Climate Chance Europe Africa 2025 Summit
Marseille, France
Climate Chance is co-organising, with the city of Marseille, the Climate Chance Europe Africa 2025 Summit on the theme "Adaptation: taking action", on March 31st and April 1st at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille. This will be the most important gathering ever held on the challenges of adapting to climate change.
Join us in Marseille on 31 March and 1 April!
REGISTER“Adaptation: Taking action”
The Climate Chance Europe Africa 2025 Summit on the theme “Adaptation: Taking action” will be held on 31 March and 1 April 2025 at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille, a strategic city at the crossroads of Europe and Africa. This location is ideal for tackling the climate challenges specific to the Mediterranean basin, sharing solutions adapted to the European and African contexts, and facilitating dialogue and cooperation.
Two main issues will be at the heart of the Climate Chance Europe-Africa Summit: adaptation to climate change at local level in Europe—through the strengthening of dialogue frameworks with all European actors—and cooperation on adaptation between Europe and Africa.
Building on the actions taken during the first international event dedicated to adaptation, co-organized by Climate Chance and Wallonia in 2024, and aiming to go further, the Climate Chance Europe Africa Summit 2025 will bring together 2,000 participants: representatives from European institutions, major international, European, and national networks of local authorities, businesses, trade unions, associations, scientists, and citizens, mobilized for the major event on the 2025 agenda for adaptation.
Thus, this summit is set to be, by the quality and number of its participants, the largest event ever organized in Europe specifically focused on adaptation issues.
The objectives of the meeting
- Help strengthen adaptation policies in France and the European Union.
- Strengthen dialogue and cooperation between non-state actors involved in adaptation issues.
- Strengthen dialogue between Europe and Africa.
- Mobilise civil society in Marseille and the surrounding area.
Expert witness
Among the high-level speakers
Michèle Rubirola, Deputy Mayor of the city of Marseille
Benoît Payan, Mayor of Marseille
Ronan Dantec, Loire-Atlantique Senator, Climate Chance President
Agnès Pannier-Runacher Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forests, the Sea, and Fisheries, France (agenda verification in progress)
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for a Clean, Fair, and Competitive Transition. Former Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition
Joško Klisović, President of the Assembly of the City of Zagreb, Member of the European Committee of the Regions
Fatimatou Mint Abdel Malick, President of UCLG-Africa, President of the Nouakchott region, Mauritania
Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, President of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF)
Luc Gnacadja, former Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, former minister of Benin
Evelyne Huytebroeck, former Belgian Minister of Environment and Energy
Thani Mohamed Soilihi, Delegate Minister to the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, in charge of Francophonie and International Partnerships, France
Martin Spolc, Head of Unit “Adaptation & Resilience to Climate Change”,| DG Climate Action, European Commission
Omar HOUSSEIN OMAR, President of the Regional Council of Tadjourah, President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Djibouti
Luc Setondji Atrokpo, Mayor of Cotonou, Benin
Philippe Tabarot, Minister of Transport, France
Sven Harmeling, Head of Climate, CAN Europe
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim President of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. President & Coordinator of AFPAT (Association of Peul Women and Indigenous Peoples of Chad).
Rémy Rioux, Director General of AFD
Christophe Cassou, Climatologist, Research Director at CNRS
François Gemenne, Specialist in Environmental Geopolitics, IPCC Author
Virginie Schwarz, CEO of Méteo France
Valérie Verdier, CEO of the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD)
Patrick Martin, President of Medef (tbc)
Sémia Gharbi, President of AEEFG and Focal Point for the Women Environmental Programme (WEP) Tunisia
Antoine Denoix, Director General, AXA Climate
Emmanuel Seck, Chairman ENDA Energie
On the agenda
4 main themes
- Deepening our knowledge to enhance the effectiveness of adaptation to climate change.
- Transforming the economy and public action to provide sustainable responses to climate challenges.
- Strengthening and developing local adaptation solutions.
- Cooperation between Europe and Africa for effective adaptation to climate change.
The summit will highlight existing adaptation practices and solutions, emphasizing the efforts being made in the territories.
The two-day event will offer a rich program: 7 plenaries, nearly 30 workshops, a pitch space, and various activities and visits.
300 speakers, high-level experts, and on-the-ground actors are expected.
The summit will also serve as an opportunity to unveil the results of the first Climate Chance Observatory’s Synthesis Report on adaptation in Europe. The Observatory’s sectoral analyses will introduce the discussions in several workshops.
The event program will be available online soon.
A strong advocacy
- “Marseille Declaration”
An advocacy to strengthen Europe/Africa cooperation on adaptation to climate change, with an international vocation: key messages and operational proposals from non-state actors, for European and African political decision-makers. - “Action Plan: 50 actions to be developed for adaptation in Europe”.
An advocacy for European territories to adapt: key messages and operational proposals from non-state actors, for European political decision-makers, following on from the collective work begun at the Climate Chance Europe Wallonia Summit, held in Liège in February 2024.
These priority actions to be undertaken will be at the heart of the discussions in the 30 workshops of the summit, organised with the most representative international networks of non-state actors.
The advocacy documents developed in Marseille will be carried throughout 2025 during upcoming major events on the international agenda: the Marseille Declaration: On the Road to COP30 in Belém (November 10-21), as well as the Climate Chance Africa Summit, Africities (December 1-5)…; the Action Plan: Advocacy Campaign with European institutions and decision-makers. They will be addressed to all key European actors (commissions, governments, parliamentarians…) and the consideration of the summit’s proposals will be monitored by the Climate Chance Observatory.
The Marseille summit will be a key moment for strengthening dialogue between non-state actors (local authorities, businesses, NGOs) and the European institutions on adaptation issues.