Morocco Absent from US Climate Summit Despite African Leadership Role

A surprising exclusion. Morocco, the host country of the 22nd Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 22), is not invited to the virtual climate summit to be held from April 22 to 23, 2021. Yet, the kingdom is recognized as one of the leaders in Africa on climate.

Only five African presidents will represent the continent at this meeting. They are Ali Bongo Ondimba (Gabon), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria), Félix Tshisekedi (DRC and AU) and Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya). The meeting aims to prepare a coordinated response to the urgency of stronger climate action, in the perspective of the United Nations Conference on [Climate Change](https://www.climatwatch.com/) (COP26) to be held next November in Glasgow, Scotland.

The US president has urged participants to use this summit to explain how their countries will contribute to strengthening the collective climate ambition, in order to ensure warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Upon taking office, Joe Biden had signed several executive orders, including one marking the return of the United States to the Paris Agreement.