Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Marrakesh will host, from the 27th to 29th of March 2018, the 1st African Summit of Rotary International under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI, Honorary President of Rotary Club in Morocco.
The official announcement of the organization of the Summit was made on November 11th, 2017 on Rotary Day at the United Nations, held in Geneva on November 10th and 11th (usually organized in New York).
The theme of this Summit will be “Rotary for Sustainable Development in Africa,” which was just announced on March 3rd in Ocher City by the organizing committee of this Summit. This was a first in the history of this global organization, which consists of more than 1 million, 200 thousand members.
The Summit Coordinator, Ahmed Benmejdoub, declared on this occasion: “For the organization of this event, we are mobilized, as a very active actor of the civil society, behind his Majesty the King as well as his vision for Africa, in bringing together a large number of decision-makers from all over the continent to discuss sustainable development actions for the coming years.
Since his nomination, adds Mr. Benmejdoub, Dr. Abdelilah Lahlali, Governor of Rotary International District 9010, gave an update on the role that Rotarians can play in sustainable development and peacekeeping on their continent.
Rotary International’s 9010 Maghreb District has joined the Royal Pan-African Vision in organizing this major event, a first in Rotary’s history. This is why Rotary International President Ian Riseley, accompanied by his wife Lady Juliet, will graciously Chair this event for what will be his first official trip to Morocco.
“We have reached a turning point where we need to meet to know each other, to discuss the situation of our continent and the role that Rotary can and must play as an actor in civil society, but also to design and build a sustainable strategy and set a vision of what tomorrow’s African Rotary will look like. ” said Dr. Abdelilah Lahlali, Governor of the 9010 Maghreb District.
At this Summit, the organizers will discuss the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the six strategic areas of Rotary International and the resulting actions that will have a real impact on the African continent. The Summit will bring together more than 750 leaders (decision makers, businessmen, lawyers, etc.), coming from 50 African countries but also from Australia, America, Europe, and Asia. This event will also be the opportunity for the organization of a forum for young African entrepreneurs.
The ultimate goal of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for Rotarians and their guests to share their perspectives on regional challenges and the evolution of Rotary around the world.
And last, but not least, there will be the launching, for the first time in Africa, of a training program on the Systemic Analysis of Development (ASD). Developed by the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC) in collaboration with the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), this project is initiated by Rotary of Morocco in partnership with the university through its Center for Canadian University Studies in Morocco (CEUCM) and the International Organization of La Francophonie through its subsidiary body, the Institute of Francophonie for Sustainable Development (IFDD).
The program that will be taught by Canadian experts and professors will make possible the use of the tools allowing for the operation of the program of sustainable development by 2030, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This training will be attended by about twenty selected candidates coming from several countries of French-speaking Africa in addition to Morocco, a world first for Rotary.
This program will enable the training of national experts that will be able to integrate in their national context the ASD to design and evaluate, in terms of sustainable development, the policies, strategies, programs, and projects (PSPP) of their countries in the perspective of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (PDD-H2030) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
ASD is defined as, “A participatory process of questioning and analyzing all the impacts of a policy, strategy, program, or project, taking into account the dimensions and objectives of the sustainable development, their interactions and the reference values that motivate their implementation, monitoring, and accountability, with a view to continuous improvement.”
Khalid Kabbaj, organizing committee chair declared, “This project is a continuation of the actions of Rotary International, one of whose strategic focuses is the preservation of the environment and sustainable development. On the sidelines of the Summit, International Rotary President Ian Risley will plant the last of the 1,200,000 trees challenge, a 9010 district governor challenge launched with Rotary clubs in the district”.
