Yitzhak Eldan, president and founder of the Israeli Ambassadors’ Club, emphasized that the State of Israel’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara is a “strong” and “clear” statement to the rest of the world.

Eldan referred to Israel’s acknowledgment of the Moroccan Sahara as a “very important” diplomatic move that other nations could emulate.

In a statement to MAP, the former representative to the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and Denmark said, “This is a diplomatic breakthrough for Morocco, a decision of historic significance that will strengthen international recognition of the Kingdom’s sovereignty over its Sahara.”

The former Israeli ambassador continued, “Israel has pledged to make every effort to ensure that this “well-considered” decision is communicated to the international organizations of which it is a member, as well as to all countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations. This pledge was made through the voice of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr. Eldan emphasized the significance of supporting the Kingdom in such a significant matter and welcomed this recognition, which will strengthen the Moroccan position and contribute to the growth of “positive” relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv in a number of areas, especially in the area of investment by luring additional investors to the southern provinces.

Having an Israeli diplomatic mission in Dakhla, in his opinion, will strengthen Morocco’s status as the “gateway to Africa” by fostering trade and investment in the area.

The former ambassador lauded Morocco’s cohabitation model and voiced the hope that Israel’s acceptance of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara “could bring peace to the region.”

Read also: MEP Applauds Israel’s ‘Important’ and ‘Historic’ Recognition of Moroccan Sovereignty over the Sahara

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Eric Falt, regional director of the UNESCO office in Morocco, met with Neila Mia Tazi, chairwoman of foreign affairs, national defense, and Moroccan expatriates, on Tuesday.

According to a statement from the parliament’s upper house, the two parties reaffirmed their willingness to strengthen and develop their cooperation in all fields during this meeting by supporting initiatives and consolidating discussions on numerous programs intended to train and preserve traditional knowledge and regional specificities.

According to the same source, the Sovereign’s message to attendees of the 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage, which will be held in Rabat in November 2022, highlighted HM King Mohammed VI’s patronage for the promotion of arts, culture, creativity, and heritage.

Along with the UN organization’s global agenda, which aims to preserve the unique characteristics and civilisational and cultural aspects of the world, Tazi also welcomed the numerous programs run by UNESCO to protect and preserve tangible and intangible heritage in all of its forms around the world.

The regional director of the UNESCO office, for his part, applauded the efforts made to preserve the nation’s tangible and intangible heritage, which helps spread Moroccan identity and values and foster Moroccan expertise in these fields. He also welcomed the dynamism that the Kingdom is experiencing in the cultural sector.

Read Also: Arab Maghreb Union responds to Algeria’s statement on representation to AU

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Morocco is moving forward after expressing its desire to have the caftan added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. On February 2, 2023, Rabat held a national workshop to launch the campaign and begin preparing the application.

Anchored in Morocco’s cultural history and enjoying international renown, the caftan was included in 2022 on the list of the Islamic World Organization for Education, Science and Culture (ICESCO) as a Muslim intangible heritage. The secular traditional dress is the subject of a new request to integrate the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage.

وفي هذا الإطار تم تنظيم الورشة الوطنية لإعداد ملف ترشيح القفطان في قائمة التراث غير المادي لليونسكو، وقد أكد السيد الوزير خلال كلمة له تلاها السيد الكاتب العام نيابة عنه أن القفطان المغربي يجر وراءه رصيدا من الفنون والألوان والتقاليد والمهارات تستحق أن تغني الثقافة الإنسانية. pic.twitter.com/fZhuzHDlVv

— MJCC وزارة الشباب والثقافة والتواصل (@mjcc_gov) February 2, 2023

To successfully complete this initiative, the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication has organized a workshop chaired by Abdelilah Afifi, Secretary General of the Ministry who delivered a message from the Minister Mehdi Bensaid. The Minister said that “the Heritageis a carrier of craftsmanship and traditions that deserves to integrate the culture of humanity,” before thanking all generations of artisans and designers for their creativity and their involvement in preserving this historic element while participating in its renewal.

