MENA Climate Vulnerability Conference

On October 4th and 5th, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a conference on ‘Climate vulnerability in the MENA region’, with support from Sida (the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency). The conference sought to address the intertwined nature of climate change-related challenges through a set of panels, each with a distinct focus and angle. It brought together a wide array of climate actors from the region.

The Dialogue Institute participated actively throughout the conference and the Institute’s Director Charlotta Sparre moderated a panel which addressed the regional governance challenges with regards to climate. In opening the discussion Sparre highlighted the region’s multi-layered challenges and asked the panellists to reflect on the correlations between the impacts of climate change and socioeconomic vulnerabilities and governance deficits.

The panel convened four eminent experts: Safa’ Al Jayoussi, Regional Climate Justice Advisor for Middle East & North Africa at Oxfam International, Shada El-Sharif, Founder of SustainMENA, Marwan Muasher, Vice President for Studies at Carnegie and former Foreign Minister of Jordan, and Sarah Yerkes, Senior Fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program.

Some of the points during the discussion focused on how climate policymaking can include a more diverse set of voices and how marginalized communities are disproportionately subjected to climate effects. The panel also spoke in greater detail about the challenges and possible solutions for climate governance in the region.

To learn more about the insights that emerged from the discussions, read the full report on Participation in MENA Climate Vulnerability Conference.