HM King Mohammed VI addressed a message to the participants in the third World Policy Conference (WPC), which opened on Saturday in Marrakech.
Here follows the full text of His Majesty’s message:
Praise be to God May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to send this message to the participants in the third World Policy Conference, which is being held in Marrakech, and to assure them of my esteem and high regard.
I should like to extend special greetings to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Organization, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who is attending this important event. I commend all he is doing to promote peace and stability around the world, as well as his untiring efforts to ensure the issues of development and good governance continue to take centre stage in the action of the United Nations. I also praise his initiatives and constructive efforts to make sure the United Nations Organization remains our common home and the conscience of mankind.
As you know, this important conference is being held at a time when the adverse impact of the global financial crisis is still being felt. Several developments and negative indicators show that other crises can happen, and that situations can deteriorate – even become explosive - at any moment, anywhere in the world.
At the two previous WPC meetings, you highlighted the risks of ‘truncated globalization’ and of failing to enforce the mechanisms of global governance.
At the same time, you drew attention to the limitations of one-sided, unchecked liberal thinking which tends to ignore human and social considerations. You also pointed out the perils of standardization, a phenomenon that can lead to reclusiveness which can, itself, feed all forms of extremism.
Similarly, you emphasized the role the elites must play to contribute effectively to finding practical solutions to the problems arising from the rapid changes affecting the world.
I am sure this third World Policy Conference will make decisive contributions towards the development of rational solutions to the above-mentioned problems, particularly in connection with global governance. Indeed, your conference provides a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas that can foster a spirit of dialogue and cooperation, which should prevail over any inclinations towards inflexibility or confrontation.
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Morocco cannot but support your views as you recognize the inexorable nature of political, economic and social diversity, as well as the need to reorient the debate to focus, once again, on states in general, and those of the South in particular.
Our country, just like the countries of the South - especially in Africa - looks forward to the emergence of fair globalization which contributes to balanced, consistent and sustainable growth and human advancement, preserves human dignity, fights all forms of humiliation, defamation and segregation, and eliminates the root causes of poverty, exclusion and marginalization.
Ignoring the local dimension and the complexity of the everyday life of billions of people in the universe could potentially threaten the balance of the world and would be synonymous with a blind globalization that strays from its lofty goals and objectives.
The local dimension - from which everything starts and to which everything ultimately leads - is not antithetical to the universal. In fact, the notion of “universal” would be meaningless if it did not encompass all that is “local” and absorb the richness of local components. Similarly, the “universal” would be neither practical nor tangible unless local development were both sustainable and open onto the world.
To rise to this challenge and to make sure it embarks on the right course of action, Morocco has sought to combine the local and the national with the universal. Hence, in 2005, we launched the National Initiative for Human Development, which primarily aims to meet the basic, day-to-day needs of individuals and groups who generally live on the outskirts of cities, or in rural and remote regions.
In developing this strategy, we adopted a consensual, inclusive approach that relies on democratic participation and a system of governance based on closeness to the citizen. Rooted in the Initiative’s philosophy is the desire to get the parties and stakeholders concerned to embrace the projects selected and make them their own. The ultimate goal is to remedy shortcomings in social services by promoting income-generating activities that can also create jobs.
This bold initiative, together with thorough institutional, development-oriented reforms as well as strategic sectoral plans and the mega-projects related to them, have made it possible for Morocco to achieve substantial progress in fighting poverty, vulnerability and marginalization.
Thanks to strong political will, our country has also made significant progress in giving concrete substance to the principle of gender equality in areas relating to family, health, education and employment. Women’s political representation and their effective participation in public life have also increased.
At the strategic level, the interplay between the “local” and the “universal” has been duly taken into account in the various institutional reforms as well as in the courageous, historical conciliation initiatives carried out in social, legal and territorial spheres, including the bold initiative we have proposed to resolve the artificial dispute over the Moroccan Sahara. Considering their realistic character, the Maghreb dimension underlying them and the universally recognized democratic criteria on which they are premised, our efforts in connection with this initiative have been deemed serious and credible by the Security Council and the international community.
The same approach is being used for the formulation of a system of broad regionalization meant to serve as a critical democratic tool for the implementation of a purely Moroccan development model based on good governance.
Given the importance I attach to the environmental factor, without which the sustainable development we want to achieve cannot be attained, we have taken successful measures to protect the environment and mitigate the impact of climate change.
