The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and of Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, has highlighted on Monday 4th of May 2020, the relevant and insightful Vision of H.M King Mohammed VI in responding to Covid-19 at the online Summit of the Contact Group of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Speaking in a videoconference during this meeting devoted to examining the means to counter the pandemic, Mr. Bourita recalled the visionary call that H.M the King Mohammed VI had launched during the 14th Summit of the Movement, in 2006.
”We need to put in place mechanisms for reflection, proposition and consultation, to master the stakes and address the challenges to which we are confronted due to wars, domestic conflicts, poverty, pandemics, and terrorist threats,” said Mr. Bourita, noting that the Royal call to the second largest grouping of States after the United Nations resonates even more in the wake of a global health crisis unlike any.
Referring to the consequences of the pandemic, Mr. Bourita, in his analysis, indicated that:
-Morocco believes that ensuring universal access to a future vaccine, at affordable prices, is instrumental to global health. It is a cause for the Non-Aligned Movement to defend;
-We need to redouble efforts to preserve the progress made so far in fighting precariousness and poverty;
-Morocco considers that the African Union’s appeal to bilateral and multilateral donors to accelerate their financial and technical support and reduce the debt of Africans must resonate within the Non-Aligned Movement.
Addressing the experience of the Kingdom, Mr. Bourita clarified that the Moroccan response was based on 5 principles, defined by His Majesty the King Mohammed VI: solidarity; anticipation; prevention ; a holistic approach and prioritizing citizens – especially the most vulnerable.
Mr. Bourita explained that from the first detected cases, Morocco has declared a state of health emergency. In the same time, he recalled that Morocco has channeled the internal resources available towards the Special Covid-19 Fund, created on the initiative of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI. So far, the great surge of national solidarity has endowed the Fund with more than 3.5 billion US dollars, he said. Thanks to the fund, 5.1 million households – many of which operate in the informal sector – were able to benefit from direct financial subsidies, he noted.
Mr. Bourita recalled that Morocco has also mobilized the national industry to produce personal protective equipment, namely millions of masks produced locally.
With regard to the response at the level of the African Continent, Mr. Bourita stressed that in accordance with the spirit of solidarity and Afro-optimism, His Majesty King Mohammed VI launched an initiative aimed at creating an operational framework for work with African countries in the fight against the pandemic. It is a pragmatic and action-oriented initiative, dedicated to share experiences and best practices to deal with the health, economic and social impact of the pandemic.
As a reminder, the Non-Aligned Movement is the second-largest platform globally in terms of country membership after the UN. It currently has more than 120 members. (End)