, between 7 November and 18 November.
The EBRD will bring its expertise in mobilising the private sector to address the global challenges of climate change. Bank representatives will take part in several events focusing on climate finance, including the development of legal frameworks to support implementation of national plans to combat climate change.
The Bank will hold sessions on the importance of private finance in tackling climate change in the food and farming industry. There will also be a high-level session, organised jointly with Ukraine's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and AMEE from Morocco on the challenges posed by climate change.
The COP22 Conference is an important step towards implementing the Paris Agreement (2015), a global agreement on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening resilience to the adverse effects of climate change. The 2016 Conference in Marrakesh aims to agree on the collective steps that need to be taken to combat the global challenges of climate change and foster sustainable development.
The EBRD already plays a key role in promoting green financing in the regions where it invests. Since 2006, the Bank has invested over €20 billion in some 1,160 green energy projects worth a total of more than €112 billion. And under its Green Economy Transition approach, the Bank aims to double the pace of climate financing by 2020.
As COP22 is being held in Marrakesh, the role of Africa in the climate change challenge is set to be a focus of discussions at the conference.
Since 2012 the EBRD has invested in the southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) countries of Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia as well as Jordan. During this period, the Bank has placed a priority on climate finance in the region, investing in some 44 projects worth over €1 billion. This accounts for roughly one-third of the EBRD’s total investments in the region.
Please see below for events supported by the EBRD at COP22.
Date: 8 November
Time: 13:15-14:45
Location: Observer Room 8
Organised by the EBRD, in collaboration with the governments of Ukraine, Morocco and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, this event will present the policy, measures and approaches to develop and implement the Low Emission Development Strategy in Ukraine and energy efficiency policies in Morocco.
Following ratification of the Paris Agreement by the Ukrainian parliament on 14 July 2016, the country is continuing its transition to a green and more sustainable economy. The EBRD has been instrumental in supporting Ukraine’s efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Participants will discuss the inter-ministerial coordination for implementing low emission measures, including climate policy, renewable energy and energy efficiency, national policies and the financial mechanisms of PPP implementation. The event will be attended by Ukraine’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Morocco's AMEE and other government officials, private sector representatives, international organisations and EBRD representatives.
Speakers include:
- Mr. Olexiy Ryabchin, Member of the Parliament, Head of Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation Sub-Committee of Energy Committee
- Ms. Svitlana Grynchuk, Head of Climate Policy Department, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources
- Mrs. Natalie Kushko, Senior Expert on Climate Change
- Mr Mohamed El Haouari, Directeur du Pôle des Energies Renouvelables et de l'Efficacité Energétique
- Terry McCallion, EBRD, Director, Head of Energy Efficiency and Climate Change
- Jan-Willem van de Ven, EBRD, Head of Carbon Market Development
Ensuring global emission reductions with scaled-up mechanisms under Article 6
Date: 10 November
Time: 13:30-15:00
Location: IETA Pavilion, Blue Zone
This EBRD-organised workshop will focus on carbon market development by reviewing carbon market options and developing local capacities to further develop an Integrated Carbon Programme (ICP) in the SEMED region, based on the interim results of a three-year long project. The workshop is supported by the Spanish Climate Change Office (OECC), Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain.
ICPs are comprehensive packages that include policy dialogue, technical assistance, carbon pricing for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction projects, monitoring, reporting and verification, and associated results-based payments.
The project is focused on pre-2020 climate action and it will also contribute to discussions on the design and development of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement at COP22.
Speakers include
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Aziz Mekouar, Ambassador for Multilateral Negotiations, Steering Committee of COP22, Morocco (TBC)
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Ignacio Ángel Sánchez García, Deputy Director for Emissions Trading and Flexible Mechanisms, OECC MAGRAMA, Spain
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Afef Jaafar, CDM Manager, ANME Tunisia (TBC)
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Dirk Forrister, CEO and President, IETA
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Richard Baron, Principal Advisor, OECD
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Andrei Marcu, Senior Fellow, ICTSD
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Andrew Howard, Managing Director KORU Climate
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Felicity Creighton, Senior Carbon Finance Specialist, WB (TBC)
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Patrick Bürgi, Director South Pole Group and member of the Project Developer Forum (PD-Forum)
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Jan-Willem van de Ven, Head of Carbon Market Development, EBRD
Moderator
- Mireia Vilaplana, Deputy Project Manager ICP Project
Date: 11 November
Time: 10:45-12:00 (panel); 16:45-17:30 (keynote speeches)
Location: L'Université Privée de Marrakech, Green Zone
The EBRD, together with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) at McGill University, the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (LCIL) at the University of Cambridge and other partner institutions, will mark Climate Law and Governance Day.
