Morocco, 2025

The Assembly will hear and address by His Excellency Aziz Ashkenaz, Head of Government of the Kingdom of Morocco. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. Madam President of the General Assembly, Your Excellency Secretary General of the United Nations, Your Majesties and Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen. Allow me at the outset to congratulate Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock on her election to the presidency of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. I wish her, on my behalf and on behalf of the delegation of the Kingdom of Morocco, all success in her endeavor. Allow me also to seize this opportunity to reaffirm our full support to the relentless efforts made by the Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres. His leadership remains vital in fighting global challenges. Your Excellency, President of the General Assembly, this session is held as the world is facing a number of challenges that require to adopt a pragmatic approach. Globalism has brought people together, however, it is facing unprecedented challenges today due to economic and climate problems as well as technological developments and other challenges that are growing very fast and that pose main questions about governance and responsibility. This is an era of reshuffling priorities and international dynamics. For this reason, geopolitical changes need to be assessed the right way if we really want to address challenges. This is something said by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, when he stressed that the world today is going through a main transition from a global system that has achieved its goals but showed it is limited in achieving the aspirations of people to a new model that we all have to work together to build. Madam President, the United Nations, despite its historic successes, is finding itself today facing the need to adapt with these changes. Does that mean that the United Nations is at stake today as the world continues to change? The answer is definitely no. But our organization is called upon now more than ever to review its priorities because our main task remains the same. However, the tools and our working methods require reviewing to be in line with the size of current challenges and their complexities. The Kingdom of Morocco has always called for multilateralism that is committed to equality and sovereign equality among states and respect of their territorial integrity and unity. Madam President of the General Assembly, in line with our firm commitment, as expressed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, the chair of the OIC's Al-Quds Committee, we continue to follow the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories. The Kingdom of Morocco calls today for further mobilization in the international community to save the region from the cycle of violence. Our action today needs to be based on four priorities. One, an immediate ceasefire and a return to the negotiations table in order to put a final end to the war. Two, ensuring the entry of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank without any conditions and restrictions. Three, promote the vital role of the UNRWA. And four, implement a clear and comprehensive roadmap for reconstruction, the roadmap that was adopted by the Arab Summit under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority and under the sponsorship of the Arab and international worlds. Based on the instructions of His Majesty the King, we continue to believe that the two-state solution is the only way to achieve sustainable and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. This is the solution that can no longer be delayed or marginalized. It needs to be a moral commitment and a political immediate request. In this regard, we renew or we reaffirm the need for political prospects by adopting a defined timeframe to ensure the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to establish a Palestinian state that is independent on the lines of June 1967 with Al-Quds, with East Jerusalem as its capital, with Gaza as an integral part thereof. The economic aspect needs to be a part of the peace process because there can be no peace without economic development. We need to also promote support to the Palestinian authorities so that it can strengthen its institutions to serve its people and achieve their aspirations and finally adopt regional security mechanisms that are sustainable based on international law and mutual respect. We also stress our full commitment to defending the holy sites in Palestine, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is very special to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, as the chairman of Al-Quds Committee. This is reflected in our diplomatic work and our executive branch, which is currently implementing vital projects to save the legal aspect of Al-Quds and to support the legitimate aspirations and rights of the Palestinian people. We also stand in solidarity with the state of Qatar, Syria and Lebanon in the face of the attacks they have been under by Israel. In the same vein, we call for the adoption of peaceful solutions to disputes in the sisterly Arab states, including in Libya, Yemen, the Sudan and Somalia, through dialogue and consensus. These solutions need to be based on the respect of their national sovereignty, their territorial unity away from any foreign interventions. Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in a world of uncertainty and tensions, dialogue and cooperation have become very important. They are the pillars for achieving sustainable peace. Morocco, based on the great ambitious vision of His Majesty the King, we believe that genuine partnership and collective development is essential in our work internationally. Africa, specifically, finds itself today at a crossroads. Africa, for a long time, was the prisoner of a stereotype. It is today a space for innovation. It launched a number of initiatives to accelerate African integration in the global system. Based on the vision of His Majesty the King, the Kingdom of Morocco focused on Africa as a priority in its diplomacy, and it used it as an environment for belonging, cooperation and partnership. His Majesty the King has stressed this by saying that Africa needs to transform its challenges into opportunities. It needs to value its strengths to build its future with ambition. Africa is at the center of initiatives led by His Majesty the King. He focused on Africa in his strategic vision, which seeks to unify Africa, to ensure its well-being and its progress, while being open to international partnerships that are balanced. This should be reflected in the Rabat track for Africa at the Atlantic. This is a cultural project based on new geopolitical integration that would allow these states to recover their role at the Atlantic and to become a global leader in Africa. At the Atlantic and to become a center of stability and security in which cultural and humanitarian cooperation turn into opportunities for socioeconomic development. The future gas pipeline project is one of the main projects that reflects this vision. It provided or it enjoyed international support. This great project is a response, a tangible response for climate, economic and social challenges. It also shows the innovation of Africa and its economic development. Madam President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, today we are faced with a geopolitical reality that is closely linked to climate change, which is affecting the way we live. It's affecting our economy. It is reshaping the international system and threatening international peace and security. As His Majesty the King has said, climate change is one of the major challenges facing the world today. It poses a genuine threat not only to the environment but also to socioeconomic development but also on security and stability in the world. At the center of the challenge is the new strategy. It is a main source for facing drought and climate change. Morocco is facing structural drought and is continuing, based on our King's instructions, to adopt new strategies, including by desalinating water and promoting irrigation systems. In the same vein, we have taken great steps to promote renewable energy and fight climate change. This stresses or Morocco stresses the need for collective work to address these environmental challenges. No matter how great, no state alone has enough resources and capabilities to solve this problem alone. This is why we need to work globally today to achieve our collective and effective goals. Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in a few years, artificial intelligence has imposed itself as a new way to reshape our economies and our way of life. We are aware of the great opportunities it provides. However, we also recognize the great challenges it poses. Artificial intelligence should not become an alternative. It should not lead to marginalization. It should rather promote collective development. The tangible implementation of artificial intelligence is imposed today in a number of sectors, such as health, education, agriculture, and others. This is why we are betting on it today. Turning a blind eye to artificial intelligence and not taking advantage of it means wasting economic opportunities. We need to adopt artificial intelligence to reshape the labor market and adapt with the growing and fast challenges imposed by the need to use AI more really responsibly. This is what the Kingdom of Morocco is working on right now through its digital strategy 2030. Madam President, the Kingdom of Morocco believes that sports leads to peace. It is a pillar for development. In this vein, we will be hosting – we are preparing to host World Cup 2030 with Portugal and Spain. This is a real tool for cultural diplomacy and international openness, and this affects our social, economic, and human development. By organizing the World Cup, the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty the King, reaffirms its ability to take on great projects globally and mobilize its infrastructure and capabilities to show the real beautiful face of Africa at the international level. Madam President, the Kingdom of Morocco stresses its full support to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his special envoy – special representative, excuse me, to find a final solution to the regional dispute on the Sahara. The autonomy initiative is the only solution that is realistic. It is enjoying now growing support at the international level as part of the dynamic launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI. May God protect him. Based on this belief, His Majesty has stressed in his latest speech that the Kingdom seeks to find a consensual solution that is a win-win for everyone to save face of all parties. The world is witness that the Moroccan Sahara issue is now at a historic crossroads. The positions of a majority of member states in this organization now pave the way towards a clear path. That says it is high time to turn the page on this conflict in full respect of the sovereignty of Morocco and its territorial integrity. This is the international consensus around the autonomy initiative, and this consensus is growing because two-thirds of the member states of the United Nations consider this initiative as the sole pragmatic and credible basis to settle this dispute. On the ground, everything is clear. The Sahara has become a land full of opportunities because of the development model of the states that was launched by Morocco, and this is why this region has become a strategic platform that serves peace, stability, and collective development. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, eight decades after its establishment, our organization's goals remain essential today more than ever. However, the changes in our world today require us to overcome the concept of crisis management towards building sustainable solutions. No matter the nature or size of the challenges, our collective responsibility is to work in solidarity to turn them into opportunities and to find comprehensive and just solutions. Thank you very much. On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the head of government of the Kingdom of Morocco.