Morocco and Finland Sign MoU to Deepen Cooperation in Meteorology and Climate Science
Rabat, The Gulf Observer: Morocco and Finland have strengthened their partnership through the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing cooperation in meteorology, climate, and environmental sciences.
The agreement was concluded on the sidelines of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Congress, held from October 20 to 23 in Geneva. It was signed by Mohamed Dkhissi, Director General of Morocco’s General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM), and Petteri Taalas, Director General of the Finnish Meteorological Institute and former Secretary-General of the WMO.
The MoU formalizes the two nations’ shared commitment to advancing scientific collaboration through the exchange of expertise, joint research projects, and modernization of meteorological observation and forecasting systems.
During the signing ceremony, Petteri Taalas commended King Mohammed VI’s leadership in promoting environmental protection and sustainable development. He expressed Finland’s readiness to deepen cooperation with Morocco, noting the country’s increasing prominence in global climate action. Taalas highlighted Morocco’s pivotal role in organizing the COP22 climate conference in Marrakech in 2016, describing it as a landmark event in regional and international environmental diplomacy.
For his part, Mohamed Dkhissi stated that the new partnership marks “a new chapter in scientific collaboration between Morocco and Finland,” emphasizing that the initiative aims to improve forecasting accuracy and strengthen the resilience of climate services through modernized infrastructure and shared innovation.
The WMO Extraordinary Congress gathered representatives from 133 member countries, including Morocco, to advance the “Early Warnings for All” initiative launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in 2022. The initiative seeks to achieve universal early warning system coverage by 2027, enhancing preparedness and response to climate-related risks worldwide.
This latest agreement builds on recent high-level engagements between Morocco and Finland. In February 2025, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita met with his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen in Helsinki, where both reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in the economic, environmental, and technological sectors.
The two ministers also agreed to broaden political consultations to include business and trade dialogues, with plans to hold a joint business seminar in 2025 to promote investment opportunities. Discussions further covered cooperation in renewable energy, integrated water resource management, and potential joint projects in green hydrogen development.
With this new accord, Morocco and Finland reaffirm their shared commitment to sustainability, innovation, and environmental resilience, marking another milestone in their growing bilateral partnership and their joint contribution to global climate leadership.