Read Also: H.R.H. Princess Lalla Hasnaa presides in Paris the signing of a partnership between the Fondation for the preservation of cultural heritage of Rabat and UNESCO

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Following their meeting at the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Rabat in November 2022, H.R.H and the Director-General of UNESCO signed this document.

This first partnership agreement, which was signed for a period of five years, will carry out activities with Moroccan and African youth while concentrating first on the World Heritage Youth Education Programme and UNESCO.

The Foundation has modified an educational kit created by UNESCO for young people to learn about and comprehend their city’s heritage for the first time ever in the history of the world.

In December 2022, this kit, titled “I discover my heritage,” was distributed to 4,700 students from 62 colleges of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Academy for the second time. These students approached with the help of their teachers and under the supervision of heritage experts, including archaeologists, architects, curators of sites, and inspectors of historical monuments, which are city landmarks listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

https://twitter.com/AAzoulay/status/1617932936422256644?s=20&t=rq_fr-a3QGepdK1S9srG3g

The general public will then be involved in initiatives to increase awareness and promote cultural heritage, such as the urban exhibition “Rabat, a World Heritage” that His Royal Highness officially opened on January 8 of this year to mark the city of Rabat’s addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Through informative plates and a collection of images of the eight parts of the property listed as a World Heritage Site as well as its buffer zone, this exhibition demonstrates the outstanding universal value of the city of Rabat.

Together with UNESCO, the Foundation is dedicated to making a difference on the African continent. The World Heritage Convention will be applied to protected sites in Africa and Morocco as part of this joint effort.

The partnership agreement also includes participation in various regional, national, and international events hosted by UNESCO, as well as capacity-building programs for heritage actors who manage and preserve it in Rabat, Morocco, and Africa.

In the presence of the Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, Chakib Benmoussa, the President of the Moroccan National Commission for UNESCO, Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, the Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, Nouzha Alaoui, the Secretary-General of the Foundation, and Samir Addahre, the Kingdom’s Permanent Ambassador-Delegate to UNESCO, H.R.H met with the Director-General of UNESCO on this occasion.

Along with them, Astrid Gillet, the head of the executive office of Ms. Stefania Giannini, the assistant director general for education, Edouard Matoko, the assistant director-general for priority Africa and external relations at UNESCO, Ernesto Ottone, the assistant director-general for culture, and Julien Pellaux, the director of partnerships, were present at the meeting.

The President of the General Conference, the President of the Executive Board, the Chairs of UNESCO’s electoral groups, and Assistant Directors-General were all present at the reception that the Director-General of the UN Organization hosted in Her Honor at UNESCO House.

H.R.H Princess Lalla Hasnaa was welcomed at UNESCO Headquarters by Director-General Audrey Azoulay, Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations, Mr. Edouard Matoko, and the ambassadors of the Arab Group and the Africa Group before being especially welcomed by the Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, President of the Moroccan National Commission for UNESCO, Chakib Benmoussa, the Minister of National Education, and the Minister of National Sports.

Read Also: Moroccan National Library’s digital records are well-preserved and secure

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King Mohammed VI has praised the UNESCO-Morocco relationship for its high caliber and the UN Organization for its exceptional cooperation with the Kingdom in preserving the intangible cultural heritage and passing down culture and customs from one generation to the next.

This occurred as the Sovereign was welcomed this week by Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, outside the opening of the new bus terminal in Rabat.

The King specifically thanked the Director General of UNESCO for all her work preserving and defending the nations’ cultural legacy, which is occasionally desecrated by other nations or incorporated by other civilizations.

Ms. Audrey Azoulay, proud of her Moroccan background, praised the Sovereign for his dedication to the preservation and development of Morocco’s intangible heritage.

The importance and strategic nature of the relationships between the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization and the Kingdom of Morocco were welcomed by Ms. Audrey Azoulay, who recalled that Morocco had accepted all UNESCO protocols pertaining to heritage.

