Morocco Bolsters Foothold at UN Agencies in 2017
Morocco reinforced its position within the UN in 2017 as the Kingdom and several Moroccans have made it to the top UN agencies in 2017 thanks to their credibility and competence.
The rise of the Kingdom in UN Committees attests to the efficiency of Moroccan diplomacy and the alignment of national policies with the UN agenda.
In this regards, Morocco was elected vice-president of the 72nd UN General Assembly, on behalf of the African Group, and to the vice-presidency of the “Special Political and Decolonization Committee,” commonly known as the 4th Committee during the elections that took place, in New York, on May 31st, 2017.
Morocco’s vice-presidency of the General Assembly allows it to sit with the five permanent members of the Security Council and the presidents of the six main Committees of the UN General Assembly within the General Committee (Bureau), which will lead the work of the General Assembly alongside current president, Miroslav Lajcak (Slovakia).
Morocco was brilliantly elected to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the period 2018-2020, during the elections, held on June 20, 2017 in New York.
The year 2017 was particularly marked by the success of Moroccan candidacies submitted to various decision-making bodies covering the three priority pillars of the United Nations: Peace and security, human rights and sustainable development.
Concerning the fight against terrorism, Morocco was re-elected with the Netherlands for a second two-year term as chair of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).
With regard to the disarmament and non-proliferation bodies, Morocco was elected to the presidency of the 22nd Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention and coordinator of the African Group for Chemical weapons issues.
The Kingdom was also re-elected for a new two-year term (2017-2019) to the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in which it served on behalf of the African group, for 19 years.
In the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), Morocco and the US were elected as Chair.
In the field of human rights, Moroccan Saadia Belmir was re-elected for a fourth term as an expert within the United Nations Committee against Torture, following a vote on October 5th, 2017 in Geneva, during the 16th meeting of States Parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Likewise, Mohammed Ayat was elected to the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances on June 20th, 2017 in New York, on the sidelines of the 4th meeting of States Parties to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Regarding sustainable development and migration, Morocco and Germany, from January 2017, were elected co-chair of the Global Forum on Migration and Development. The Kingdom was also chosen to host the World Summit on Migration in December 2018 in Marrakech.
Morocco has also been elected deputy member of the governing body of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
At the level of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), trust was renewed in Morocco for a new term, 2018-2019, as a member of the Council of the global authority responsible for setting standards for the safety, security and environmental performance of international maritime transport.
In the UNESCO, Morocco was unanimously elected by acclamation as chair of the general conference for the period 2017-2019, in the person of ambassador Zhour Alaoui, permanent delegate of the Kingdom to UNESCO, the first African, Arab and Muslim woman to occupy this post.
Morocco was also re-elected as a member of the executive board for the period 2017-2021, where it will sit alongside 57 other countries.
In recognition of Moroccan women’s expertise, Moroccan magistrate Latifa Taoufik has been appointed for a four-year term as chairperson of the UNESCO appeals board.