To promote sustainable human development, particularly through the optimal use of clean, modern technologies, I have launched a pioneering solar energy plan as well as an integrated project for the production of wind energy. These landmark projects are expected to be instrumental in enabling us, by the year 2020, to meet almost half of our energy needs using clean, renewable sources.
Regarding food security in the world, my country has always attached particular importance to this issue. As we firmly believe in the need to promote a global partnership to achieve co-development, Morocco was keen to make food security an integral part of an innovative, tangible South-South cooperation policy that benefits African sister nations in particular, as well as agriculture-based countries and those pursuing a green agenda.
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Sharing a creative vision regarding South-South transatlantic relations - that would bring African regional groupings closer to Latin American blocs -would not only open up new avenues for the transfer of know-how, but it would also herald a major shift in the political balance of power, as well as a major change in trade regulations and in the free movement of ideas.
For that to happen, however, the roles to be played by the main regional groupings should be more accurately defined, and innovative ways and means should be adopted in the area of governance to ensure active participation in defining the conditions for effective global governance.
This is the right approach to follow. It should allow us to proceed from the local and the particular to the universal and the general. In other words, it should enable us to work for the emergence of what we might call the "biodiversity of globalization."
I do hope your conference will consider ways to thoroughly reform global governance mechanisms in order to give a greater say to regional groupings, particularly African ones, upon which we pin our hopes in this regard.
Regions in general - but more so in Africa - should be seen and treated as full-fledged players in this globalized world.
To achieve this goal, we must develop the mechanisms required to promote political stability, ensure fair trade relations and guarantee respect for regional cultures and identities.
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A project such as this must not be yet another top-down plan dictated by obvious or hidden influential forces, speculators or pressure groups. This crucial project should be perceived as the result of an essential cultural and political process, backed by genuine political will, that can contribute to lasting peace, the right to fair trade and respect for diversity when it comes to matters relating to culture and faith.
Thanks to a longstanding tradition in facilitating inter-faith dialogue, and as a result of the country’s practice of an open, moderate form of Islam, Morocco, building on a wise policy that combines faith with good judgment, has always believed in the virtues of having close relations with other peoples and communities. In medieval times, many prominent philosophers underscored the importance of these values. Some of them lived in Morocco during the most significant and prolific period of their life, like Ibn Khaldoun, the eminent historian and founder of sociology; others were from the region, like the eminent Ibn Rushd (Averroes), who spent his most productive years in the ochre city of Marrakech and died there, after having paved the way for the age of Enlightenment.
As the custodians of this inspiring legacy, and since we are keen to ensure Morocco continues to play a distinctive cultural role, we look forward to hearing the ideas, proposals and recommendations to be adopted by your conference, thanks to the contributions you will be making as seasoned statesmen, eminent politicians and reputed experts and specialists.
The World Policy Conference, whose current meeting is being held under my patronage, is one of the most important international platforms which inform decision-makers and international public opinion about the most effective ways to rehabilitate politics and political action. The aim is to promote ethical principles and human values so that we may ensure a dignified life for future generations, and build a common future for all human beings, in which security, stability, progress and prosperity prevail.
Before concluding, I wish to extend a warm welcome to the illustrious participants and to commend the distinguished people and respected institutions involved in the preparation of this conference. I want them to know how much I appreciate their efforts to ensure the success of this event.
I wish you all a pleasant stay in your second home, Morocco, and in Marrakech, this Moroccan city which has made a name for itself in the region and across the world. Embodying a nation’s identity, Marrakech has, since time immemorial, been a prestigious centre for constructive interaction between civilizations and cultures; its cultural and historical monuments bear testimony to a subtle, harmonious blend of the local, the regional and the universal.
I pray that Almighty God grant you every success.
Thank you.
Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.
Mohammed VI
King of Morocco
The Royal Palace, Rabat.
15 October 2010.
HM the King hails Ban Ki-moon for his efforts to promote world peace and stability
Marrakech - HM King Mohammed VI hailed the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for his efforts aiming to promote peace and stability around the world.
"I should like to extend special greetings to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Organization, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who is attending this important event. I commend all he is doing to promote peace and stability around the world, as well as his untiring efforts to ensure the issues of development and good governance continue to take centre stage in the action of the United Nations,” HM the King said in a message to the participants in the Third World Policy Conference (WPC), which opened Saturday in Marrakech.
"This important conference is being held at a time when the adverse impact of the global financial crisis is still being felt. Several developments and negative indicators show that other crises can happen, and that situations can deteriorate – even become explosive - at any moment, anywhere in the world,” recalled the Sovereign.
