Supporting the foundations for sustainable adaptation planning and financing in Morocco

Given its geographical location, climate, and coastline, Morocco is highly vulnerable to climate change. The projected impacts by 2050 will significantly affect key productive sectors and infrastructures of the Moroccan economy. In 2022, Morocco suffered from a fourth consecutive year of low rainfall, facing a historic drought. With these structural vulnerabilities, the urgency of adaptation to climate change has become significant.

Morocco has undertaken numerous climate change adaptation and risk management projects, addressing specific issues such as water, agriculture, disaster risk, monitoring frameworks, data, and capacity building. However, these efforts have been implemented in isolation and in a fragmented manner, lacking a cohesive and interconnected approach. Moreover, climate change risks and adaptation needs have been excluded from development planning and investment decisions, particularly at the regional level. 

Morocco started its national adaptation planning process in 2015 and developed a detailed NAP roadmap. Achieved in 2021, the NAP serves as a comprehensive medium- and long-term adaptation strategy, incorporating key actions and strategic objectives. The formulation of the NAP involved extensive consultations with key stakeholders and received formal endorsement from the Government.

The Moroccan Climate Change Policy and the NDC (updated in 2021) outline sectoral adaptation goals and targets and highlight critical cross-cutting pillars. The project builds upon the progress to date and helps operationalize the NAP, with a specific emphasis on the subnational level, by translating strategic objectives into tangible actions. Moreover, the project aligns with and complements other ongoing initiatives in Morocco related to adaptation and climate risk management.

In addition to the main project implementing partner, the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, the project works with partners in government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. The project seeks to create a framework for systematically integrating adaptation needs into Morocco's development planning, building upon the existing foundation for climate change adaptation. This framework will enable the implementation of high-impact adaptation measures building on strengthened institutional arrangements for adaptation planning, including strategic coherent planning instruments aligned with national priorities and sustainable sources of adaptation finance. 

The project aims to design a framework for systematic integration of adaptation needs into the country’s development planning building upon the existing foundation for climate change adaptation. The expected results are grouped around the three main outcomes and include: 

• setting up of coordination and governance structure for adaptation at the national and regional levels; 
• strengthening national and regional M&E system; 
• improving communication and awareness on adaptation planning; 
• mainstreaming gender sensitivity into government’s planning processes;
• assessing climate risks and vulnerabilities for key sectors in three regions;
• identifying adaptation options, assessed and prioritized in the three selected regions; 
• elaborating five regional adaptation plans; 
• sustainable financing of regional adaptation plans;
• strengthened private sector engagement and investment potential.

Outcome 1: The institutional framework for adaptation planning is strengthened and awareness is enhanced at national and regional levels.

Outcome 2: Regional adaptation plans (Territorial Plans against Global Warming) formulated for five vulnerable regions in Morocco and integration into regional development and land use plans facilitated. 

Outcome 3: The foundations for sustainable finance for adaptation are strengthened.