New York – HM King Mohammed VI addressed, on Monday, the Summit on the Millennium Devepment Goals held September 20-22 in New York.

Here is the full text of the address:

Praise be to God,                                                         May peace and blessings be upon
                                                                                     the Prophet, His Kith and Kin

Mr. President,
Your Majesties,
Your Excellencies,
Your Highnesses,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to attend this High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals. I should like, first, to pay tribute to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for making development issues a top priority in the United Nations Organization’s program of action.

Ten years ago, we adopted the Millennium Declaration as a common, consensual agreement to ensure human, globally consistent sustainable development. The question on everyone’s mind today is: What specific goals have been achieved under this historic Declaration?

In a spirit of responsibility and frankness, we should use this meeting to pause and make an objective assessment of what has been accomplished, determine the obstacles that need to be overcome, and devise the strategies needed to achieve the MDGs by the year 2015.

This momentous challenge calls for responsibilities to be shouldered collectively, not only by our partners among the developed countries, that have to honour their obligations with respect to financing development projects, but also by developing nations, that have to ensure MDGs take centre stage in their national policies.

This is precisely the course of action Morocco has embarked on. In 2005, we launched the National Initiative for Human Development.

The Initiative rests on an inclusive, consultation-based approach, participatory democracy, a system of governance founded on close proximity to the citizens, as well as on a deep, active involvement of the actors concerned in the Initiative’s projects, which seek to address shortcomings in social development efforts by creating jobs and income-generating activities.

Thanks to this bold initiative and to the in-depth reforms, sectoral plans and major projects it has triggered, Morocco has made much headway towards the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly with respect to fighting poverty, precariousness and social exclusion, and improving people’s living conditions in both urban and rural areas, especially by ensuring widespread access to electricity and drinking water.

Concurrently, a compulsory medical insurance scheme has been set up, together with a health cover plan to assist needy people.

The Kingdom of Morocco has also made a sovereign decision with respect to gender equity in family, health, school and job market issues. There has been noteworthy progress in this domain. The representation and active participation of women in political institutions and in public life have also been significantly enhanced.

The policy to make primary education accessible to all has resulted in 93 percent of children aged 6 to 11 being enrolled at school. Furthermore, in 2008, we adopted an emergency response plan to speed up the reform of our education and training system.

Given the importance we attach to the environmental dimension in development projects, we have been able to take successful measures with respect to protecting the environment and combating climate change.

Similarly, and in order to promote sustainable development through the optimal use of clean, renewable energy sources, we have launched a ground-breaking solar energy plan as well as an integrated program for wind power production.

Through these two projects, Morocco will be able to generate 42 percent of its energy needs from clean, renewable sources.

Mr. President,

The common commitment we made at the Millennium Summit has changed the lives of millions of people who are now enjoying their rights to education, health, employment and a dignified life.

However, can the conscience of mankind remain indifferent to the plight of more than one billion people who continue to suffer from hunger, and to the millions of children who die annually from malnutrition as well as from diseases and epidemics for which treatment is both available and affordable?

Certainly not. Such a bitter reality simply cannot be tolerated. Not only is it inconsistent with the aims of the revealed religions, of democracy and of international conventions, but it also contradicts the lofty human ideals of brotherhood, solidarity and justice. Sadly, this situation is also being exploited to foment hatred and fuel extremism.

To promote a global partnership based on solidarity, Morocco has made human development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals the central part of a practical, innovative South-South cooperation policy, especially with respect to sister African nations.

I believe a firm political commitment made by all our countries and supported by a global, specific partnership mechanism, with a clear implementation timetable, provides the best guarantee for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

At the same time, we need to anticipate potential problems and start thinking about the broad lines of our action beyond 2015, so as to ensure the continuity of our endeavours and be prepared to meet new challenges.

We should do this through collective action to strengthen the foundations of a global, harmonious, solidarity-based system to promote sustainable human development, in which efficient, equitable governance should play a key role so that we may offer upcoming generations a dignified life and build a future of peace, stability, progress and prosperity for all.
Thank you.

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.