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO is holding its 17th session in Rabat, and Mrs. Azoulay is there to participate.

Mrs. Azoulay praised King Mohammed VI’s dedication to cultural heritage preservation in her opening remarks at the session on Monday morning.

“His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s devotion to culture, for the entirety of UNESCO’s mandate, and more broadly, for multilateral action in the service of peace,” said Mrs. Azoulay. “The preservation of the vibrancy of heritage owes much to His Majesty King Mohammed VI.”

Government officials and members of civil society from 180 nations are gathered for the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, which is being presided over by Morocco.

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In a speech delivered this morning in Rabat to the 17th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, King Mohammed VI urged countries to oppose attempts to trespass on their cultural heritage. He stated that since the Intangible World Heritage Convention entered into force, this mission has become an important challenge in international relations, requiring “addressing attempts to illegally target the cultural and civilizational heritage of other countries.”

In the statement, delivered by Mohamed HAJOUI, Secretary-General of the Government, he stated that “it has become vital to work to emphasize the radiation of intangible heritage accessible to nations and to come up with methods to protect it, by promoting the purposes of the Convention.”

Morocco has been determined to adhere to this since the agreement’s ratification in July 2006, he added, adding that there are now 11 things registered on the World Intangible Heritage list, the most recent of which is the art of “Tbourida,” which was recorded last year.

According to the royal letter, the decision of Rabat to host this forum is not accidental, but rather “a result of the tremendous cultural brightness of this old city, which is considered a world cultural gateway.” It has been selected as the African Cultural Capital for 2022, as well as the Muslim World Cultural Capital for the same year.

Its unique geographical location has made it a crossroads for “various civilizations, Phoenician, Roman, Islamic, Andalusian, and European,” earning it UNESCO World Heritage status in 2012.

He stated that this session is taking place nineteen years after the Convention on Intangible World Heritage, which has resulted in significant development in many areas relating to intangible cultural heritage.

The convention’s signatories now approach intangible cultural heritage concerns from a singular perspective focused on “protection, development, and appreciation.”

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Morocco was chosen to the vice-presidency of the World Intangible Heritage Committee on Saturday, in the person of the Kingdom’s Ambassador-Delegate to UNESCO, Samir Addahre.

Morocco was elected to this post during the 16th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was held by videoconference from December 13 to 18.

The Committee is made up of 24 representatives chosen from among the 180 states that have signed the 2003 Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Convention encourages the preservation of knowledge and skills required for traditional crafts, as well as cultural practices passed down from generation to generation, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, and festive events, as well as knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe.

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The “Tbourida” was added to the Representative List of Humanity’s Intangible Cultural Heritage at the completion of the 16th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Paris from December 13 to 18.

🔴 BREAKING

Tbourida has just been inscribed on the #IntangibleHeritage list.

Congratulations #Morocco 🇲🇦! 👏👏👏

ℹ️https://t.co/Do11uEG5r6 #LivingHeritage pic.twitter.com/v4tFr5sbOi

— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) December 15, 2021

According to a statement from the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication’s Department of Culture, this inscription is part of an integrated national file developed at the initiative of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the horse, which has allowed the highlighting of cultural practices, skills, and knowledge related to the “Tbourida,” in addition to its social significance and cultural dimension.
According to the statement, the 16th session of this committee saw the inscription of Arabic calligraphy on the same list as part of a combined proposal by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, including Morocco.
Morocco currently has 12 heritage items on UNESCO’s lists, a significant number at the regional and African levels, reflecting the Kingdom’s efforts to enhance its intangible cultural heritage through close collaboration between relevant ministerial departments, elected councils, and civil society actors.

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Princess Lalla Hasnaa, President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, participated through a video message in the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, which is being held virtually from 17-19 May.

Her Royal Highness began her speech by stressing the need for all of us to “build a new and necessary consensus by defining the priorities that we set ourselves as human beings linked by a common destiny”, and working to achieve equitable and global Sustainable Development, especially during the current Covid-19 crisis.

