Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, Omar Hilale, underlined, on Thursday in Baku, the imperative of translating into concrete actions the common attachment of the Non-Aligned Movement to its principles and values, so as to unify the political will of its members to consolidate the role of the United Nations as an indispensable platform for multilateral action.
“As the largest gathering of States within the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement constitutes an essential platform for action and a powerful force of proposals for tackling global challenges,” Hilale said during the general debate of the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Baku (5-6 July).
The Ambassador recalled that the world today lives at the rate of complex crises that have had a clear and tangible impact on the reality of international relations, which requires urgent and concrete collective responses from the international community.
He quoted on this occasion the speech of King Mohammed VI, addressed to the 26th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in which the Sovereign affirmed that: “the darkest scenarios paint the bitter reality of a humanity called upon to choose between the perilous temptation to abandon itself to a self-destructive letting go and the sincere and determined will to initiate without delay practical measures capable of inducing a real change in the current paradigm which turned out to be ineffective.
In this sense, Hilale noted that the African continent is the most affected by the repercussions of the difficult economic situation induced by the current geopolitical crisis, as it bears the heaviest burden due to the increase in food prices and the energy, which undermines the continent’s achievements in the fight against poverty.
“Africa has all the assets to transform challenges into opportunities, and to emerge stronger from this crisis thanks to its significant human and natural resources, in addition to future gains and advantages through the implementation of the ‘African Continental Free Trade Agreement,’ the diplomat added.
And to emphasize that the King recalled this reality in His speech before the 28th summit of the African Union, when the Sovereign declared: “We, the peoples of Africa, have the means and the genius; and together we can achieve the aspirations of our peoples.”
Hilale also mentioned the royal visits to many African countries, which were the most eloquent expression of this courageous Moroccan approach aimed at developing an innovative and concrete model of South-South cooperation, based on the sharing of knowledge, skills, experiences and resources, and the effective contribution to the realization of development projects, in a collaborative framework based on an integrated and multidimensional approach.
To this end, he called for promoting international cooperation for the benefit of African countries and helping them to overcome the current unprecedented challenges, not only through debt relief, but also through integrated development initiatives capable of strengthen their resilience to current and future challenges related to food security, climate change and energy transition.
On this occasion, Hilale said that the holding of this high-level meeting is an opportunity to formulate approaches capable of producing realistic and pragmatic solutions to the major challenges facing the world today.
Morocco is taking part in the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, which is being held in Baku, with a delegation led by Omar Hilale, and including the King’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Adil Embarch, as well as the director of the United Nations and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, Redouane Houssaini.