The CLGD will address the contribution that law and policy can make to move the climate agenda forward and the legal challenges associated with implementing the new international climate regime. The EBRD panel will present an assessment of key policy, legal and institutional instruments required for the development and implementation of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (“INDCs”) in Jordan and Tunisia, and selected examples from Morocco. INDCs, submitted to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“UNFCCC”), set out each country’s voluntary national climate action plans that will form the baseline for reducing GHG emissions and strengthening resilience.
Speakers include:
- Marie-Anne Birken, EBRD, General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel
- Vesselina Haralampieva, EBRD, Principal Counsel, OGC
- Angela Delfino, EBRD, Senior Counsel, OGC
Date: 14 November
Time: 8:30-10:30
Location: IETA Pavilion, Blue Zone
This EBRD-backed event focuses on accelerating green transition in the agribusiness sector. In efforts to reduce agribusinesses’ environmental footprint and improve the resilience of value chains, the EBRD supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, better energy and water use, reduced food losses and waste, and the recovery of agricultural production by-products.
Stimulating the private sector-driven approaches to managing the food-water-energy nexus is key to ensuring food and energy security in the EBRD region.
Nicholas Stern, I.G. Patel Professor of Economics and Government at the London School of Economics (LSE), Former Chief Economist of the EBRD and of the World Bank, will moderate the session and deliver the keynote speech.
Representatives from the EBRD will include Mattia Romani, EBRD, Managing Director, Economics, Policy and Governance.
Speakers include:
- Sébastien Couasnet, Managing Director, Eléphant Vert
- Hakim Marrakchi, Chief Executive Officer, Maghreb Industries
- Claire Maingon, Managing Director & Assistant Commitments Director, Avril/Sofiproteol (TBC)
- Pierre-Andre Teriss, Executive Vice President, Danone (TBC)
- Laurent Thomas, Assistant Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (TBC)
Date: 14 November
Time: 9:00-10:50
As the Paris Climate Agreement enters into force, the world needs to accelerate and intensify action and investments for a clean future for all. The transition to a sustainable energy system will help make this happen. EU Energy Day is a unique opportunity for key clean energy players to gather and share knowledge on how to move quickly towards a sustainable planet.
The EBRD, together with the Union for Mediterranean (UfM), will be launching the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Platform.
Speakers include:
- Miguel Arias Cañete, EU Commissioner of Climate Action and Energy
- Ibrahim Saif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jordan (UfM Co-Presidency)
- Osama Assran, Vice Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Egypt
- Fathallah Sijilmassi, Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean
- Nandita Parshad, Director of Power and Energy Utilities, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
See the agenda here
Date: 15 November
Time: 09:00-10:30
Location: Moroccan Pavilion, Green Zone
The EBRD, together with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), is organising this event to launch the innovative SEMED Private Renewable Energy Framework (SPREF). This US$ 250 million framework aims to finance private developers of renewable energy generation projects in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan.
The SPREF is set to break down barriers and boost the development of private renewable energy markets in SEMED with policy dialogue and financing mechanisms promoted by the EBRD.
EBRD’s financing under SPREF will be accompanied by concessional finance from the Clean Technology Fund and the Global Environment Facility.
Speakers include:
- Nandita Parshad, EBRD Director, Head of Power and Energy Utilities
Date: 15 November
Time: 14:00 – 17:00
Location: IETA Pavilion, Blue Zone
COP22 has been billed as the conference that will speed up the implementation of the decisions of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The Marrakesh meetings will help to ensure that the technology and policy measures are in place to deliver a low carbon future.
At this EBRD workshop, experts will assess the options leading to deep carbon reduction, including effects of low carbon transition on the demand for material resources, enabling the right regulatory environment and the long-term infrastructure measures, alongside with policy dialogue focused on deployment of climate technologies. This event will provide a projection of low carbon developments from current technology transfers, under FINTECC, to stimulating deep decarbonisation processes though the infrastructure investments.
This workshop will provide a platform for discussion between practitioners who are investing to achieve low carbon economies.
Speakers include:
- Josué Tanaka, Managing Director at EBRD
- John Drexhage, Consultant, Energy and Extractives, World Bank Group (TBC)
- Jean-François Gagné, Head of Energy Technology Policy Division, IEA
- Mark Bonner/John Scowcroft, Global CCS institute
- David Hone, SHELL
- Manuela Ojan, CSI/Heidelberg
- Mr. Jukka Uosukainen, CTCN
- Gianpiero Nacci, EBRD, Associate Director, Head of Sustainable Resources, Energy Efficiency
- Jan-Willem van de Ven, EBRD, Associate Director, Head of Carbon Market Development, Energy Efficiency
