Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Expatriates, M. Nasser Bourita, has called for a “proximity multilateral system, driver of efficiency and source of solutions “.
In an address on the occasion of the ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism, held virtually on the sidelines of the high-level debate of the 75th United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Bourita stressed that Morocco has chosen, under the leadership of His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, a united, inclusive, pragmatic and action-oriented multilateralism.
Referring to the “immensity” of the challenges that await present and future generations, including the development of a “safe, effective and accessible” vaccine against Covid-19, education and the economic recession, the Minister said that “it is our responsibility to give substance to the ideal of multilateralism of action”.
“For multilateralism, the pandemic has been a life-size stress test, which has questioned – and still questions – the effectiveness of the system in times of global crisis”, he pointed out, noting that two structural conclusions seem to result therefrom.
“First that multilateralism has not disappeared and is not about to disappear. For a simple reason: there is no better alternative,” he explained, noting that afterwards, “it is not enough to preserve multilateralism; it must be improved, in particular, by learning the lessons of the pandemic.”
“The Covid-19 is, undoubtedly, a turning point in the history of multilateralism. It must mark there, also, a point of inflection”, he went on, recalling that if “eroded”, the foundations of multilateralism remain “solid”.
“It is based on an institutional base – the UN – which has not ceased to develop for 75 years; it relies, on the other hand, on a legal framework, which today includes a few thousand international conventions, of which the United Nations is the guardian,” the Minister added.
“It is this constructive and reforming spirit that the Alliance for Multilateralism stands for, and it is this very spirit that Morocco supports,” Mr. Bourita said.
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Charter, French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, and his German counterpart, Mr. Heiko Maas, chaired this ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism, held through video conference, and which was dedicated to strengthening the multilateral health architecture and the fight against infodemics.
