Morocco’s applications for various development-related roles have been quite successful in the year 2021, demonstrating the importance of the Kingdom’s efforts for a green and inclusive global economic recovery in the context of the pandemic.

Morocco was chosen by the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization to host the organization’s first regional office in Africa as a testament to the Kingdom’s sustained efforts to revive global tourism in the post-pandemic era, and thanks to the relentless mobilization of the entire Moroccan diplomatic apparatus in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts, and the Ministry of Social and Solidarity Economy.

Morocco was chosen as one of five African applicant countries to host this structure, which would serve as a hub for enhancing regional tourism collaboration.

This election is the result of a Kingdom-wide initiative that began in 2020 and was discussed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad with the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization during his visit to Rabat in February 2021.

In a same spirit, Morocco was elected to the UNWTO Executive Council for the period 2021-2025.

In addition, on May 20, 2021, the 109th International Labor Conference will be place in Geneva, with Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco in Geneva, Mr. Omar Zniber, representing the Kingdom.

In addition, Morocco’s Ambassador Permanent Representative in Geneva, Mr. Omar Zniber, was elected President of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s General Assembly for the biennium 2020-2021.

Mr. Omar Hilale, Morocco’s Permanent Representative in New York, was named Africa’s Representative to the United Nations Food Summit’s Advisory Council, demonstrating the Kingdom’s leadership in the field of sustainable agriculture and food security in Africa under the Haute Vision Royale.

Mr. Hilale was also named Co-Chair of the ECOSOC Friends of the Voluntary National Reviews (VNR) group, alongside the Permanent Representative of the Philippines.

Morocco was also unanimously elected for the third year in a row as Vice-President of UNICEF’s Executive Board, in the person of Mr. Omar Hilale, Morocco’s Permanent Representative in New York.

This re-election is a vote of confidence in the Ambassador, his dynamism within the Organization, and his devotion to the cause of children by the African group in New York. It is also of critical relevance, given the critical deadlines set for 2021 within the said Council, notably in the context of the drafting of this UN agency’s strategic plan for the period 2022-2025, and in particular the UN’s reaction. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Morocco was also re-elected to the two governing bodies of UNIDO during the 19th session of the General Conference, in particular the Industrial Development Council of UNIDO for the term 2022-2025, and the Budget Committee. In addition, there is a UNIDO program for the years 2022-2024.

The Kingdom was also re-elected to the International Maritime Organization’s Council for a fifteenth term in 2022-2023.

This re-election, by an overwhelming majority, reflects the importance of Morocco’s action for the achievement of the Organization’s mandate, as a maritime nation par excellence.

Morocco’s election as Vice-President of the International Maritime Organization’s Council for the 2022-2023 biennium, in the form of Ms. Amane Fathallah, Director of the Merchant Navy near the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, has reaffirmed the faith of the Organization’s Member States.

Morocco was also voted to the UNITAID Board of Directors for the year 2021 on behalf of the African constituency, and was appointed to coordinate the African group within the International Labor Organization for the period 2020-2024.

In the person of Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Morocco to UNESCO, Mr. Samir Eddahre, the Kingdom was elected to the Vice-Presidency of the Committee of the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict on December 2, 2021.

Likewise, Morocco was elected, on December 18, 2021, to the Vice-Presidency of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Intangible Heritage, in the person of the Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Morocco to UNESCO, Mr. Samir Addahre.

In the same spirit, Morocco was also elected to the Executive Council of the International Oceanographic Commission (IOC) for the period 2021-2023, on June 21, 2021, on the occasion of the 31st session of the Assembly of the Commission.

The Moroccan expert, Mr. Karim Hilmi, assumes the function of Vice-President under Group V including Arab and African countries within the IOC.

Mr. Abdelilah Ben Arafa was appointed, on May 26, 2021, to the post of Deputy Director General of the Islamic World Organization for Education, Science and Culture.

In addition, Morocco was elected Co-chair of the Group of Friends of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, a mechanism resulting from the Nansen Initiative aimed at improving the protection of displaced people in the context of disasters and climate change.

Ms. Najia Abbadi was elected, on September 17, 2021, President of the World Federation of Neurosurgery Societies for the period 2021-2023, confirming the scientific influence of Morocco and its action for the development of neurosurgery in developing countries, in especially Africans.

Ms. Najat Zerrouk was appointed to the United Nations Committee of Experts in Public Administration.

These convincing successes reinforce the Kingdom’s strategy aimed at strengthening its presence and visibility within the multilateral system, in accordance with the High Royal Guidelines, set out in the Royal Message to the First Conference of Ambassadors of His Majesty the King, “to strengthen the performance of national diplomacy and, therefore, to consolidate the Kingdom’s position as an active and responsible member of the international community ”.

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As part of the implementation of the action plan presented before His Majesty King Mohammed VI at the beginning of the academic year of 2018, and which gave a strong impetus to the program of Second Chance Schools, The Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research has launched the sharing of the curriculum framework for Second Chance Schools – New Generation and their management kit.

A joint communiqué by the Ministry and the UNICEF stated that the drafting of this educational and training reference document in Second Chance School centers falls within the framework of implementing the existing cooperation program. It is also the result of a joint work between the two bodies, financially supported by the Canadian government (1st phase) and the British government (2nd phase).

The curriculum framework aims at the requalification of school dropouts, with a view to ensuring their pedagogical, social and economic integration. This is another important step towards the implementation of the Framework Law 51-17 on education, training and scientific research, especially Project No. 5 which aims at “ensuring remedial schooling and improving the efficiency of non-formal education”.

The communiqué concluded that this is also an opportunity to empower young people and equip them with the skills of today to keep pace with digital and technological progress. In this regard, the Ministry is working to benefit from international experiences in this field by opening up to the French Second Chance Schools’ network, as well as that of other Mediterranean countries.

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A report published by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Save the Children Foundation said, Thursday September 17^th, that the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown measures have caused 150 million children to plunge into poverty, and that the number of children living in multidimensional poverty has soared to approximately 1.2 billion.

The organization stated that since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of children living in deprivation in low- and middle-income countries, and that the world’s poorest children are getting poorer, ringing the alarm bell to warn that the situation is likely to deteriorate further in the coming months.

“This pandemic has already caused the biggest global education emergency in history, and the increase in poverty will make it very hard for the most vulnerable children and their families to make up for the loss”, said Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children.

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