Morocco takes part in G20 Foreign ministers’ meetings in Matera

Morocco is taking part in the meetings of the G20 Foreign ministers held this Tuesday in Matera, Italy, under the theme: “Multilateralism and global governance to fight the pandemic and rebuild better”.

Besides the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and food security which feature high on the agenda, the meetings are also considering economic development issues in Africa, including gender equity and opportunities for young people, humanitarian efforts and human rights.

Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, who is representing the Kingdom in the meetings, pointed out in his address that the African continent is a relevant criterion to assess the efficiency of the multilateral system, in other words the barometer of the system’s performance and effectiveness.

“The multilateral system should (…) be judged on its ability to meet the needs of developing countries, especially in Africa,” said Bourita, underlining that “multilateralism remains our best hope, provided we know how to transform it.”

In the current pandemic context, three areas in particular offer a concrete picture of what multilateralism is not, and what it should be: health, international trade, and sustainable development, he said.

In the matter of health, WHO must have the capacity to be proactive and be a recognized and undisputed normative authority. “It should be backed by a global capacity to monitor and forecast epidemics, enabling the organization to be the catalyst for a new, more inclusive and equitable global health order,” he said.

Secondly, the multilateral trading system should promote freer and fairer trade and help reverse the marginalization of developing countries. “For example, it should help developing countries make a successful green and digital transition,” he said.

Finally, he noted, a systemic change in financing is needed to achieve sustainable development. “In particular, there is a need for strong political will to move towards fair, adequate and predictable access to finance for developing countries,” he noted.

Bourita also attended on Monday in Rome the ministerial meeting of the global coalition against Daesh which promised that recent successes by the Islamic State across Africa will not go unanswered, backing plans for a task force to focus on the terror group’s spread from Iraq and Syria to the African continent.

Actually, despite constant pressure from the US military and other coalition members, Western counterterrorism officials warn that ISIS, or Daesh as the group is also known, has found ways not just to survive but to spread, increasingly focusing the group’s propaganda on the exploits of its African affiliates.

In his address before the ministerial meeting, Bourita warned that terror groups on the African continent have shown inclination to cooperate with organized crime networks and separatist groups, a trend that must be carefully monitored because it deeply penetrates local populations and exploits porous borders to move freely and recruit fighters.

While in Rome, Bourita also met with US secretary of state Antony Blinken. The talks covered means to strengthen the strategic partnership existing between Morocco and the United States, in addition to a set of regional issues in which Morocco plays a key role, particularly with regard to the Middle East and the Libyan crisis.