Rabat – Morocco earned a seat as a member of the UN Sub-Committee on the Prevention of Torture on Thursday.
The committee re-elected the North African country as a member in the person of Abdallah Ounnir.
Ounnir is a former head of civil and judicial affairs at the United Nations Interim Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and member of the regional human rights commission in Tangier-Tetouan.
The re-election took place during the eighth meeting of states party to the optional protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).
The sub-committee has a mandate focused on an innovative, sustained, and proactive approach to the prevention of torture and ill treatment, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said.
Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the re-election of the Moroccan candidate is a “new achievement by Morocco at the UN Human Rights Bodies,” according to the country’s state media.
For the ministry, the re-election is an “undeniable recognition of the irreversible commitment of our country in the way of upholding the rule of law, democracy and respect and protection of all human rights in their indivisibility.”
The ministry celebrated the re-election, recalling that the achievement is the “fourth success in a row within a month for the candidatures” of Morocco to human rights bodies at the UN.
In September, Morocco earned several seats on UN committees.
Morocco through Mohammed Amrati won a seat on the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights for four years (2021-2024).
The same month, Morocco secured a place on the UN Human Rights Committee, with 127 votes of 171.
