On the occasion of her participation in the International Development Conference held in Spain, the Tunisian Minister of Finance, Méchkat Salama El Khaldi, reaffirmed Tunisia’s commitment to an innovative initiative carried by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
This is the “debt against climate action” mechanism, which aims to convert part of the external debt service into resilient and durable investments.
Since 2023, Tunisia has joined this approach in partnership with ESCWA, in order to deal with the challenges of climate financing. “This initiative offers a real opportunity to act concretely against the devastating effects of climate change while achieving the objectives of sustainable development,” said the minister during a round table devoted to the subject.
Tunisia relies on this mechanism to orient financial resources towards strategic sectors such as water management, renewable energies, preservation of forests, or ecological balance. Domains deemed essential to guarantee inclusive growth and better quality of life, especially in vulnerable areas.
In his intervention, Méchkat El Khaldi praised the collaboration between the various Tunisian institutions to develop projects with a strong environmental and social impact. She also called to expand the circle of creditors ready to join this initiative, insisting that “the more international partners will be, the more Tunisia can accelerate its efforts to a green and fair transition”.
