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Fez– King Mohammed VI’s strategy on South-South cooperation reflects “a constant act of solidarity” with countries of the Global South, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, said on Wednesday during a high-level UN meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Speaking at the opening of the expanded Bureau meeting of the United Nations High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation, chaired by Morocco, Hilale renewed Morocco’s commitment to South-South and triangular cooperation.
He described this strategy as a key pillar of Morocco’s diplomatic approach.
Hilale said Morocco has long promoted an action-oriented model of cooperation based on solidarity, particularly with African countries as well as nations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
He mentioned the role of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation in supporting these partnerships.
The Moroccan diplomat stressed the growing importance of South-South and triangular cooperation as the world approaches the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline.
He noted that global geopolitical tensions, climate risks, and declining public development aid have increased the need for stronger cooperation among developing countries.
Hilale also pointed to major changes in the global economy, saying South-South trade now accounts for more than one-third of global trade and is growing faster than exchanges between northern and southern countries.
He added that investment flows, development financing, and exchanges in technology, knowledge, and public solutions between countries of the Global South continue to expand in key sectors such as climate action, digital transformation, agriculture, and public health.
According to Hilale, these developments are helping countries of the South strengthen their leadership and take greater ownership of their development paths.
The three-day meeting, organized at the invitation of Colombia’s presidential cooperation agency, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, and the United Nations Development Programme in Colombia, brings together representatives from UN regional groups, development banks, the private sector, and cooperation agencies from several Latin American countries.
Discussions during the conference are expected to focus on a proposed Global Alliance for South-South and Triangular Cooperation under the UN Office for South-South Cooperation.
The initiative is presented as an important step toward improving international coordination and strengthening partnerships, resources, and knowledge-sharing among member states, UN agencies, development banks, and regional organizations.
The alliance aims to better respond to the priorities and needs identified by participating countries while reinforcing cooperation across the Global South.
