Morocco 2023 — GA Speeches

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies, Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me at the outset to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Dennis Francis on his election as President of the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, wishing him every success during his term. I also commend the outstanding efforts of his predecessor, Mr. Csaba Korosi, throughout his presidency of the previous session.
I take this opportunity to reaffirm the Kingdom of Morocco's support for the initiatives of His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, aimed at enabling the Organization to confront the pressing global challenges outlined in his report "Our Common Agenda." In this regard, Morocco looks forward to participating and contributing to the "Summit of the Future" in 2024.

Mr. President,

I would like to express the gratitude and appreciation of the Kingdom of Morocco to all Their Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies, kings, princes, heads of state and government, and ministers, who expressed their sentiments of solidarity and support following the earthquake that struck Morocco. I also thank them for their readiness to stand by my country in confronting the aftermath of this natural disaster.
The Kingdom of Morocco has faced the consequences of this earthquake, which claimed the lives of approximately 3,000 victims and injured 5,700 others, in addition to significant material damage, with determination, seriousness, solidarity and resolve, embodying the values of the Moroccan people.
From the very first moments following the earthquake, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, gave his high instructions to mobilize all state apparatus—Royal Armed Forces, government sectors, local authorities, public forces and civil protection teams—and to take all necessary emergency measures to accelerate rescue operations, evacuate the wounded, and provide assistance to affected families, through an immediate interministerial committee tasked with developing an emergency program for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected areas.
Under the effective leadership and direct supervision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, the Kingdom of Morocco moved from the phase of urgent rescue and relief to the phase of rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected areas. His Majesty gave his high directives to implement a well-studied, integrated and ambitious program aimed at providing a strong, coherent, rapid and determined response to all the repercussions of this natural disaster, with a total committed budget estimated at 12 billion US dollars over five years, the first phase of which covers all affected areas and targets a population of 4.2 million people.
This program, developed following a specific diagnosis and detailed assessment of needs, includes projects aimed at rebuilding housing, rehabilitating damaged infrastructure, and strengthening social and economic development in the affected regions. This multidimensional program will be financed through allocations from the general state budget, contributions from local authorities, and the special solidarity account dedicated to managing the effects of the earthquake, as well as through international support and cooperation.
His Majesty also emphasized the necessity of ensuring that the reconstruction process is in harmony with the region's heritage and unique architectural character, while respecting the dignity, customs and traditions of the population.
In parallel with these measures, all components of Moroccan society, at home and abroad, engaged in the national effort to assist the affected population, demonstrating strong national cohesion and deeply rooted solidarity in this difficult circumstance.

Mr. President,

The earthquake that struck Morocco, the hurricane and floods that afflicted the sisterly State of Libya, as well as the phenomenon of climate change, which continues to constitute the greatest challenge facing humanity in every corner of the world, prompt our Organization, today more than ever, to question the importance of strengthening prevention, building resilience, and intensifying international cooperation, and to enshrine these foundations among the priorities of the international community.
We recall this fact, aware that this session is convening in a sensitive global context, marked by numerous challenges related to geopolitical tensions, climate change, the fight against poverty, migration, terrorism, hate speech, the spread of epidemics, and natural disasters.
However, the pace of scientific and technological progress today may constitute a source of optimism, provided that current challenges stimulate international cooperation and solidarity in order to strengthen scientific research, including artificial intelligence, and encourage the sharing of its fruits in strategically prioritized areas such as health security, energy transition, food and water security, modern technologies, and confronting natural disasters.
The current circumstances also require aligning national policies with our international commitments, by focusing efforts on strengthening the resilience of societies according to a comprehensive approach based on the principles of equity and social and territorial justice, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We must also strengthen the multilateral system, whose hallmark is cooperation and solidarity and whose central pillar is the United Nations.
This is the perspective adopted by the Kingdom of Morocco, in accordance with the high directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, to launch structural undertakings—foremost among them the New Development Model—concerning the vital areas of sustainable development, energy transition, water, social coverage, and confronting natural disasters, within an integrated vision consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals.
As an embodiment of the generous attention that His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, has continued to devote to advancing women's issues and family affairs in general, His Majesty today addressed a high message to the Head of Government regarding the revision of the Family Code through participatory consultations, with the contribution of all stakeholders, in order to submit proposals for amendments to this Code to His Majesty within a maximum period of six months.

Mr. President,

The Kingdom of Morocco expresses its deep concern over the consequences of the continued spread of hate speech, particularly through social media, which contributes to sowing division within societies, between cultures and states, and to the spread of violent extremism, indeed constituting a fundamental factor of global instability.
This was highlighted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, in his high message addressed to the participants in the ninth session of the Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, hosted by the city of Fez on 21 and 22 November 2022, when he said, and I quote: "Never before has our civilization been exposed to such an enormous array of risks, and never before has coexistence faced such daily threats. Rarely has the 'other' been so subject to suspicion and doubt as today; indeed, rarely have so many contrived pretexts been used to stir up and inflame feelings of fear and hatred as is the case today." End of quote.
Here, it must be reaffirmed that the Kingdom of Morocco categorically rejects and condemns any attack on religious symbols and holy books, and strongly denounces the desecration and burning of the Holy Quran, which offends the sentiments of two billion Muslims around the world and constitutes a violation of the most basic rules of human rights. The states concerned must take all necessary measures to prevent such violations.
In line with this position, the Kingdom of Morocco submitted, in July of this year, a resolution on countering hate speech, which was adopted by consensus by the member states of the United Nations General Assembly, condemning the desecration of holy books and classifying such acts, for the first time, among violations of international law. The resolution also called upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations to organize the first conference on hate speech in 2024.
Aware of the important role that sport plays in bringing nations closer together and promoting a culture of peace and tolerance, the Kingdom of Morocco submitted a joint bid, together with Spain and Portugal, to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup finals.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, highlighted the significance of this "unprecedented" bid, which "brings together two continents and two civilizations, Africa and Europe, and unites the two shores of the Mediterranean, carrying the ambitions and aspirations of the peoples of the region for greater cooperation, communication and understanding." End of quote.

