HM the King congratulates Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz on his appointment Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince.

Rabat   -  HM King Mohammed VI sent a congratulatory message to HRH Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, on his appointment as Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Saudi Arabia.
    In the message, the Sovereign expressed to Prince Nayef his heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of his appointment, with merit, as Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Saudi Arabia, by his august brother, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

    HM the King said that thanks to the qualities of great statesman, clear-sightedness, wisdom and competence showed by Prince Nayef in all his responsibilities, as well as his great virtues in favor of defending the sovereignty, stability and prosperity of brotherly Saudi Arabia, the Prince will accomplish with success his new missions, under the leadership of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.     

    "I also take this opportunity to recall with pride the cordial ties of brotherhood and mutual respect between us personally, those linking your Highness to your second country, Morocco, as well as friendly Arab, Islamic relations of unwavering solidarity, fruitful cooperation and permanent understanding between the two brotherly peoples,” the Sovereign added.  

    The royal message also highlighted the firmness of the long-standing links between the two countries (…) these links, the message went on, are based on the convergence of the two Kingdom’s stances in favor of the just causes of the Arab-Islamic Ummah, to support peace, fight extremism and terrorism, and promote coexistence between civilizations, fruitful cooperation and active solidarity in the interest of development and unity between the two brotherly countries and peoples.

HM the King addresses message to UN Conference on the Fight Against Corruption.

Marrakech   -  HM King Mohammed VI addressed a message to participants in the Fourth Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which opened on Monday in Marrakech.
Here follows the full text of the message that was read out by HM the King’s advisor Abdeltif Menouni.

“Praise be to God                              May peace and blessings be upon
                                                            the Prophet, His Kith and Kin
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are very pleased that Morocco is hosting the Fourth Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, an event which is being held under my patronage. It is the first time this Conference has convened in Africa, more specifically in Marrakech, this time-honored crossroads of dialogue and cultural exchange.

 First of all I should like to welcome our distinguished guests, the heads and members of delegations representing the States Parties, the representatives of the United Nations, as well as those of regional and international organizations, civil society and the private sector.

 I also want to commend the United Nations Organization and its Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for working so closely with the Moroccan Government to ensure the success of this important meeting.

This Fourth Conference will address some Key issues, especially in the high-level meetings, carrying on with efforts underway to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This implies an abiding commitment to fighting corruption, promoting transparency and bolstering national and international efforts to prevent and combat this scourge.

What makes this UN Conference especially important is the international climate in which it is taking place. Several parts of the world are witnessing profound changes, against a backdrop of great aspirations and expectations expressed by the peoples concerned, particularly with regard to the promotion of moral values in public life and compliances with the principles of accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance.

 Combating corruption now tops the list of the citizens' pressing concerns. The scourge of bribery is no longer a domestic problem that is restricted to a given country or region. Corruption has become a serious problem with international implications, overlapping with several other cross-border crimes. Globalization and modem technology have made it both diversiform and particularly complex.

To tackle the disastrous effects of corruption - which is the most serious impediment to progress, particularly in developing countries - concerted efforts at international level are needed in order to rise to the challenge of corruption and its horrendous manifestations, especially where its impact hinders the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The aim is to fulfill people's aspirations for comprehensive development, the elimination of the pockets of poverty and vulnerability, and the achievement of balanced, sustainable human development.

Your Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,

 It did not take the Kingdom of Morocco very long to realize the great dangers of bribery. Thus, it quickly set about making the prevention of and the fight against corruption one of the priorities of the democratic and institutional reforms introduced in the areas of human rights, development, community life and education. In doing so, our country laid emphasis on the value of citizenship, the protection and promotion of human rights, the consolidation of good governance, and the upholding of moral values in public life. This endeavor is part of the democratization process of the State and society, in perfect harmony between the throne and the people. It reflects the nation's basic policy choices, namely those of openness and a strong desire to continue building a modem, democratic society, and to interact with changes at regional and international levels.

 These thorough, bold reforms ultimately led to the adoption, on 1st July 2011, of a new Constitution, which received widespread public support and was highly appreciated abroad on account of its provisions, which embrace universal principles and ideals. Thus the new Constitution asserts our commitment to good governance and links the exercise of public office with accountability. It elevates these concerns to the status of constitutional principles, together with the separation of powers, balance and cooperation between these powers, participatory democracy, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

 The Moroccan Constitution also recognizes the primacy of the international conventions ratified by the Kingdom of Morocco over national legislation. This will no doubt give real momentum to the process of bringing our legal system in line with our country’s international obligations, particularly in the area of preventing and combating corruption, In this specific field, our country is quite advanced, both with regard to the ratification of international conventions, the passing of forward-looking national legislation and the adoption of internationally recognized mechanisms.

It is a long, arduous process. Of course, there is no such thing as perfection, but the King, the Government and the people of this country are determined to press on and   do all we can, with the involvement of all the actors concerned, to promote integrity and combat corruption and bribery. These are serious scourges which are not only contrary to spiritual and civic values, but they also hamper development and are incompatible with democracy and good governance.

  The latest legislation passed by our country and the institutional mechanisms adopted include laws criminalizing corruption in elections; they also provide for severe sanctions for the violation of the sanctity of the ballot. Furthermore, both in the  Constitution and through recent legislation, Morocco endorsed independent and  impartial observation of the elections to the House of Representatives, due to be held on 25th November, with the participation of civil society organizations, thereby reflecting the nation's collective desire to make sure truly representative institutions will emerge from the forthcoming elections.

