According to a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, published on December 20, 2021, on its website, the strengthening of the presence of the Kingdom of Morocco within International and Regional Organizations is continued in 2021 through the completion of 41 Moroccan candidacies, against 29 in 2020, in various bodies, thus reflecting the confidence that the international community places in Morocco’s expertise and skills in the face of global challenges.
The success recorded in 2021 attests to the relevance of the proactive approach adopted by the Kingdom, in accordance with the Guidelines of His Majesty the King, and of its diplomatic apparatus acting, in terms of the management of applications, in close coordination with the Departments concerned.
The election of the Kingdom to important positions in the multilateral system, during the year 2021, confirms the credibility of the action it leads, under the High Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in the protection of human rights, the fight against the proliferation of weapons and transnational crime, prevention and criminal justice, as well as in other economic, social, security, cultural and environmental fields.
As a defender committed to general disarmament and non-proliferation, Morocco has been able to consolidate its presence within the various international organizations, through:
• Election to the Presidency of the 1st Committee for the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in the person of the Ambassador Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco in New York, Mr. Omar Hilale;
• Election to the Presidency of the Executive Council of the Organization on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for a one-year term from May 12, 2021 to May 11, 2022, in the person of Mr. Abdelouahab Bellouki, Ambassador of His Majesty the King in The Hague, following the unanimous support given by the group of African States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to the Moroccan candidacy;
• Re-election of Morocco as a member of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for a two-year term (May 2021- May 2023);
• Election of Morocco as a member of the Steering Committee of the OPCW Program for Strengthening Cooperation with Africa for the period January 2021- January 2022, as well as a member of the Advisory Committee for Education and Awareness of the same organization, for the 2022-2024 mandate;
• Renewal of Morocco, in the person of Mr. Redouane Houssaini, Director of the United Nations and International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatiates, as Coordinator of the Implementation Group implementation and evaluation (IAG) of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (IGLTN) and co-chair of the Working Group on “Incentives for States to Reduce and Eliminate Nuclear Weapons” of the Initiative ” Create an environment conducive to nuclear disarmament ”(CEND);
• Re-election of Morocco to the Presidency of the Configuration of the Central African Republic within the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace, in the person of the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco in New York, Mr. Omar Hilale, in recognition of his major role and its constant commitment in favor of the stabilization of the Central African Republic.
Given the pioneering role played by the Kingdom in the global fight against terrorism, transnational organized crime as well as in Criminal Justice, Morocco was elected as:
• First Vice-President of the 31st session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Chairman of the “Committee of the Whole” of this Commission where the negotiations will take place and the adoption of all the resolutions that will be submitted during this session;
• Vice-president of the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, during the elections held in Kyoto, from March 7 to 12, 2021;
• Non-permanent co-chair of the Working Group on Africa of the International Coalition against Daesh alongside Italy, Niger and the United States;
• Chairman of the Financial Action Task Force for the Middle East and North Africa Zone (GAFIMOAN), in charge of developing international standards in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism, during its 33rd session, held on November 16 and 17, 2021 in Cairo, in the presence of representatives of 21 Member States, in addition to observers representing the Financial Action Task Force (FATF);
• Director of Planning at the Center for Combating Terrorism of the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), in the person of Colonel Tarik El Massoussi Garti;
• Member of the International Law Commission, in the person of Professor Hassan Ouazzani Chahdi, in recognition of the role that the Kingdom plays in the codification and progressive development of international law;
• Member of the Files Control Commission of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), in the person of Mr. Hamza Es-Saed.
Morocco’s unwavering commitment, within the framework of the Royal Project for the building of a modern and democratic society, in favor of the protection, respect and promotion of human rights, was once again welcomed by the international community through the following elections:
• Presidency of the work of the 18th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, during the elections held on October 11, 2021, in Geneva, in the person of Mr. Omar Zniber Ambassador, Representative Permanent of the Kingdom of Morocco in Geneva;
• Election of Mr. Abderrazak Rouwane as a member of the United Nations Committee against Torture for the period 2022-2025, during the elections held on October 11, 2021 in Geneva, confirming the relevance of the Kingdom’s efforts in the fight against torture;
• Re-election of Mr. Mohamed Ayat as President of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), during the 4th Meeting of States Parties to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances.
