Mr. Hilale was speaking during an open debate held at the Council on Tuesday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1265, which for the first time established the protection of civilians as a crucial issue for international peace and security, as well as the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 relating to the protection of civilians in time of war.
The Ambassador underlined on this occasion that despite the continued commitment of the international community to protect civilians against human rights violations and atrocity crimes, the world is witnessing a continued and widespread degradation of respect for civilian life. and an “appalling” disregard for the norms and laws established to mitigate the effects of armed conflict.
In this context, he emphasized the imperative of “total and effective” respect for international law for the protection of civilians, noting that all parties to conflicts are required to respect international humanitarian law and international law of human rights, while those responsible for violations must answer for their actions, particularly with regard to sexual and gender-based violence linked to conflicts.
Member States should take significant measures at the national and international levels to improve the protection of civilians in times of conflict, including by implementing policies and practices relating to the mitigation of harm caused to civilians, noted Mr. Hilale .
The co-chair of the Group of Friends on the Responsibility to Protect called on the international community to ensure assistance to civilians caught in conflicts, adding that members of the Security Council should take rapid and decisive action in this direction.
Speaking, moreover, in his national capacity, the ambassador permanent representative of Morocco to the UN underlined the constant commitment of Morocco under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in favor of peace and security regional and international.
He noted that this commitment is materialized in particular by a consistent contribution from Morocco to peacekeeping operations, noting that the Kingdom, which is one of the oldest and most important contributors of troops in Africa and in the world, with more of 75,000 members of the Royal Armed Forces deployed as part of 15 UN peacekeeping operations on all continents since 1960, has established itself as a provider of excellence for the training of troops, particularly in the context of of the triangular partnership linking it to the UN and the member states of this organization.
Furthermore, Mr. Hilale recalled the speech of His Majesty King Mohammed VI addressed to the 15th Summit Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Banjul on May 4, 2024, in which the Sovereign underlined: “We are therefore deeply concerned by the rise in speech inciting hatred which is causing more and more victims”, affirming: “We are hopeful that the resolution initiated by the Kingdom of Morocco and adopted unanimously by the “General Assembly, on July 25, 2023, on the subject of the fight against hate speech, will make it possible to make a qualitative leap in the fight against the phenomenon of extremism and hate speech”.
Referring to the tragic situation in Gaza, the ambassador indicated that Morocco, whose Sovereign His Majesty King Mohammed VI is the President of the OIC Al Quds Committee, reiterates its request for an immediate, lasting and verifiable in Gaza and to allow the smooth delivery of humanitarian aid in sufficient quantities and without hindrance.
He also stressed the imperative to ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law, as well as the release of all prisoners and detainees, the diplomat continued.
He stressed that Morocco rejects the imposition of a new reality in the Gaza Strip, attempts to forcefully displace Palestinians, as well as the threat of extending military operations to encompass all of the territories of the Strip. Gaza, including Rafah.
“The Kingdom of Morocco insists on the obligation to open a political perspective to the Palestinian question allowing the relaunch of the two-state solution, with an independent Palestinian state, on the borders of June 4, 1967, with Al Quds East as its capital” , concluded the ambassador.