   A chapter in the Constitution is devoted to the principles of good governance and the mechanisms for its promotion. Furthermore, several constitutional provisions seek to enhance transparency and integrity. They include sanctions against all forms of fraud or deviation in the management of public finances, undue influence and conflict of interest, thus upholding the rule of law and equality of all before the law, in the framework of a fair, independent and specialized Judiciary.

In the same vein, the National Authority for Probity and for the Prevention and Fight against Corruption was raised to the status of a full-fledged constitutional institution. Its powers have been expanded, and it is now tasked with the coordination and supervision of anti-corruption policies and the follow-up to their implementation, The Authority will also be receiving and disseminating information on corruption. It will contribute to promoting moral values in Government agencies and fostering the culture of public service as well as the values of responsible citizenship. Similarly, the competition Council has been enshrined in the Constitution, given its pivotal role in upholding the rule of law in the corporate environment.

These basic reforms are likely to trigger a new dynamic for the implementation of the    bold initiatives and practical programs launched by the Kingdom of Morocco to combat corruption. This will boost the national strategy which was adopted by our country in this field and thanks to which an integrated plan has been developed to support national mechanisms to promote integrity, transparency and the fight against bribery.

Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The United Nations Convention against Corruption has provided a practical framework for fruitful consultation between States Parties on the most effective means to promote international cooperation between all countries. The aim is to ensure States Parties act on their commitment to promote transparency and integrity, to strengthen accountability and to uphold all the elements on which the rule of law, democracy and governance good are based.

 During the three previous CoSP sessions, a strategy was gradually adopted for the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption. Thus, at the last CoSP in Doha, a review mechanism was adopted for the enactment of the UN Convention. As far as CoSP4 is concerned, it is important to focus on the prevention of bribery and corruption by building on the preventive measures set out in the Convention, and to make sure preventive mechanisms and punitive sanctions supplement one another.

To enhance support for this strategic posture against corruption, we welcome any moves designed to encourage the other countries to adhere to the Convention and participate effectively in the review mechanism for its implementation.

 In this connection, I want to commend the role played by the UN Office on Drugs and  Crime, as the well as the United Nations Development Programme. We appreciate the technical support and the training they provide to experts from different States Parties to the Convention, especially with respect to the review mechanism for the implementation of its provisions.

 We also value the positive work done by the representatives of regional and international organizations, NGOs from civil society and the participants in the events being held in parallel with the Conference, especially the general assembly of the  International Association of Anti-corruption Authorities, which convened under our  High Patronage here in Marrakech, these last two days. We welcome the positive  results it has reached as well as the international coordination of the efforts made by  national bodies to meet these daunting challenges with a view to upholding good governance, democracy, the values of citizenship, the rule of law, the promotion of development and the protection of human dignity and of national integrity.

Your Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Given our forward-looking vision and our awareness of the dire consequences of corruption, as well as our keen desire to ensure broader and more effective implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention against corruption, we call for the setting up of an international alliance of the friends of the UN Convention against corruption, with a view to expanding the scope of ratification and international adhesion, and, eventually, securing universal status for this Convention.

Morocco will, during its two-year chairmanship of the Conference, do its utmost to encourage different countries to ratify or join such an outstanding UN Convention, and also to raise awareness about its universal and human dimensions.

In the same context, given our awareness of the importance of technical assistance in the prevention and the fight against corruption, we call for the efforts of the UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund to be supported.

 We also believe that the time has come to set up an international observatory of the corruption phenomenon, in charge of collecting and analyzing data, and recording good practices in the fight against corruption. All this should be made available to the States Parties to the Convention which can benefit from them in their national prevention programmes, with a view to backing up their efforts in this field, and supporting their reform programmes with respect to the implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention.

These suggestions stem from our strong belief in the relevance of international   multilateralism based on joint endeavours and the sharing of know-how. It is therefore necessary to mobilize the various institutional, legal, communication and awareness raising mechanisms. Similarly, there is a need to support comprehensive national plans, including education and teaching programmes, as well as to secure effective input from the various NGOs of civil society, and from the free, responsible information and communication media, which should be a key partner in the effort to curb the scourge of corruption and tackle its adverse effects.

Your Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We regard this UN Conference as an important step, to be added to the successes achieved so far in the implementation of the measures and mechanisms designed to fight corruption and bribery.

Furthermore, the "Marrakech Declaration on the Preventive Measures against corruption", to be adopted at this session, will assert the determination of all the States Parties to the Convention to fight corruption and carry on with the endeavour to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, for the benefit of all mankind.

 We look forward with utmost interest to the conclusions and constructive recommendations that will emerge from this conference. Once more, we welcome our distinguished guests to their second home, Morocco. I wish you a pleasant stay among us and pray that Almighty God grant you every success in your proceedings.

Wassalamu alaikum wa ramatullah wa barakatuh.”

HM the King offers condolences to Saudi Sovereign over death of HRH Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.

Rabat, October 22, 2011  -  HM King Mohammed VI sent a message of condolence to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, following the death of the heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.
    In the message, HM the King said that he learnt with great sadness and sorrow of the death of the late Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.

    In these painful circumstances, the Monarch extended, in his name and those of the royal family and the Moroccan people, heartfelt condolences and sincere compassion to King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, his royal family and the Saudi people, following this great loss.

    HM the King highlighted the high qualities of the great deceased, who worked during his lifetime in the service of his religion, his homeland and the Ummah (Nation), by constantly showing the virtues of generosity, sincerity and loyalty.

    Morocco, second home of the late Prince, lost a dear brother and a true and generous friend, who worked for the preservation of cordial and close ties of fraternity and for the strengthening of fruitful and constructive cooperation between the two brotherly Kingdoms, the Sovereign underlined in the message.