2024-07-11 22:40:49
The Responsibility to Protect agenda was adopted by the United Nations at the 2005 World Summit as a cardinal point for the protection of populations from mass atrocities.
The Kingdom’s appointment as co-chair of this important Group, alongside Croatia and Guatemala, reinforces its commitment to strengthening the agenda of the responsibility to protect, by contributing to all relevant discussions and debates of the UN General Assembly and Security Council on this matter. It thus reaffirms the central place that Morocco occupies within the United Nations, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to promote and preserve human rights and fundamental freedoms.
This important co-presidency constitutes a recognition of Morocco’s role, as a regional and continental leader, in promoting and implementing the strategy of the responsibility to protect. It also consecrates its irreversible commitment to the prevention of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.
The mandate of this Group of Friends is to engage actively in the development and submission of resolutions to the General Assembly on this issue. It also works to ensure that the responsibility to protect figures prominently in a number of resolutions adopted by the Security Council. This important agenda is regularly included on the United Nations agenda, with the submission by the Secretary-General of an annual report on the responsibility to protect and the prevention of atrocity crimes.
This Group intends to engage with the UN Secretary-General and other UN officials to strengthen the means for the effective implementation of the Responsibility to Protect strategy, namely identifying and responding to early warnings, honouring legal commitments relating to the protection of civilian populations, promoting socio-economic inclusion and equality, combating identity-based intolerance and hate speech, leveraging the education sector to promote tolerance, respect for diversity and social cohesion, and placing children and young people at the centre of atrocity prevention efforts.
The responsibility to protect agenda is structured around the priorities highlighted by the Secretary-General in these annual reports, including engagement and support for civil society and State partners by national governments, data collection on risk factors specific to the atrocity situation, sharing of lessons learned and good practices on atrocity crimes, global prevention, and compliance with related United Nations mandates, programmes and initiatives, including those relating to children, youth, peace and security and sustainable development.
Finally, this important designation comes the day after the Kingdom’s brilliant election to the presidency of the Human Rights Council in 2024 in Geneva. This reflects the international appreciation enjoyed by the Kingdom in terms of consecrating the rule of law and strengthening respect for and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms.
During its co-presidency, the Kingdom will remain faithful to the line it has always held as an active and committed member of this Group, by continuing its role as promoter of tolerance and coexistence between nations and as a messenger of peace and respect for religions and cultural diversity within multilateral fora, in accordance with the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
2024-07-11 22:40:49