Rabat – Morocco has reiterated its support for women’s role in restoring and maintaining peace and security.
On Wednesday, Morocco’s Embassy in London organized a roundtable on “Women in Peace and Security” in partnership with the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security (GIWPS) and the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS).
The event gathered ambassadors, high commissioners, practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers to discuss the women in peace and security (WPS) agenda and Morocco’s role in its promotion and implementation.
In an address to the distinguished guests, Morocco’s Ambassador to the UK Hakim Hajoui underlined the country’s experience in defending women’s rights.
“The Kingdom of Morocco, under the Vision of King Mohammed VI, has made gender equality and the respect, protection and promotion of women’s rights a priority of both its national policies and its international agenda,” Hajoui said.
The Moroccan ambassador further stressed Rabat’s commitment to adopt a multilateralism approach to address pressing regional and global issues.
“Today’s event will also be the opportunity to share best practices, and experiences and to explore ways of working together to address this important issue which Morocco and the UK have vowed to make a high priority,” the diplomat added.
Hajoui also recalled Morocco’s National Action Plan for 2021-2024 which represents a milestone towards the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
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The resolution, adopted in 2000, addresses the impact of war on women while underlining the importance of women’s equal participation “in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response, and in post-conflict reconstruction.”
In March, Morocco launched its first WPS national plan, during the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN, in an effort to boost gender equality and female empowerment.
According to Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the “ inclusive, innovative, and holistic” plan calls for prioritizing peacekeeping, preventive diplomacy, the culture of peace, and women’s economic empowerment.
“The presentation of this plan is not an exercise in formalism, it is rather a direct implementation of resolution 1325 and successive resolutions of the security council,” Bourita added in an address to the international community.
In the past years, Morocco has worked on restoring and maintaining peace particularly in Africa by leading peace negotiations, providing humanitarian aid to conflict-affected areas, and countering extremism and terrorism.
Executive Director of GIWPS Melanne Verveer addressing the attendees
Welcoming the Moroccan efforts, Executive Director of GIWPS Melanne Verveer stated that “The Morchidates program [for women religious scholars] is a model for other countries to adopt and an antidote to extremism.”
In addition to Verveer, UK Minister for Africa Gillian Keegan, Senior Fellow at PNCS Nouzha Chekrouni, and Acting Chief Executive Officer at Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women’s Center Souad Talsi also reviewed the Moroccan efforts in promoting the WSP agenda ahead of the twenty-second anniversary of resolution 1325.
Grateful for the opportunity to participate in a roundtable on Women, Peace & Security co-hosted by Moroccan Ambassador @AmbHHajoui and @BaronessGoudie.
The UK will be publishing our 5th National Action Plan on this important agenda later this year #WPS #UNSCR1325 pic.twitter.com/ilMfRExzjB
— Gillian Keegan (@GillianKeegan) October 13, 2022
