Morocco’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Omar Hilale, in his capacity as co-facilitator of the UN process relating to the World Social Summit, carried out a working visit to Geneva with his Belgian counterpart, Philippe Kridelka, from April 22 to 24. This visit is part of the effort aimed at preparing the modalities of the Summit slated for 2025.
During this trip, Hilale held meetings with the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), Volker Turk and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi.
He also met with the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope, and the Director-General of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Gilbert Houngbo.
During these high-level meetings, the ambassador had a fruitful exchange with the leaders of these international organizations whose contribution will be key to the success of the next social summit.
Ranging from the role of multilateral trade in accelerating social development, to the centrality of the public health sector and medical coverage in consolidating cohesion and the well-being of populations, Hilale insisted on the need to strengthen these two sectors with a social vision focused on the human component of social development. He highlighted the key role of the WHO and the WTO in this sense under the leadership of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The exchange with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, for its part, focused on the centrality of human rights for the achievement of social development. In this regard, the Moroccan ambassador underscored the need to change the narrative with regard to this issue and to mend the trend of international tension around issues related to human rights.
Regarding the meetings with the heads of the UNHCR and the IOM, they focused on issues relating to the social development of refugees and migrants, mainly the challenges linked to their integration and inclusion in host communities.
To this end, Hilale underlined the opportunity that the World Social Summit gives the international community to put forward the political recommendations necessary to improve the conditions of refugees and migrants throughout the world, as well as to highlight the importance of migration as an opportunity for sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions.
During the meeting with the ITU Secretary-General, the focus was on the access to new technologies for developing countries and the new economic and social reality marked by the rise of artificial intelligence. The emphasis was also put on the challenge that should be taken up by Member States and which consists of putting artificial intelligence and new technologies at the service of social development by ensuring sustainable and inclusive access to developing countries.
Hilale and his Belgian counterpart in New York also had a working session with more than 20 experts and directors of technical departments related to the ILO. This informative meeting was an opportunity to review the history of the preparations for the first World Social Summit in Copenhagen in 1995, its preparation, its duplication, as well as the monitoring of the implementation of the Copenhagen Action Plan for social development.
During this meeting, the parties took stock of the perspectives and expectations of the ILO, 30 years after the historic Summit of 1995, during which heads of state and government defined an ambitious common vision of social development aimed at social justice, solidarity, harmony and equality within and between countries.
The Moroccan diplomat highlighted, in this regard, that the next Summit should respond to the realities of today's world, strengthen the implementation of the Copenhagen commitments and enhance an inclusive and united vision for social development. It should also revive the culture of trust between States and people in order to renew a social contract that fosters peace, coexistence and sustainable development in the world.
Finally, the two co-facilitators of the UN process relating to the World Social Summit informed their interlocutors that the next stage of preparations for the Summit will be the presentation and negotiation of the draft modalities. These modalities will be negotiated by the member states of the United Nations as of next week.