Mr. President,

The Kingdom of Morocco remains committed to a final political solution to the artificial regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, which will make it possible to strengthen development, stability and peace in the region and on the African continent.
As Morocco continues to support the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his Personal Envoy to relaunch the round-table process, in the same format and with the same participants—particularly Algeria, the principal party to this dispute—in accordance with Security Council resolution 2602, it reaffirms that the final solution can only be political, realistic, practical, and based on compromise. The Autonomy Initiative, within the framework of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco, remains the only solution, with no alternative, to this artificial regional dispute.
On this basis, more than one hundred countries from all regions of the world today support the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative. Nearly thirty countries and regional organizations have also opened consulates general in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla, thereby confirming their full support for the Moroccanness of the Sahara.
Within the framework of the new development model for the southern provinces, for which the Kingdom of Morocco has allocated to date a budget exceeding 9 billion US dollars, with an implementation rate of 82%, several socio-economic development projects have been launched, making these provinces a regional hub for trade exchanges between Africa and the rest of the world. The Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, personally witnessed these achievements during his visit to the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla in the Moroccan Sahara at the beginning of this month.
This major effort falls within the framework of implementing the high directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, contained in his speech on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Green March, on 6 November 2022, when he said, and I quote: "Our approach in defending the Moroccanness of the Sahara is based on an integrated perspective, combining political and diplomatic action with the promotion of the human, social and economic development of the region." End of quote.
The Kingdom of Morocco also reiterates its deep concern regarding the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps, where Algeria, the host state, has unlawfully delegated its authority to an armed separatist group with confirmed and documented links to terrorist and criminal networks. This anomalous situation warrants drawing the international community's attention to Algeria's refusal to allow the registration and census of the population detained in the Tindouf camps, in flagrant and blatant violation of international law and of repeated Security Council calls since 2011. The failure to register the population detained in the Tindouf camps has opened the door wide to the diversion of humanitarian aid directed to them, as attested by reports from international, regional and non-governmental organizations, most recently the World Food Programme in its report issued in January 2023.

Mr. President,

The Kingdom of Morocco expresses its full solidarity with the sisterly State of Libya following the unprecedented storm and floods that struck certain Libyan regions, resulting in numerous losses of life and property. Morocco also extends its heartfelt condolences and sincere sympathy to the State of Libya, its sisterly people, and the families of the victims in this painful tragedy, and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.
In accordance with the high directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, Morocco always stands by the legitimate Libyan institutions and supports international efforts aimed at resolving the crisis in this Maghreb country, in accordance with the agreements concluded between the various Libyan parties, foremost among them the efforts of the United Nations aimed at reaching a lasting political solution to the Libyan crisis in accordance with the 2015 Skhirat Agreement.
In this context, Morocco hosted a series of meetings that resulted in an agreement between the President of the House of Representatives and the President of the High Council of State of Libya in October 2022 to implement the outcomes of the Bouznika meeting concerning sovereign positions and the unification of executive authority. Furthermore, the joint committee meeting, composed of the Libyan House of Representatives and the Libyan High Council of State (6+6), tasked with preparing electoral laws, was held in the city of Bouznika from 23 May to 6 June 2023, resulting in key agreements toward the organization of elections in Libya.

Mr. President,

The Kingdom of Morocco considers the Palestinian question a national priority and one of the constants of its foreign policy, and calls for avoiding escalation and violence to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control, and for sparing the Middle East region further tension and strife that would hinder the revival of the peace process.
In this regard, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, in his capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, expressed the importance that the Kingdom of Morocco attaches to the Palestinian cause, stating, and I quote: "With the same seriousness and resolve, we reaffirm Morocco's firm position regarding the justness of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people to establish their independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in a manner that guarantees security and stability for all the peoples of the region." End of quote.
The Kingdom of Morocco also reiterates its rejection of all unilateral measures that undermine the legal and historical status of the holy city of Jerusalem, and affirms its support for the Palestinian National Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, and for all its decisions aimed at preserving the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people to achieve their aspirations and establish their independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the basis of the June 4, 1967 borders, in accordance with the internationally agreed two-state solution, and in compliance with the principles of international legitimacy and relevant resolutions.

Mr. President,

In conclusion, I would like to affirm that it is the responsibility of all of us, as member states, to provide the conditions for the success of the United Nations' mission, by providing it with the necessary resources and mobilizing energies to reform it and rationalize its working mechanisms, in order to build a more just, humane and united multilateral world order.
This was previously affirmed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, in his high address before the seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly, in which His Majesty called for, and I quote: "Strengthening confidence in the United Nations, as the living conscience of humanity and the linchpin of a new world order founded on peace, tolerance, equality, comprehensive and shared development, security, democracy and fraternity." End of quote.

Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.