“At the two previous WPC meetings, you highlighted the risks of ‘truncated globalization’ and of failing to enforce the mechanisms of global governance,” said the Monarch addressing the UN Secretary General.
This conference “provides a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas that can foster a spirit of dialogue and cooperation, which should prevail over any inclinations towards inflexibility or confrontation,” underscored the Sovereign.
“Morocco cannot but support your views as you recognize the inexorable nature of political, economic and social diversity, as well as the need to reorient the debate to focus, once again, on states in general, and those of the South in particular,” HM the King went on to say, adding that the Kingdom “just like the countries of the South - especially in Africa - looks forward to the emergence of fair globalization which contributes to balanced, consistent and sustainable growth and human advancement, preserves human dignity, fights all forms of humiliation, defamation and segregation, and eliminates the root causes of poverty, exclusion and marginalization.”
“As the custodians of this inspiring legacy, and since we are keen to ensure Morocco continues to play a distinctive cultural role, we look forward to hearing the ideas, proposals and recommendations to be adopted by your conference, thanks to the contributions you will be making as seasoned statesmen, eminent politicians and reputed experts and specialists,” the Sovereign underlined.
Morocco embarks on right course of action combining local, national with universal - HM the King says
Marrakech - HM King Mohammed VI underlined that Morocco embarks on the right course of action which combines the local and the national with the universal to rise to globalization challenge.
In a message to the participants in the third World Policy Conference (WPC), which opened on Saturday in Marrakech, HM the King said that "to rise to this challenge and to make sure it embarks on the right course of action, Morocco has sought to combine the local and the national with the universal," recalling the launching, in 2005, of the National Initiative for Human Development.
The Sovereign added that this initiative "primarily aims to meet the basic, day-to-day needs of individuals and groups who generally live on the outskirts of cities, or in rural and remote regions."
"In developing this strategy, we adopted a consensual, inclusive approach that relies on democratic participation and a system of governance based on closeness to the citizen. Rooted in the Initiative's philosophy is the desire to get the parties and stakeholders concerned to embrace the projects selected and make them their own. The ultimate goal is to remedy shortcomings in social services by promoting income-generating activities that can also create jobs," HM the King underlined.
The Sovereign also deemed that “this bold initiative, together with thorough institutional, development-oriented reforms as well as strategic sectoral plans and the mega-projects related to them, have made it possible for Morocco to achieve substantial progress in fighting poverty, vulnerability and marginalization.”
“Thanks to strong political will,” HM the King went on to say, “our country has also made significant progress in giving concrete substance to the principle of gender equality in areas relating to family, health, education and employment. Women’s political representation and their effective participation in public life have also increased.”
The Sovereign recalled that “at the strategic level, the interplay between the “local” and the “universal” has been duly taken into account in the various institutional reforms as well as in the courageous, historical conciliation initiatives carried out in social, legal and territorial spheres.”
In this respect HM the King pointed out the Moroccan autonomy initiative to resolve the artificial dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
“Considering their realistic character, the Maghreb dimension underlying them and the universally recognized democratic criteria on which they are premised, our efforts in connection with this initiative have been deemed serious and credible by the Security Council and the international community,” the Sovereign said.
HM the King also underlined that “the same approach is being used for the formulation of a system of broad regionalization meant to serve as a critical democratic tool for the implementation of a purely Moroccan development model based on good governance.”
The Sovereign recalled that “given the importance I attach to the environmental factor, without which the sustainable development we want to achieve cannot be attained, we have taken successful measures to protect the environment and mitigate the impact of climate change.”
HM the King added that “to promote sustainable human development, particularly through the optimal use of clean, modern technologies, I have launched a pioneering solar energy plan as well as an integrated project for the production of wind energy. These landmark projects are expected to be instrumental in enabling us, by the year 2020, to meet almost half of our energy needs using clean, renewable sources.”
Regarding food security in the world, the Sovereign underlined that Morocco has always attached particular importance to this issue.
“As we firmly believe in the need to promote a global partnership to achieve co-development, Morocco was keen to make food security an integral part of an innovative, tangible South-South cooperation policy that benefits African sister nations in particular, as well as agriculture-based countries and those pursuing a green agenda,” HM the King concluded.
Morocco looks forward to new, fair globalization
Marrakech - HM King Mohammed VI underlined that Morocco looks forward to the emergence of fair globalization.
