Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Omar Zniber, has been appointed Chair of the Committee of Participants of the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) for the 2025-2026 term.
The appointment marks further recognition of Morocco's credibility on the multilateral stage, its recognized regional leadership, and its unwavering commitment, under the guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to South-South cooperation and to promoting a fairer, more inclusive international trading system.
Established in 1989, the GSTP currently brings together 42 members, including Morocco, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Thailand. It remains the only interregional agreement legally based on the WTO’s Enabling Clause and administered by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Its mission is to strengthen South-South trade through tariff concessions, sectoral cooperation, and trade facilitation.
In her letter inviting Morocco's candidacy, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan praised the country's "steadfast commitment to multilateralism and its leadership in advancing South-South cooperation."
She also praised Morocco's commitment to the GSTP, highlighting its role in strengthening solidarity and cooperation among developing countries, as reflected in particular by its chairmanship of the GSTP Committee of Participants from 1997 to 2002, as well as its ongoing role as depositary of the Agreement.
As Chair, Morocco will convene and preside over the Committee’s meetings, facilitate dialogue among members, and drive new momentum within the mechanism.
Morocco will preside over the 33rd session of the GSTP Committee of Participants on September 25, 2025, in Geneva, ahead of a high-level ministerial event on October 22, 2025, to be held on the sidelines of the 16th UNCTAD Conference (October 20-23, 2025).
Through this appointment, the Kingdom reaffirms its growing role in global value chains and its determination to contribute actively to building a more equitable and sustainable international trading system
(MAP: 10 September 2025)
