Climate: Leila Benali holds High-Level talks in Belém ahead of COP30

Saturday 08 November 2025 - 15:00

By: Sahili Aya

Climate: Leila Benali holds High-Level talks in Belém ahead of COP30

Belém, November 8, 2025 – On the sidelines of the Climate Leaders Summit in Belém, ahead of COP30, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, held a series of strategic meetings focused on strengthening international cooperation in climate finance and green investment.

Benali met with Mafalda Duarte, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), to discuss ways to deepen the partnership between Morocco and the Fund through a new country program aligned with the implementation of NDC 3.0.
The initiative aims to promote projects that combine economic efficiency, financial profitability, and positive environmental and social impacts.

The discussion also reaffirmed Morocco’s interest in hosting a regional office of the GCF, reflecting its leadership at the African level in climate action, sustainable finance, and South–South cooperation.

Benali also emphasized the importance of the OTC Corridor (Origination, Transit, and Certification) initiative, designed to position Morocco as a continental energy and logistics hub linking African economies to global markets.

In another meeting, Benali conferred with Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on diversifying climate financing sources beyond traditional mechanisms to better support mitigation and adaptation projects under NDC 3.0. The discussions also covered IMF’s potential technical assistance to Morocco in areas such as green budgeting and climate stress analysis.

The Minister met as well with John W.H. Denton AO, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), to explore avenues for enhanced cooperation in entrepreneurship, economic development, and investment promotion.
Denton praised Morocco’s achievements and highlighted OCP Group as a model of performance and good governance in Africa’s public sector.

Benali reaffirmed that Morocco’s progress in sustainable development and energy transition is the result of three decades of reform and modernization under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI.