The MASI.20, an index of the 20 most liquid stocks, lost 1.26% to 825.48 pts, and the MASI.ESG, an index of companies with the best ESG rating, as published by Moody's ESG Solutions, dropped 1.33% to 780.05 pts.

During this meeting, Skopeček stressed the strength of the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, adding that Morocco is a pole of stability in the region, the House of Representatives said in a statement.

The Deputy Speaker of the Czech House of Representatives noted the potential and opportunities that should be invested to promote economic, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries, adding that "Morocco is a strategic ally of the Czech Republic."

The Czech parliamentary delegation stressed, according to the statement, the importance that the Czech Republic attaches to relations with Morocco, and the importance of developing and diversifying areas of cooperation between the two countries in all sectors, including the green economy and clean energy, industry, education, health and immigration.

For his part, Talbi Alami welcomed the distinguished relations between the legislative institutions of the two countries, recalling that the two Houses, linked by an institutional twinning project, adhere to major regional and international parliamentary organizations.

On this occasion, Talbi Alami reviewed the major projects undertaken by Morocco, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, particularly in relation to socio-economic and cultural development, the promotion of the human element, the strengthening of democracy and human rights, the enshrinement of the rule of law, the protection of women's rights and the consolidation of the values of peace, religious tolerance and co-existence.

This meeting, added the same source, was marked by the presence, on the Czech side, of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Morocco Ladislav Skerik, and members of the Parliamentary Committee for European Affairs in the Czech House of Representatives, and on the Moroccan side, MP El Hussein Ben Tayeb, chairman of the friendship parliamentary group Morocco-Czech Republic.

The Moroccan parliamentary delegation was composed of Mohamed Sabbari, first vice-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jamal El Ouardi, member of the House of Councillors, and Lotfi Bouchaara, Morocco's Ambassador in Russia.

The working sessions of this session, which brought together 45 African legislative institutions and the Russian State Duma, addressed several topics, including parliamentary cooperation in the field of education and teaching, responses to economic challenges and indivisible security.

During his participation in the working session on indivisible security, Sabbari stressed to the participants of the various African parliaments, on behalf of the Moroccan delegation, the importance of uniting the African peoples and rejecting discrimination and secession, the House of Representatives said in a statement.

He also said that the participation of the Moroccan Parliament in this Conference aims to strengthen the voice of a united Africa and reject terrorism, secession and interference in the affairs of States, adding that Africa needs active states within the continent, working for the good of the continent.

The plenary session of the Parliamentary Conference was marked by the address of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, in which he stressed his country’s willingness to cooperate with African countries in various areas, and to double aid in infrastructure, energy production, debt relief and exchange of Russian technology and expertise, the statement said.

This session was also an opportunity for the representatives of the peoples of the African continent to emphasize the importance of cooperation between Russia and Africa and to discover the various areas of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as the need to combine efforts to sustain security and stability in Africa and all regions of the world.

It should be noted that the Moroccan Parliament had participated in the first edition of the International Parliamentary Forum Russia-Africa, which was held in Moscow in 2019 on the theme of the development of parliamentary practice.

In the final declaration adopted at the close of this 55th session, the African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development expressed their full support for the first African Union Policy Conference on promoting the peace, security and development nexus, held last October in Tangier.

The 55th session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the link between peace, security and development and voiced their full support for the relevant African Union fora aimed at promoting the aforementioned nexus.

The COM2023 started, on Monday in Addis Ababa, its proceedings with the participation of Morocco.

Ambassador Mohamed Arrouchi, Morocco's Permanent Representative to the African Union and UNECA, led the Moroccan delegation to this session under the theme "Fostering recovery and transformation in Africa to reduce inequalities and vulnerabilities".

This 55th session, which was held in person and by videoconference, was marked by the election of Morocco to the Bureau of the Conference as 2nd Vice President and member of the Drafting Committee for two years.

The Director of Planning at the High Commission for Planning Abdeslam Nadah, who was speaking at a roundtable on "policies and programs to promote resilience and reduce poverty and inequality in a context of global shocks" initiated by COM2023, said that Morocco is firmly committed, under the leadership of His Majesty the King, to the choice of a social state, reflected, among other things, by the implementation of a vast investment program mobilizing one third of GDP in socio-economic infrastructure, access to basic social services especially in rural and peri-urban areas and in the transition to the green economy.

Nadah also said that about 50% of the general budget of the State is allocated to social sectors, the implementation of long-term human development strategies including the national initiative for human development which was launched by His Majesty the King since 2005 and which has helped achieve the Millennium Development Goals and is currently contributing to the realization of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations and the 2063 Agenda of the African Union.

The Director of Planning at the High Commission for Planning also highlighted the programs of drinking water supply, electrification, opening up the rural world and access to social housing with the support of the State, integrated policies dedicated to the promotion of the situation of women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities and the involvement of the private sector through the development of public-private partnerships, improving the business climate and encouraging domestic and foreign investment.

The Moroccan delegation called for implementing initiatives in the field of green finance which represents an essential lever to fight against climate change in both components of mitigation and adaptation, noting that mobilizing significant resources can not be ensured only by States. It is therefore essential to appeal to private capital, at the national and international level, in particular, to meet these challenges and to include the financing approach in a logic of public-private partnership, said the Moroccan delegation.

In the same sense, to finance these investments, public and private actors must have access to appropriate and sustainable funding. Thus, the financial sector must be able to channel savings to green investments and provide investors with the necessary resources to enable them to contribute to achieving sustainable development goals, noted the Moroccan delegation.

The Moroccan delegation stressed the need for coordinating efforts at the continental and international levels, noting that South-South cooperation is required in this regard.

These Chira bales were thrown overboard during a chase, carried out during the night of Sunday and the morning of Monday, of suspicious cormorants who did not obey the calls of the Royal Navy's units, added the military source.

The seized drugs were transported to the ports of Nador and Marina Smir and then handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for the usual procedures, added the same source.

Co-organized by Tajikistan and the Netherlands with the support of the United Nations, the Conference will be devoted to the mid-term comprehensive review of the implementation of the goals of the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028, which was proclaimed by the UN GA, in December 2016.

Morocco, which advocates in particular for a better consideration of the water issue in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, participates in this UN flagship event by a delegation led by the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka.

In this interview, the UN GA president has commended the "very visionary and wise" policies implemented by Morocco for sustainable water management. He also stressed that the Moroccan strategy in this area will greatly help the economic development and social development in Morocco.

   Interview by Karim Aouifia

1- What are the implications of holding such an international conference on water in the current situation?

Csaba Kőrösi: The drama of water is unfolding as we speak. The not enough water, the too much water or the too polluted water. We are in the midst of the water crisis. We have to stop wastewater crises, we have to get this water crisis under control. Otherwise, all the progress what we're going to achieve in the implementation of the SDGs would be reversed, so we'd say, a real, historic watershed moment. We have to seize the opportunity. We have to create this opportunity.

2- What are your expectations vis-à-vis the outcome of the conference, especially when it comes to the SDG number six?

As I just mentioned, we are in the middle of the crisis, but the good news is that we see the driving forces of this crisis, we see the solutions we see and we understand the necessity of the cooperation and there is a good spirit now for the cooperation. So my expectations are very high. We need to create a moment that can be a little bit similar to what we achieved in 2015 in Paris, for the climate policies. It should be a breakthrough point. That is my real hope that we can achieve it at the end of this three days water conference. This water conference is being organized almost 50 years after the last one. We don't have another 50 years to wait

3- In Morocco, there is a deep awareness at the high level of the state about the importance of managing water. How do you evaluate and assess this, this policy?

Water storage is one of the key elements in renewing our water and climate policies. Water storage can be in many ways, building reservoirs to store more water in the ecosystem, or to store more water in the aquifers. And I would like to come into Morocco, for its very visionary policies to work on water conservation, and work on water storage as well. It will greatly help the economic development in Morocco and social and social development. I think Morocco has a very wise water policy.

4- Africa is one of the hardest hit regions when it comes to climate change, water scarcity and all the repercussions that come with that and what should the continent expect from this conference?

The good news is that Africa is already the main beneficiary of the UN system and your system policies are leaving no one behind. The same applies to the World Bank Group. More than 50% of the capital allocations of the World Bank Group is going to Africa. I think it will stay or maybe even increase in the years to come but the developing countries in general will benefit greatly if we do the work right here in the conference. However, this conference is not a forum where some other countries will come to tell the African countries what they have to do. It is an opportunity for the African countries themselves to come up with their own strategies with their own visions on how to integrate water and climate policies in their countries. How to align finances with projects and how to improve the education system and then seek cooperation from the international partners. I think that will be a good opportunity at this conference. If we can create an atmosphere and we can agree how to integrate water and climate policies. If we can agree that we need to create a global voter information system that will be a leapfrog and that will be absolutely crucial and beneficial for developing countries, including in Africa.

We need to create an education network in the world to produce more experts. Be them technicians will be the PhD scientists, Africa definitely needs to improve its pool of experts. I hope this network will help African countries. And last but not least, we need to rethink jointly. What does it mean to renew the economy of water? What does it mean in the modern economy? How to decouple the water use from food production and land use. If we can solve these questions here at this conference, even if we can agree on these major points, I think Africa and in general the developing countries will benefit from the common work and decisions greatly.

"I would like to come into Morocco, for its very visionary policies" that rely on water conservation and storage, Kőrösi said in an interview with M24, MAP's 24-hour news channel, on the occasion of the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, to be held on March 22-24 at the headquarters of the international organization.

He said that “water storage is one of the key elements in renewing our water and climate policies," noting that the storage of this vital source can be done in in many ways, including building reservoirs to store more water in the ecosystem, or to store more water in the aquifers.

This strategy, which includes a rationalized water use water and increasing the number of dams, “will greatly help” Morocco's economic and social development, added the president of the UN General Assembly, stressing that the Kingdom has a "very wise water policy.”

At the UN conference on water held for the first time in over five decades, Morocco will be represented by the Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka leading a large delegation. On this occasion, the Kingdom intends to reiterate its constant commitment and to plead with the international community for a better consideration of the water issue in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Morocco also plans to reaffirm its ties with its partners, while expressing its willingness to share its experiences and best practices accumulated in the water field, within the framework of a solidary and active cooperation.

Referring to the challenges of this international conference for Africa, which is struggling with the impact of climate change and a succession of droughts and floods, the President of the UN General Assembly said that the countries of the continent will have the opportunity to propose "their own strategies with their own visions" on how to integrate water and climate policies.

It is also for African countries to discuss how to align finances with projects and how to improve the education system and strengthen cooperation with international partners in water management, he added.

The UN official also called for creating a global voter information system to train more experts, believing that these steps will benefit developing countries, including Africa. "Africa definitely needs to improve its pool of experts," he said.

He also expressed the hope that the conference would be a "real, historic watershed moment," similar to the one that led to the Paris climate agreement in 2015.

The UN Water Conference 2023, which will bring together heads of state and government, ministers and stakeholders, will be dedicated to the in-depth mid-term review of the implementation of the goals of the Decade for Action on Water 2018-2028, which was proclaimed by the UN GA, in December 2016.

The program of this event includes plenary meetings, a general debate, high-level interactive dialogues dedicated to water in relation to health, development, climate, resilience, environment and international cooperation, side events as well as exhibitions.

The United States deeply appreciates "the longstanding, historic and steadfast partnership with Morocco," said Blinken on this occasion.

Agreeing, Bourita stressed that the friendship between Morocco and the United States is strong, and that the partnership between the two countries has never been as strong as today, "a partnership based on common commitments to peace, stability and prosperity, which His Majesty King Mohammed VI appreciates."

During their meeting, the two senior officials also had the opportunity to consult on various regional and international issues, including the war in Ukraine, support for elections in Libya and the situation in the Sahel.

The United States has a long-standing, historic, and steadfast partnership with Morocco, which “has been such an important force for stability, peace, progress, and moderation," the U.S. Secretary of State stressed.

Blinken praised Morocco's "leadership" in working on the renewal of relations with Israel and in areas of critical importance to the world, including climate change and renewable energy, where Morocco has been a true leader.

Morocco and the United States work together in "so many different areas," said the U.S. top diplomat, who cited the military exercise "African Lion" to be held soon in Morocco.

Bourita's visit to Washington marks the momentum of regular exchanges between Morocco and the United States, which has intensified considerably over the past two years, with the visit to the Kingdom of many senior U.S. officials and the organization by Morocco of important joint events, including the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in May and July 2022 or the U.S.-Africa Business Summit that served as a prelude to the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, hosted by President Joe Biden last December.