Summary
Details
- Global
The Marrakech Partnership is not mandatory for companies, cities, investors or civil society actors. Participation is voluntary.
There are no universal legal requirements to:
Join the Partnership.
Submit corporate targets.
Report directly to the Partnership.
Obtain approval from the Partnership.
Pay fees to participate.
Use a specific methodology solely because of the Partnership.
Maintain certification status.
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What’s Required
1. Participation in non-state climate action
The Marrakech Partnership supports climate action by non-Party stakeholders. In UNFCCC language, this means actors that are not national governments formally negotiating as Parties, including:
Companies.
Financial institutions.
Cities.
Regions.
Civil society organizations.
Sector coalitions.
Indigenous Peoples.
Local communities.
Youth organisations.
Philanthropic bodies.
Research and knowledge institutions.
The platform does not impose mandatory company-level obligations. Instead, it creates an international space where non-state actors can align, coordinate and showcase climate implementation.
2. Alignment with the Paris Agreement
The Partnership supports implementation of the Paris Agreement by helping voluntary actors align climate action with global mitigation, adaptation, and resilience goals. The UNFCCC describes it as supporting Paris Agreement implementation through collaboration between governments and non-Party stakeholders.
For companies, this means voluntary action should be connected to:
Net-zero transition planning.
Emissions reduction.
Adaptation and resilience.
Climate finance.
Sectoral decarbonization.
Nature and land-use solutions.
Clean energy deployment.
Just transition.
Implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions.
Delivery of Global Stocktake outcomes.
3. Sectoral and thematic collaboration
The Marrakech Partnership works through thematic and sectoral collaboration. It helps convene initiatives, coalitions, and actors around areas where non-state action can accelerate implementation.
Relevant areas can include:
Energy.
Industry.
Transport.
Built environment.
Land use.
Water.
Oceans and coastal zones.
Finance.
Resilience.
Adaptation.
Nature.
Food systems.
Cities and regions.
The renewed Global Climate Action Agenda for 2026 to 2030 structures work around a five-year vision intended to accelerate implementation and support outcomes agreed through the UNFCCC process, including the Global Stocktake.
4. Support from Climate High-Level Champions
The Marrakech Partnership operates under the leadership of the Climate High-Level Champions, appointed by COP Presidencies. The Champions help connect formal intergovernmental climate negotiations with voluntary action by businesses, cities, investors and civil society.
Their role includes:
Mobilizing non-state stakeholders.
Supporting climate action coalitions.
Encouraging implementation.
Linking voluntary action to COP priorities.
Helping shape the Global Climate Action Agenda.
Promoting sectoral breakthroughs and transition pathways.
Supporting visibility for credible climate action.
COP 29 welcomed the continuation of the Marrakech Partnership and the continued appointment of Climate High-Level Champions for 2026 to 2030, supporting a new five-year cycle for global climate action.
5. Contribution to implementation rather than negotiation
The Marrakech Partnership is not a treaty negotiation body. Its function is implementation support and mobilisation.
This distinction matters. The Partnership does not decide national emissions targets, create legally binding rules or enforce compliance. Instead, it helps mobilise voluntary action that supports formal UNFCCC objectives.
Companies should treat the Marrakech Partnership as:
A climate action platform.
A convening mechanism.
A visibility and coordination channel.
A source of sectoral direction.
A voluntary implementation framework.
A signal of emerging expectations for corporate climate action.
6. Transparency and credibility expectations
Although the Marrakech Partnership is voluntary, participants face increasing expectations around credible climate action. Claims linked to net zero, transition pathways, resilience or climate finance must be supported by evidence.
For companies, credible alignment normally requires:
Baseline emissions data.
Scope 1, 2 and relevant Scope 3 accounting.
Science-aligned targets.
Transition plans.
Implementation milestones.
Capital expenditure alignment.
Governance accountability.
Transparent reporting.
Avoidance of misleading offset claims.
Evidence of real economy emissions reductions.
The main risk is not a formal Marrakech Partnership fine. The main risk is being seen as using global climate platforms for visibility without credible delivery.
7. Integration with the Global Climate Action Agenda 2026 to 2030
The Marrakech Partnership is now connected to the Global Climate Action Agenda 2026 to 2030, a five-year vision for accelerating implementation. UNFCCC materials describe this as building on progress made over the last decade and supporting implementation of agreed outcomes from the UNFCCC process, including the Global Stocktake.