The Princess also noted that protecting the environment and safeguarding the planet, “our common home”, are fundamental for us to reach our goal, recalling, in this regard, the mission of Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, which has been working, for more than two decades, to develop various programs intended to reduce or eliminate the negative impact of humans on nature.

Moreover, HRH highlighted the important role of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who has always shown big interest in this matter and never missed the opportunity to stress the importance of school, which lies “at the heart of these development issues”. The Princess continues saying, “school is responsible for teaching and transmitting knowledge, school is, more broadly and even more as a priority, a space for education and transmission of values”, explaining, in this regard, that educating the youth to respect the environment means “believing in the promise of a new, more harmonious and sustainable world.”

In the same context, HRH noted that the action of Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment focuses on raising awareness among the youth regarding these issues; as Education for Sustainable Development is considered the key to success.

On this occasion, Princess Lalla Hasnaa expressed Morocco’s pride of being one of UNESCO’s partners with whom “we have been working together since 2020 to integrate environmental education into (school) curricula at all levels”, recalling that Morocco is one of the only three countries in the world which is carrying out a pilot experiment for the UNESCO’s Global Schools program .

On a final note, Her Royal Highness stressed the need to hasten the process of implementing this essential measure, inviting us all, in this respect, to “resolutely commit, during this decade, to instituting education for sustainable development as an imperative priority. It is urgent. It is vital!”

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The ambassador, representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, affirmed that Morocco’s call to spread values of peace, harmony, and coexistence at the national and international levels, in accordance with the high directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, is highly recognized and praised from the international community.

On February 18th, 2021, the United Nations Economic and Social Council held a meeting on the topic of “Reimagining Equality: Eliminating racism, xenophobia and discrimination for all in the decade of action for the SDGs”, Omar Hilal intervened stating that His Holiness Pope Francis, congratulated Morocco for its commitment to providing sound and appropriate education against every form of extremism, often leading to violence and terrorism, and is considered an offense to all religions and against God himself. The pope’s statement was during his visit to the Kingdom of Morocco, in March 2019, at the invitation of His Majesty, King Mohammed VI.

In this context, the Moroccan diplomat highlighted the deeply rooted culture of tolerance, coexistence, respect for others and dialogue between cultures and religions in the Kingdom, stressing that this heritage is part of the collective consciousness in the daily life of Moroccan society for more than 12 centuries.

Ambassador Omar Hilale indicated during the meeting that Morocco’s constitution reinforces the commitment to human rights, equality and non-discrimination. It is noteworthy that this meeting was marked by the participation of Secretary-General of the United Nations, president of ECOSOC, as well as the President of South Africa, the Vice President of Costa Rica, the European Commissioner for Equality, and the Director General of the International Organization for Migration.

“Article 23 of the Constitution expressly prohibits all incitement to racism, hatred and violence, explaining that equality before the law and gender equality are guaranteed in Articles 6 and 19 of the constitutional document.” Omar Hilale added.

The Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Tendayi Achiume, describes Article 30 of the Moroccan constitution as “wise and visionary” because it states that non-citizens enjoy the basic freedoms recognized for Moroccan citizens, according to the law.

Based on the wise and humanistic approach of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the status of thousands of immigrants residing in Morocco has been regularized in recent years, more than 80 percent of these immigrants come from sub-Saharan African countries.

Morocco is proud to have been behind the issuance of important international documents, especially Rabat Plan of Action regarding the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence. He also presented Fez Plan of Action on the role of religious leaders in Preventing Incitement to violence, and Marrakesh Declaration on the rights of religious minorities in the Islamic World.

The Moroccan ambassador stressed that the plan of “Decade of Action towards Sustainable Development Goals” provides precious opportunities that can be seized to put an end to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance, and extremism.

He concluded that the digital world plays a crucial role in spreading values ​​and principles of open-mindedness, tolerance, acceptance of differences, stressing on the need of an ethical approach dealing with the virtual world to confront messages of hate, racism and discrimination as recommended by UNESCO.

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