The second Environmental Performance Review (EPR) of Morocco takes stock of progress made in the governance and management of the environment since the first review in 2014, assesses the implementation of the recommendations of that EPR and makes new recommendations for the country to implement. In addition, the second EPR looks into developments related to the country’s attainment of relevant targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The review covers legal and policy frameworks and compliance assurance mechanisms. It also focuses on greening the economy, environmental information, monitoring and assessment, environmental democracy and education for sustainable development. At the domestic–international interface, it includes a substantive analysis of the country’s participation in and commitments to international agreements. Climate change issues are addressed in relevant chapters across the EPR. The EPR also examines the efforts of Morocco to integrate environmental considerations into its policies in the energy, agriculture, industry and health sectors. Furthermore, the EPR addresses issues of specific importance to Morocco related to air protection, water management, waste and chemicals management, biodiversity and protected areas and coastal zone management. Finally, the review includes an assessment of 93 SDG targets, including 32 targets being reviewed in several chapters from different perspectives. In some cases, a comprehensive analysis of SDGs and targets is hindered by the lack of data and information.
The second EPR of Morocco began in November 2020 with an online preparatory mission to agree on the structure of the report and the schedule for its completion. A team of international experts took part in the online review mission from November 2020 to February 2021. An update country review mission took place in person in October 2021. During its online meeting on 27–29 September 2021, the ECE Expert Group on Environmental Performance Reviews discussed the draft report with a delegation from Morocco, focusing on the conclusions and recommendations made by the international experts. The recommendations, with suggested amendments from the Expert Group, were then submitted for peer review to the ECE Committee on Environmental Policy at its twenty-seventh session on 3–5 November 2021, which was attended by a delegate from Morocco. The Committee adopted the EPR recommendations.
The Committee and the ECE secretariat are grateful to the Government of Morocco and its experts who worked with the international experts and contributed their knowledge and expertise. ECE would also like to express its deep appreciation to the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and the German Federal Environment Agency for their support by providing funds through the Advisory Assistance Programme for their financial support to this review.
Sincere thanks also go to France, Hungary, Italy and Luxembourg and the European Investment Bank for having provided their experts to this review.
In addition, ECE takes this opportunity to thank Austria, Germany and Switzerland for their financial support to the EPR Programme and expresses its deep appreciation to Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro and Switzerland for having provided their experts for the ECE Expert Group on Environmental Performance Reviews, which undertook the expert review of this report.