COVID-19: King Mohammed VI’s Africa initiative, another token of his commitment to the continent
Several countries, international institutions and international media have hailed the initiative put forward lately by King Mohammed VI calling for a unified and concerted response to COVID-19 pandemic in Africa and for facilitating joint action by African countries.
The initiative, which also suggests sharing of experience and best practices in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and bolstering cooperation to mitigate the health, economic and social impacts of the pandemic in the continent, was praised as an additional evidence of the King’s commitment to Africa.
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) was among the organizations that welcomed the King’s proposal of a continental response to overcome the social and economic impacts of the pandemic.
In a press release, the PAP welcomed the King’s initiative and his “willingness to share knowledge and technology with the rest of the continent” amid the “extraordinarily overwhelming” health crisis.
For PAP, African countries need to mobilize further and pool efforts to overcome the “unprecedented health war.”
The Pan-African Parliament also praised Morocco’s preventive measures in the fight against the pandemic.
The Lausanne-based International Network of Arab and African Journalists (RIJAA) also praised the Moroccan King’s initiative to fight the coronavirus pandemic in Africa, noting that this initiative is the concrete embodiment of a spirit of solidarity and inter-African cooperation.
The Network highlighted, in a statement, the scope of the initiative proposed by the Sovereign to African presidents, in order to establish an operational framework aimed at monitoring African countries at different stages of their management of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This initiative is in line with the new African vision of the Kingdom of Morocco, which is based on the concepts of joint development and sustainable human development,” the RIJAA said, adding that it “also represents a concrete embodiment of partnership and cooperation between African countries and translates their solidarity in all circumstances.”
Argentinian political scientist Adalberto Carlos Agozino stated in an article aired by independent Argentinean news agency “Total News” that King Mohammed VI is the first head of State on the continent to promote an African initiative to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
“The King of Morocco has shown that even the coronavirus pandemic does not stop his African policy,” wrote the Argentinian academic in his article entitled “The African diplomacy of King Mohammed VI does not stop”.
He pointed out that since the beginning of the reign of King Mohammed VI, Morocco has stood out thanks to a foreign policy aimed at promoting sustainable development and strengthening South-South relations.
Reporting on the Monarch’s proposal to develop a collective African response to the coronavirus pandemic on the continent, French news website “Mondafrique” stressed that King Mohammed VI is mobilizing African heads of state to face the new Coronavirus.
The website recalled that the Monarch has called on the continent’s heads of state to establish an operational framework to support the most vulnerable countries in the management of the various phases of the pandemic, in a context of health emergency on the continent.
“While WHO experts fear an alarming spread of the virus on the continent where respect for social distances and hygiene rules remains difficult to apply, the King of Morocco chooses to commit African countries to an action-oriented aid plan to deal with the health, economic and social impact of the pandemic on the continent,” the media pointed out.
The initiative launched by King Mohammed VI falls within Morocco’s sincere commitments and strategic priorities regarding all the issues that concern the common destiny of African countries, whether these are political, economic, or related to security, health or environmental issues, commented columnist and expert in international law Mohamed Sadek.
He noted that at a time when most countries, even within blocs that were thought to be strongly united, are pondering on their own sovereign measures to contain the pandemic, Morocco, sincerely convinced of the importance of South-South cooperation, proposed an initiative to properly, efficiently and effectively deal with the pandemic.
