Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, held talks, on November 29 in Rabat, with the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, on strengthening cooperation between Morocco and the United Nations (UN) on issues related to the future of peacekeeping in light of global geopolitical shifts.
On this occasion, Lacroix, on his first official visit to Morocco, expressed his sincere gratitude to Morocco for its long-standing commitment and extensive contribution to the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.
Lacroix praised the tireless efforts made by the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), under the Very High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, serving under the aegis of the United Nations (UN), as part of the peacekeeping missions they carry out with selflessness, dedication, and commitment, particularly in Africa.
The UN official also commended Morocco’s highly-appreciated role in all negotiation processes concerning the reform of the peacekeeping architecture initiated by United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG), António Guterres.
“Morocco’s contribution and support to peacekeeping operations are fundamental for us,” stated the UN official, noting that the Kingdom is one of the strongest peacekeeping partners, particularly for its constant contribution and support to the initiatives aimed at promoting peacekeeping and offering responses adapted to evolving crises.
The United Nations official stressed that Morocco’s “exceptional” contribution to peacekeeping operations comes with a price, paying tribute to the 60 Moroccans who passed away while serving within the United Nations (UN) missions.
“We are focusing on the future with Morocco,” stated Lacroix, shedding light on the current challenges facing the UN in its peacekeeping operations. “It is up to us to address these challenges together,” underlined the UN official, expressing his confidence that the Moroccan contribution to these efforts will be extremely important and decisive.
For his part, Minister Bourita reiterated the Kingdom’s firm and unwavering support, per the Very High Royal Instructions, to the initiatives carried out by the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) since 2017, particularly the United Nations (UN) Action for Peacekeeping (A4P), aimed at enabling the UN to keep pace with the current multidimensional challenges facing peacekeeping operations.
The Moroccan minister stated that given the geopolitical changes in the world, the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations require a new holistic and operational approach in line with the current reality and involving all stakeholders, to promote realistic and lasting political solutions.
On this occasion, the Moroccan minister expressed the Kingdom’s full support for the Summit of the Future scheduled for the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2024, with the hope that this Summit will come up with a new vision with precise objectives for the strengthening of multilateralism and the global review of the peacekeeping architecture.
The Moroccan official also reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitments following the launch of its “Women, Peace, and Security” Action Plan, as well as the initiatives Morocco has carried out within the United Nations (UN), particularly in the context of the fight against hate speech and misinformation against UN peacekeepers.
It should be recalled that Morocco is among the top ten countries in the world that contribute to UN peacekeeping operations. The Kingdom currently deploys 1,724 peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan.
Morocco has for many years chaired the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) coordination group on UN peacekeeping in New York. It also initiated the creation of a group of like-minded States in the fight against hate speech and misinformation against peacekeepers.
The meeting was attended by United Nations (UN) Military Advisor, General Birame Diop, and Civilian Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG), Gueladio Ba, as well as the Director of the United Nations (UN) and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Redouane Houssaini.