"Our country, just like the countries of the South - especially in Africa - looks forward to the emergence of fair globalization which contributes to balanced, consistent and sustainable growth and human advancement, preserves human dignity, fights all forms of humiliation, defamation and segregation, and eliminates the root causes of poverty, exclusion and marginalization," HM the King said in a message to the participants in third World Policy Conference (WPC), which opened on Saturday in Marrakech.
"Ignoring the local dimension and the complexity of the everyday life of billions of people in the universe could potentially threaten the balance of the world and would be synonymous with a blind globalization that strays from its lofty goals and objectives," the Sovereign added.
HM the King went on to say that "the local dimension - from which everything starts and to which everything ultimately leads - is not antithetical to the universal. In fact, the notion of "universal" would be meaningless if it did not encompass all that is "local" and absorb the richness of local components. Similarly, the “universal” would be neither practical nor tangible unless local development were both sustainable and open onto the world.”
“Thanks to a longstanding tradition in facilitating inter-faith dialogue, and as a result of the country’s practice of an open, moderate form of Islam, Morocco, building on a wise policy that combines faith with good judgment, has always believed in the virtues of having close relations with other peoples and communities,” underlined HM the King.
“In medieval times, many prominent philosophers underscored the importance of these values. Some of them lived in Morocco during the most significant and prolific period of their life, like Ibn Khaldoun, the eminent historian and founder of sociology; others were from the region, like the eminent Ibn Rushd (Averroes), who spent his most productive years in the ochre city of Marrakech and died there, after having paved the way for the age of Enlightenment,” recalled the Monarch.
"As the custodians of this inspiring legacy, and since we are keen to ensure Morocco continues to play a distinctive cultural role, we look forward to hearing the ideas, proposals and recommendations to be adopted by your conference, thanks to the contributions you will be making as seasoned statesmen, eminent politicians and reputed experts and specialists,” said HM the King.
HM the King chairs Ministers' Council
Rabat - HM King Mohammed VI, chaired, on Saturday at the Royal Palace of Rabat, the Council of Ministers, during which the 2011 appropriation bill was examined and adopted along with several draft laws, decrees and international agreements.
At the onset of the Council, Economy and Finance Minister presented the broad lines of the appropriation bill and the national and international context in which it was drafted, underlining that the government continues to implement the High Royal directives regarding the fundamental choices which proved their pertinence in preserving financial stability and protecting the national economy.
The Minister went on to say that the current appropriation bill aims to preserve the macro-economic balances, protect Morocco’s financial and economic achievements, contribute to the success of structural reforms and promote the Kingdom’s competitiveness and attractiveness in the after-crisis world.
The draft law is also meant to promote the Moroccan development model, outlined by HM the King in the Speech of the Throne, through boosting public investments and mobilizing the required financial resources to bolster sectoral strategies.
The draft also seeks to improve the business climate, mobilize savings, promote small and medium enterprises, integrate persons working in the informal sector in the organised economic fabric, reinforce solidarity and promote human development, employment, social housing, assistance for the underpriviliged categories, and boost development in the rural areas.
Following the adoption of the appropriation bill, the Ministers’ Council approved the draft law relating to the status of “Casablanca Finance City”, which was set up upon high Royal instructions.
The project aims at reinforcing the economic capacities of Casablanca with a view of making of it a key regional and international financial hub and promoting the kingdom’s attractiveness in terms of investments and competitiveness.
To reinforce free zones and promote enterprises, the Council approved several texts on the setting up of two free zones for exports in Kenitra and Nouaceur, the review of the legal framework governing companies and the creation of a national committee for business climate, adds the release.
HM the King also approved two decree drafts aiming to reorganize the administrative boundaries in the Kingdom in order to reinforce development at the local and regional levels, improve territorial administration, and promote good governance.
In accordance with the Royal willingness to develop efficient means of familial solidarity and social cohesion, and make sure the provisions of the family code are implemented optimally, the council adopted a draft law laying down the terms and conditions of benefiting from family assistance funds.
HM the King approved, during the Council, several legal texts and regulations, in addition to a number of international, bilateral and multilateral agreements.
HM the King receives UN Secretary General
Rabat - HM King Mohammed VI, received, on Saturday at the Royal Cabinet in Rabat, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, with whom he held talks.
The hearing was attended by Foreign Minister, Taib Fassi Fihri and Taye Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General.
Earlier in the day, Ban Ki-moon, who is on a visit to the Kingdom, delivered an address at the opening of the World Policy Conference (WPC), held in Marrakech on October 15-17 under the high patronage of HM King Mohammed VI.