Moroccan King’s strategic initiatives for developing countries highlighted at MICs conference in Manila

The strategic initiatives spearheaded by King Mohammed VI in favor of developing countries were highlighted at the ministerial conference of middle-income countries (MICs) held in Manila, Philippines, April 28 – 29.

During the conference, marked by the official handover of the MICs Group chairmanship from Morocco to the Philippines, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, presented the flagship projects of the royal initiatives, such as the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, the initiative to enable Sahel countries have access to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as major fertilizer production and distribution programs in Africa and Asia that contribute to food sovereignty in the Global South.

Hilale emphasized that these strategic initiatives reaffirm the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to promoting equitable, inclusive international cooperation that is better adapted to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of MICs.

The Manila Conference follows the high-level ministerial meeting held on February 5 and 6, 2024, in Rabat, and that culminated by the adoption of the Rabat Declaration on MICs.

Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo, who chaired the meeting, paid tribute, in his opening remarks, to Morocco’s chairmanship of the MICs Group, praising the ambitious vision championed by the Kingdom and the structuring impact of the Rabat Declaration on international efforts to reposition middle-income countries at the heart of the global development agenda.

He underlined that Morocco’s action has laid the foundations for a renewed strategic dialogue based on solidarity, justice, and recognition of the specific characteristics of this category of countries. The Philippine official reaffirmed his country’s commitment to continuing and consolidating Morocco’s legacy through strengthened collective action within multilateral fora.

For their part, the Member States of the MICs Group, as well as the representatives of the UN agencies participating in this conference, unanimously praised the leading role of Morocco’s presidency of the Group for two consecutive years.

They expressed hope that the Rabat Ministerial Declaration will continue to inspire international action in favor of fairer, more inclusive cooperation, fully adapted to the challenges of the contemporary world, in accordance with the spirit of the Makati Declaration, which crowned the work of this Ministerial Conference.