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 » is being 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, Maire-Adjointe de la ville de Marseille
Benoit Payan, Maire de Marseille
Ronan Dantec, Sénateur Loire-Atlantique, Président de Climate Chance
Agnès Pannier-Runacher Ministre de la Transition écologique, de la Biodiversité, de la Forêt, de la Mer et de la Pêche, France (en vérification d’agenda)
Teresa Ribera, Vice-présidente exécutive de la Commission européenne à la Transition propre, juste et compétitive. Ancienne Ministre espagnole de la Transition écologique
Joško Klisović, Président de l’assemblée de la ville de Zagreb, membre du Comité européen des Régions
Fatimatou Mint Abdel Malick, Présidente de la Région de Nouakchott, Mauritanie, Présidente de CGLU-Afrique
Anne Hidalgo, Maire de Paris, Présidente de l’Association internationale des maires francophones (AIMF)
Luc Gnacadja, Ancien Secrétaire exécutif de la Convention des Nations Unies sur la lutte contre la désertification, Ancien Ministre de l’Environnement, de l’Habitat et de l’Urbanisme du Bénin
Evelyne Huytebroeck, ancienne Ministre bruxelloise de l’Environnement et de l’Énergie, Belgique
Thani Mohamed Soilihi, Ministre délégué auprès du Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires Étrangères, chargé de la Francophonie et des partenariats internationaux
Martin Spolc, Chef d’unité “Adaptation et résilience au changement climatique”, DG Action pour le climat, Commission européenne
Omar HOUSSEIN OMAR, Président du Conseil régional de Tadjourah, Président de l’Association Nationale des Collectivités Locales de Djibouti
Luc Setondji Atrokpo, Maire de Cotonou, Bénin
Philippe Tabarot, Ministre des Transports, France
Christophe Cassou, Climatologue, Directeur de recherche au CNRS
François Gemenne, Spécialiste des questions de géopolitique de l’environnement, auteur du GIEC
Virginie Schwarz, PDG Méteo France
Pascal Berteaud, directeur général du Cerema
Valérie Verdier, PDG IRD
Jean-Yves Grandidier, Président de Valorem
Antoine Denoix, Directeur Général, AXA Climate
Emmanuel Seck, Directeur exécutif 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.
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.
In 2026, the European Union will present its new adaptation strategy, and discussions on its priorities will begin this year. The proposals put forward in the summit workshops have been designed to provide practical input into the development of this strategy. 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.