UN General Assembly: Moroccan Ambassador elected by acclamation chairman of First Committee
Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Omar Hilale, was elected Monday by acclamation as Chairman of the First Committee of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.
This is the first time that Morocco is assuming the chairmanship of this important Committee which is in charge of disarmament and international security.
The choice of the Kingdom, on behalf of the African continent, illustrates the unanimous UN recognition of the role of Morocco as a mobilized, responsible and credible actor in the efforts to fight the arms race, both nuclear and conventional, as well as for its action in favor of peace, and regional and global security and stability.
This election is a vivid evidence of the relevance of the voluntarist, moderate and consensual diplomatic choices made by the Kingdom in the field of peace, security and stability, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI. It likewise reinforces Morocco’s position on the international scene thanks to its multi-causal diplomacy.
Following his election, Omar Hilale told the General Assembly that the choice of Morocco comes in a difficult international context marked by the deterioration of international security, the exacerbation of the terrorist threat and the unprecedented resurgence of challenges to international peace and security, especially the global architecture of disarmament and non-proliferation.
Hilale also called for strengthening efforts to safeguard international instruments, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
He underlined Morocco’s commitment to the objectives of disarmament, non-proliferation, and to the achievement of the objective of a “world free of nuclear weapons.”
The election of the Moroccan diplomat who has more than 30 years of direct experience within the UN translates the confidence he enjoys with his peers to instill a new and ambitious dynamic, capable of enabling this important commission to conduct its work in a transparent, open and inclusive manner.
The election is also a new milestone for Morocco, as the kingdom currently holds the presidency of the executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) until May 2022.
Morocco has also chaired the 64th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 2020.
In addition, Morocco is the Coordinator of the Implementation and Evaluation Group (IAG) of the Global Initiative of the Fight against nuclear terrorism (IGLTN) for the 2019-2021 period.
