The Kingdom of Morocco has joined the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), based in Hamburg, Germany, said on Monday, November 30, 2020, a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
Morocco will be represented at the Governing Board by Mrs Zohour Alaoui, Morocco’s ambassador to Germany and former President of the 39th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, for a four-year term.
“This appointment falls within the framework of the forward-looking vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, aiming to further strengthen the presence of our country at the various international bodies and organizations and to diversify it”, the statement said.
It is also a recognition of the Kingdom’s continuing efforts in education and lifelong learning, the ministry added.
UIL supports Member States in the field of lifelong learning with a focus on adult and continuing education, literacy and non-formal basic education. It pays special attention to UNESCO’s Global Priority Africa and Global Priority Gender Equality. It has one of the largest libraries in the world within its specialized field and hosts the world’s longest-running journal of comparative education and lifelong learning.
The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning has a Governing Board consisting of twelve members who are nominated intuitu personae by the Director-General of UNESCO. The Governing Board is made up of outstanding education experts from different regions of the world who meet once a year to review the progress of the Institute’s work and plan future policy.
UIL will hold its seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII) in Morocco in 2022.
The Kingdom will be the first Arab, African and Muslim country to host this Conference, which is generally held every 12-13 years, the statement said.