National Government Pact mobilises Ministries and Departments

Les représentants de l'Administration présents à l'atelier ©Direction de la Communication – Manuel Vitali

On June 12, the Ministry of State held a National Government Pact workshop.
Organised for government ministries and departments, the event attracted a large audience and demonstrated the deep commitment of our government to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Principality.

In her introductory remarks, Céline Caron-Dagioni, Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development, underscored the strategic importance of this public endeavour “of enormous political impact. By becoming exemplary entities in terms of energy transition, our government services can effectively convince their partners and the public to reduce their carbon footprint.” Support from the Mission for Energy Transition will make it possible to “include the government in the Monegasque community already working to implement the National Energy Transition Pact.” This opportunity for discussion and feedback between Departments is an example of how the Pact promotes the sharing of best practices.

Recalling the assistance his department can provide to optimize energy consumption, Antony de Sevelinges, Head of the Monaco Public Buildings Maintenance Office, then presented several initiatives underway in public buildings, including the insulation of roofs and floors, the installation of photovoltaic panels, widespread use of LED lighting, and connections to ocean thermal energy loops.
The discussion was then opened to new perspectives, with several Departments presenting their own initiatives and best practices. The link to the guide to implementing selected actions was given as a reminder (https://transition-energetique.gouv.mc/Pacte-National-pour-la-Transition-Energetique/Le-Pacte-pour-l-Administration). The next steps in the Government Pact were announced, including the opportunity for Departments to complete the Fresque du Climat (The Climate Panorama) training course provided by the Mission for Energy Transition.
These workshops will be held twice a year.
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The National Pact was launched by the Mission for Energy Transition in 2018 to allow everyone to contribute, at their own level, to the Principality’s energy transition. Every Monegasque national, resident, employee, student, institution and association can take action in the three areas primarily responsible for greenhouse gas emissions in Monaco: transport, waste, energy consumption by buildings.

Joining the effort is possible with a single tool: the tracking and support platform accessible at pacte-coachcarbone.mc.

To date, over 370 entities and 1,800 individuals have registered on the platform.

Focus: the commitment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation

The commitment to the energy transition does not stop at the border.
 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (both its Secretariat and two Departments) decided to sign the National Pact as a further step towards environmental responsibility.
This commitment stems from a duty to set an example given the importance of environmental advocacy in its diplomatic missions.

 Under the leadership of H.S.H the Sovereign Prince, the Ministry is committed on a daily basis on the international scene to protecting the environment and the fight against climate change, both within the framework of its development aid programmes (including several cooperation projects in the most vulnerable countries to provide support for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and/or strengthening the resilience of communities to the effects of climate change; Monaco is also the leading donor per capita to the Green Climate Fund) and via its work with various UN bodies (e.g. the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change / Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as international negotiations related to protecting the oceans).
This Department-wide commitment is therefore directly in line with its international work.

 Several initiatives have followed the signing of the Pact and will soon translate into action, in particular on waste management, mobility, energy and the paper/digital management of diplomatic correspondence.

 Department staff were asked to submit their comments and proposals via a form. As an example, at the end of 2022, the Department of International Cooperation launched a review of how climate and environmental co-benefits could be incorporated into its action in a broad sense (both in terms of the Department’s practices and as part of cooperation projects). This review led to the organisation of a workshop to raise awareness about this issue with staff, and work together to develop a roadmap to enhance the consideration of these factors in their day-to-day work.

During the workshop, employees were asked to conduct a personal carbon assessment to ascertain their impact and ways to improve.