The candidatures of Morocco having met with great success in 2021 for various positions related to development, testifying to the relevance of the Kingdom’s action for a green and inclusive global economic recovery, in the context of the pandemic:
• Morocco was chosen, among five African candidate countries, by the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization to host the first regional office of this organization in Africa.
• Morocco was elected as a member of the UNWTO Executive Council for the 2021-2025 term;
• Morocco was elected as President of the 109th International Labor Conference on May 20, 2021 in Geneva in the person of the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco in Geneva, Mr. Omar Zniber;
• Morocco was also elected as President of the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization for the 2020-2021 biennium, in the person of the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco in Geneva, Mr. Omar Zniber;
• The Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco in New York, Mr. Omar Hilale, has been appointed Representative of Africa in the Advisory Council of the Food Summit of the United Nations and co-chair, with the Permanent Representative of the Philippines, of the group Friends of the Voluntary National Reviews (VNR) of ECOSOC;
• Morocco was unanimously elected for the third consecutive year as Vice-President of the Executive Board of UNICEF, in the person of the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco in New York, Mr. Omar Hilale;
• Morocco was re-elected, during the 19th session of the General Conference of UNIDO to the two governing bodies of this organization, in particular the Industrial Development Council of UNIDO, for the period 2022-2025, and the Budget Committee and UNIDO Program (IDB) for the period 2022-2024;
• Morocco was also re-elected for the 2022-2023 term on the Council of the International Maritime Organization, for a fifteenth term;
• Morocco was elected as Vice-President of the Council of the Organization for the biennial 2022-2023, in the person of Mrs. Amane Fathallah, Director of the Merchant Navy near the Ministry of Transport and Logistics;
• Morocco has been chosen to coordinate the African group within the International Labor Organization for the period 2020-2024;
• Morocco was elected to the UNITAID Board of Directors for the year 2021, on behalf of the African constituency;
• Morocco was elected, on December 2, 2021, to the Vice-Presidency of the Committee of the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, in the person of the Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Morocco to UNESCO, Mr. Samir Eddahre;
• Morocco was elected, on December 18, 2021, as Vice-President 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;
• 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 IOC Assembly in the person of Mr. Karim Hilmi who 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;
• 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, reinforcing the scientific influence of Morocco and its action for the development of neurosurgery in developing countries, especially Africans;
• Ms. Najat Zerrouk has been appointed to the United Nations Committee of Experts in Public Administration.
The year 2021 was also marked by the success of several candidatures from Morocco within the African Union, attesting to the credibility of Morocco’s action within the pan-African organization for the emergence of the Continent:
• Mr. Fathallah Sijilmassi has been appointed as the first Director General of the AU Commission, the highest non-elective post in the hierarchy of this Commission. The new post, which was created following the 11th Extraordinary Summit of AU Heads of State and Government in November 2018, is part of the structural reform of the AU Commission.
• Mr. Abdelaziz Nihou has been appointed as Economic Advisor to the Office of the President of the African Union Commission;
• Mr. Mostapha Bousmina has been appointed head of the African Council for Scientific Research and Innovation (CARSI) under the African Union, for a three-year term;
• Morocco was elected president of the African Council for Scientific Research and Innovation under the African Union, for a three-year term.
To these candidatures is added the election of Morocco to the presidency of Group 77+ China in Vienna for the year 2022, in the person of the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Morocco in Vienna Mr. Azeddine Farhane, for the first time since the creation of the 77+ China group in Vienna in 1994.
In accordance with the High Royal Guidelines, the momentum gathered by Moroccan diplomacy, in coordination with the Departments concerned, has enabled Morocco to strengthen its presence within international and regional organizations in favor of a united and proactive multilateral system in the service of international peace and security, sustainable development and the promotion and protection of human rights, the statement concluded.