Beirut-Rabat, 18 June 2019 (ESCWA)--During her visit to the Kingdom of Morocco last week, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCWA Rola Dashti met with the Prime Minister, Mr. Saadeddine Al Othmani and other senior officials separately.
 
Dashti reaffirmed the readiness of ESCWA to support Morocco in addressing socio-economic challenges, and to achieve a well-balanced development vision that leaves no one behind.
 
For his part, Al Othmani stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation to achieve sustainable development, commending the support provided by ESCWA to Morocco in implementing its development plan. He pointed out that Morocco has a clear vision and objectives to be achieved by 2021, including increasing competitiveness of the national economy and restructuring it through: industrial development, and reform of social protection systems and rationalization of public expenditure and support, especially in the health sector.
 
Al Othmani stressed the need to harness #technology to achieve this vision, and make a remarkable move in the Kingdom’s development process. He also called for increasing the level of cooperation with ESCWA in these areas.
 
Al Chami
Dashti also met with the President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council of the Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. Ahmed Rida Al Chami, and highlighted the role of the Council in providing well-founded advice that reflects different viewpoints within the Moroccan community.
For his part, Al Chami underscored the possibilities to avail from ESCWA studies and reports for the Council’s research.

 
Hakkaoui
Dashti also met last week with Minister of Family, Solidarity, Equality and Social Development in the Kingdom of Morocco Bassima Hakkaoui, where she emphasized that Morocco’s achievements and reforms in empowering women are exemplary and should be a highlight in the region.
Hakkaoui told Dashti that, in Morocco, ESCWA is well reputed as an organization working on supporting countries to achieve sustainable development in accordance with national priorities.

 
Boucetta
In another meeting, Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the Kingdom of Morocco Mounia Boucetta expressed to the Executive Secretary of ESCWA her satisfaction with the support provided by ESCWA to Morocco and called for expanding this cooperation particularly in implementing Agenda 2030.

 
Lahlimi
Dashti also held an encounter with High Commissioner for Planning in Morocco Ahmed Lahlimi, where both parties discussed the need to enhance Arab integration, and working with ESCWA on conducting studies that highlight the importance of integration in Sustainable Development process at the regional level.

 
 

 
For more information:
-Nabil Abu-Dargham, Head, ESCWA Communication and Information Unit,
+961-70-993-144; email: dargham@un.org  
-Ms Rania Harb, Public Information Assistant, +961-70-008-879; email: harb1@un.org
-Ms Maryam Sleiman, Public Information Assistant, +9611978815, email: sleiman2@un.org