Cyprus Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, highlighted on Saturday the need for national, regional and supranational cooperation to tackle climate change, noting that the options made today will shape the lives of the generations to come.

She was addressing an international conference on climate change in the “Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East” organized by the Cyprus Academy of Science, Letters and Arts and the Cyprus Institute, in Larnaca.

Referring to the announcement by Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides about the revival of the the Cypriot Initiative on Climate Change in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, she said that in the coming months the government will take steps before the COP29 meeting to implement a regional action plan and will intensify its policies and scientific efforts to boost synergies with its neighbouring countries.

She also expressed certainty that the Cyprus Institute, which is the secretariat of the initiative, will facilitate and coordinate these efforts offering resources and knowledge to achieve substantive progress.

“We need, regional and supranational cooperation while scientists, policy makers, businesses, the civil society and local communities should work together. The choices we make today will shape the lives of the generations to come and for this reason the government will act with the sense of urgency this crisis required," she added.

“By working hand-in-hand we can build sustainable and resilient economies for the future as well as for the prosperity of our country, our region, the EU and the world,” Raouna said.

In statements upon her arrival to the conference, Raouna noted that our region is particularly vulnerable to climate change, and in this context tackling climate change and its repercussions constitutes a priority for the government.

She furthermore said that climate change, water management and drought will be high on the agenda of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2026.