Morocco

His Majesty Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco, has honoured me by asking me to deliver his statement to the General Assembly. “Allow me, at the outset, to congratulate you, Mr. President, on being elected to preside over the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, and to commend your predecessor, Mr. Ali Treki, on having given fresh dynamism to the proceedings of the Assembly. I would also like to express my deep appreciation to His Excellency the Secretary-General, who spares no effort to enhance the role of the United Nations. “This session, which is being held 10 years after the Millennium Summit, is a great opportunity for us to agree on a consensual vision to steer our joint action for the years to come and to reiterate our commitment to the three basic axes underlying that vision, namely, security and stability, development and prosperity, and advancement of human rights and human dignity. Those priorities form the bedrock of the new international agenda. This important meeting therefore provides us a good opportunity to reassert our commitment to tackling those priorities and to reiterate our determination to promote international cooperation and lay solid groundwork for a new world where safety and solidarity prevail. “Morocco, which firmly believes in the important position of the United Nations as the symbol of universal values and international legitimacy, has worked tirelessly to give the Organization active and concrete support, to promote its principles and to contribute to the achievement of its objectives. Indeed, my country has also actively sought to ensure that its national priorities are in line with issues on the international agenda. “Peacekeeping was the main objective behind the creation of the United Nations, which is playing a key role for all mankind. From this rostrum, the Kingdom of Morocco calls on the international community to increase its involvement and work for the settlement of all disputes — whether overt or covert — that strain 10-55122 32 relations between neighbouring States and hamper the indispensable integration of their economies, particularly in Africa. “To foster healthier relations in our Maghreb region, we submitted an autonomy initiative to the United Nations in 2007 with a view to bringing an end to the artificial dispute over the recovery by Morocco of its southern provinces. That bold, innovative initiative has received the support of the international community and the Security Council, which have repeatedly described the efforts underlying it as serious and credible. They have also commended Morocco’s active steps to facilitate the settlement of this dispute, which seriously jeopardizes the integration of the Arab Maghreb and the prosperity of the peoples of its five countries. “In that context, the Kingdom of Morocco calls on the other partners to seize this historic opportunity and engage in substantive and serious negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary- General and his Personal Envoy, to whom we reiterate our sincere willingness to cooperate. “The need to free our region from the yoke of this dispute, which hampers our joint action, has never been greater, not only for us, but also for our strategic partners. We must therefore settle this dispute, given the numerous pressing challenges facing us, especially with respect to security in the Sahara and Sahel regions and in the Mediterranean basin. “Achieving peace in the Middle East is not an impossible goal, nor is the persistence of the conflict inevitable. The only solution to the conflict remains that of two States, living side by side in peace and security. “The international community is therefore called upon to support the direct negotiation process taking place under the commendable auspices of the United States Administration. This is a good opportunity to strive to achieve a final settlement, in compliance with international legitimacy and the relevant United Nations resolutions and on the basis of a clear frame of reference, a comprehensive agenda and a specific timetable. “As an active player in the peace process, Morocco is aware that such negotiations must address the issue of establishing a fully sovereign Palestinian State, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, as well as the related and complex issues, and that for negotiations to succeed, unilateral actions must be avoided and settlement building must end, especially in Al-Quds Al-Sharif. “As Chair of the Al-Quds Committee, I have consistently drawn the attention of the United Nations and of the international community to the sensitive nature of the issue of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and to attempts to Judaize that Holy City and obliterate its character. Al-Quds must remain a symbol of coexistence and concord between the monotheistic religions, a city of peace and of coexistence between the Palestinian and the Israeli peoples. “Two days ago, we took stock of the progress that has thus far been made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We agreed that a combination of crises, including the adverse effects of climate change, has clearly delayed the attainment of most of these Goals in many developing countries, particularly on our African continent. “With a population of more than 900 million people and natural resources abundant enough to ensure the continent’s self-sufficiency, Africa is indeed capable of enjoying steady growth and development. This potential notwithstanding, Africa largely remains on the sidelines when it comes to foreign direct investment flows, a trend which has been compounded further by the global economic and financial crisis. The Kingdom of Morocco therefore proposes that the General Assembly hold a high-level dialogue on investment in Africa. “Similarly, the magnitude of the challenges posed by globalization requires from the international community urgent, substantial reforms of the existing international economic governance institutions as well as further mobilization to lay the foundations for a new, equitable, balanced and efficient international environmental order that will enable us to 33 10-55122 safeguard our planet for the sake of current and future generations. “The Kingdom of Morocco has committed itself irreversibly to protect and promote human rights. To this end, it will implement a comprehensive strategy based on a participatory approach which places special emphasis on human resources development and the promise of a dignified life, these being the key elements in our endeavour to build a democratic society dedicated to development. “Accordingly, Morocco has launched a programme of major workshops and reforms. Substantial progress has been made towards expanding the scope of individual and collective freedoms, safeguarding human dignity and promoting and protecting the rights of its citizens, especially those of women, children and people with special needs. “Internationally, Morocco has manifested a deep commitment to protecting human rights since the establishment of the Human Rights Council and its operational mechanisms. This commitment was recognized in March 2010, when Morocco was chosen by the General Assembly to be a co-facilitator of the review process aimed at charting a renewed vision for the Council by putting human capital at the heart of human resources development and sustainable development. “Morocco will spare no effort to achieve this goal and to help develop a shared, responsible vision of the true values of human rights, a vision which excludes empty slogans and the tendentious manipulation of lofty objectives. “The world still has a long way to go before States and peoples learn to accept diversity and make it a genuine source of spiritual, social and cultural enrichment. More than a necessity, dialogue among civilizations has become an urgent priority. “Indeed, it is of the utmost importance that the United Nations become the standard-bearer of a culture of peace, tolerance and mutual understanding and that it serve as a catalyst for a new form of cooperation based on solidarity and dedicated to achieving dignity, prosperity, well- being and peace for all people everywhere.”