Background

During the last International Conference on Sustainable Industrial Areas (SIA) in October 2015 in Mexico, we experienced a growing demand for exchange on industrial areas and ways to align them according to sustainability criteria to increase competitiveness and attractiveness. The next International SIA conference will take place in Morocco and will focus on sustainable industrial areas in the context of climate change, one of the world’s biggest challenges.

The 22 nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), taking place in November 2016 in Morocco, is defined as the “action taking COP”. More and more governments are strengthening their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions and to decrease vulnerability in industrial areas. In fact, a considerable number of (I)NDCs ((Intended) Nationally Determined Contributions) cover the industrial sector. As a logical next step the SIA Conference, taking place in Morocco on 14 th and 15 th March 2017 is featuring an exchange on specific climate change actions and financing mechanisms in industrial areas.

The 6 th SIA Conference is organized by the Moroccan Deputy Ministry in charge of the Environment under the Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Objectives

The SIA concept guides a way to sustainable industrial development by improving the organizational performance of industrial areas, while balancing economic, social and environmental concerns. The conference is aiming at highlighting this approach in general, but sets a focus on climate actions in industrial areas:

Firstly on the potential to contribute to mitigation objectives by reducing GHG emissions in industrial areas, where typical emissions derive from energy provision, operation of industries, transport of goods and people, waste generation and treatment. More and more governments are strengthening their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)

Secondly the conference will provide an opportunity to showcase and discuss the requirements and potentials for industrial areas to minimize ecological and economic risks and maintain long-term operability by adapting to climate change.
Thirdly, the conference will address questions related to financing specific measures to mitigate GHG emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change in the context of industrial areas.

Target group

Representatives of National and State Governments

Users, owners and developers of industrial parks and areas

Industrial Chambers and associations

Partners of GIZ programmes

Key actors / resource persons on the international scene related to industrial areas and climate change

Financing organizations

Conference format

Interactive sessions

Expert inputs

Exchange

Presentations

Professional conference facilitators will lead through the two conference days.

Program

The program consists of plenary sessions on day 1 & 2, which target higher level government officials, private sector representatives and international experts. For day 2 parallel working group sessions will provide room to discuss a variety of topics related to climate change mitigation, adaptation and financing in industrial areas on a more technical level.

See Program

Side events

Participants are invited on the day before the official start of the conference to visit a Moroccan industrial area, allowing face to face encounters on site with estate managers, business representatives and officials alike, in order to gain some first-hand impressions on the efforts undertaken in Morocco to improve the sustainability of industrial areas. In the evening, a networking event will provide an opportunity to show own work and to discuss experiences with colleagues from different countries and projects.