For companies and coalitions, this increases the importance of moving from announcements to implementation evidence.
Important Deadlines
2016: launch at COP22 in Marrakech
The Marrakech Partnership was launched during COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2016, following the Paris Agreement and the shift toward implementation and non-state climate action. The Marrakech Action Proclamation was read at the Marrakech Climate Change Conference on 17 November 2016.
2021 to 2025: first five-year plan cycle
The Marrakech Partnership previously operated under a five-year plan running through the first half of the 2020s, supporting sectoral action, Climate Action Pathways and non-state stakeholder mobilisation.
2025: COP30 and transition to the renewed structure
UNFCCC materials refer to the COP30 Presidency and the Climate High-Level Champions supporting development of the five-year vision for the Global Climate Action Agenda 2026 to 2030.
2026 to 2030: renewed Marrakech Partnership cycle
COP29 welcomed the continuation of the Marrakech Partnership and the continued appointment of Climate High-Level Champions for 2026 to 2030. The renewed five-year vision is now the relevant implementation horizon for non-state climate action.
Annual COP cycle
The Partnership remains closely linked to annual UN climate conferences. COP events provide visibility, stocktaking, sectoral announcements, implementation updates and coordination opportunities for businesses, cities, regions and civil society.
Current Status
The Marrakech Partnership is active and continuing. It remains part of the UNFCCC climate action architecture and is supported by the UNFCCC secretariat, the Climate High-Level Champions and COP Presidencies.
Current status:
Launched at COP22 in Marrakech in 2016.
Operates under the leadership of Climate High-Level Champions.
Supports collaboration between governments and non-Party stakeholders.
Covers businesses, investors, cities, regions, civil society, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities.
Continues into the 2026 to 2030 period under the renewed Global Climate Action Agenda.
Functions as a voluntary implementation platform, not a legally binding treaty or regulatory obligation.
Supports implementation of the Paris Agreement and Global Stocktake outcomes.
The Marrakech Partnership should not be described as a law. It should be classified as a voluntary climate action framework linked to the UNFCCC process.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
There are no direct legal penalties for non-compliance with the Marrakech Partnership because it is not a binding legal instrument and does not act as a regulator.
However, weak or misleading participation can create indirect consequences:
1. Reputational damage
Companies may be criticised for greenwashing if they use global climate action platforms for visibility while failing to reduce emissions or implement credible transition plans.
2. Removal or exclusion from initiatives
Some coalitions or campaigns connected to the broader climate action ecosystem may remove participants that fail to meet criteria or reporting expectations.
3. Investor pressure
Investors may challenge companies whose public climate commitments are not matched by capital expenditure, governance, targets, or emissions performance.
4. Green claims enforcement
Domestic regulators may investigate misleading climate claims, especially around net zero, carbon neutrality, transition plans, offsets or Paris alignment.
5. Procurement and customer consequences
Buyers may exclude suppliers that make unsupported climate claims or fail to provide emissions data, transition plans or progress evidence.
6. Litigation risk
Companies may face litigation or complaints where climate claims are alleged to be misleading, especially if public commitments are inconsistent with actual business strategy.
7. Loss of credibility in climate coalitions
Weak delivery can reduce access to partnerships, speaking opportunities, leadership roles, COP events, and climate action campaigns.
Examples of Known Violations / Failure Modes
Because the Marrakech Partnership is voluntary, these are best described as failure modes, not legal violations:
Announcing net zero targets without short- or medium-term emissions reduction plans.
Using COP visibility to promote climate leadership while expanding high-emitting activities.
Reporting climate commitments without transparent progress data.
Relying heavily on offsets instead of real emissions reductions.
Making Paris-alignment claims without science-based targets.
Joining voluntary climate initiatives without internal governance or budget.
Publishing transition plans that are not linked to capital expenditure.
Ignoring Scope 3 emissions in high-impact value chains.
Treating climate action as communications rather than operational transformation.
Making adaptation or resilience claims without evidence of risk reduction.
Using vague sectoral pledges without measurable implementation milestones.
Failing to disclose assumptions behind climate scenarios.
Announcing coalitions or partnerships that do not change investment, procurement, or operating decisions.
Presenting future ambition as current performance.
Overstating the significance of participation in a UNFCCC-linked platform
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