Morocco

Morocco launched a new satellite on 20 November which aims to assist with a range of tasks including the prevention and management of natural disasters, monitoring changes in the environment and desertification, as well as border and coastal surveillance.

Mohammed VI-B, a remote sensing Earth observation satellite, was put into orbit via Arianespace’s Vega launcher which lifted off from Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.

The satellite is understood to have a panchromatic resolution of 50 cm, and it can take more than 500 images a day, updating its data every six hours.

Arianespace, majority-owned by a joint venture of Airbus and Safran, launched Morocco’s first Earth observation satellite, Mohammed VI-A in November 2017.

Together, the satellites can help Morocco to mobilise resources in cases of natural disasters such as earthquakes and fires through better mapping of affected areas. In terms of agriculture, the satellites will aid in the dynamic... read more

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) entered into force in 1994, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The Conference of the Parties (COP) was designated as the supreme governing body of the Convention.

To date, 195 countries have submitted their instruments of ratification. These countries meet once a year, during two weeks, in order to evaluate the application of the Convention and develop the negotiation process between the Parties in front of new commitments.

By virtue of this Convention, all the Parties have common but differentiated responsibilities. In addition, they take into account the specific nature of their national and regional development priorities, their goals and circumstances. According to the foregoing, their responsibilities are:

1. Gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and optimal practices.
2. Implement national strategies for... read more