In a statement adopted unanimously, they "expressed appreciation to the Kingdom of Morocco for hosting the 6+6 Committee in Bouznika from 22 May to 6 June 2023".

This distinction from the executive body of the United Nations is a clear and an unequivocal UN and international recognition of the commendable efforts made by Morocco, in accordance with the High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to support the efforts of the Libyan parties, the United Nations and the international community aimed at finding a definitive solution to the Libyan crisis that guarantees Libya’s national unity, territorial integrity, peace, stability and progress.

In the statement, the members of the Security Council reaffirmed their support for the mediation and good offices role of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions, building mainly on the Libyan Political Agreement adopted in Skhirat in 2015 as well as on progress in the 6+6 Committee negotiations aimed at producing viable electoral laws.

This high appreciation by the Security Council towards the Kingdom follows those expressed by the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, the United Nations Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the African Union and the League of Arab States which had all commended Morocco for hosting the 6+6 Committee and the Kingdom's credible efforts to help the Libyan parties reach a solution to the conflict in the country.

At a meeting of the AU PSC held via videoconference and dedicated to a communication on the development of a common African position on cybersecurity in Africa, the Kingdom also called for respect for the principles of international law applicable in cyberspace.

The Moroccan delegation cited sovereignty in cyberspace, the prohibition of interference in the internal and external affairs of States, the peaceful settlement of disputes, the prohibition of the threat or use of force, and respect for international humanitarian law and human rights.

In order to establish a robust global legal architecture for cyberspace, several levels of regulation must be taken into account, interrelated at the national level, in particular the security of each country's information systems, as well as at the regional, continental and international levels, the Moroccan delegation affirmed.

At the national level, Morocco has decided to establish mechanisms to protect and defend the information systems of government departments, public institutions and vital infrastructures, and to raise awareness among businesses and the general public of the challenges and risks posed by IT threats, the Moroccan delegation stressed.

To address the risks posed by the use of information and telecommunications technologies, the Kingdom has been committed since 2003 to establishing a legislative and regulatory framework to monitor cyber activities and ensure the security of citizens and critical infrastructure against cyber threats, the Moroccan delegation said.

Since 2012, Morocco has been committed to strengthening its national information systems security capabilities and consolidating digital trust through the development of a national cybersecurity strategy and a national directive on information systems security, whose mission is to raise and standardize the level of protection of all information systems of public administrations and organizations, as well as infrastructures of vital importance, the Moroccan delegation added.

At the international level, Morocco considers that international cooperation is essential to enable States to meet the challenges of cybersecurity and stresses the key role of the United Nations in promoting dialogue among its Member States in order to define a common understanding of implementation.

Morocco supports the efforts made within the framework of the United Nations on cybersecurity, the Moroccan delegation affirmed, recalling that the Kingdom has always supported the establishment by the General Assembly of all open-ended working groups on the issue of cybersecurity in the context of international security, and actively participates in the various meetings organized in the framework of these groups.

"We are very proud of the exceptional relations and bonds of solid friendship and deep brotherhood that exist between our two kingdoms under the leadership of our sovereigns, HM King Abdullah II and his brother HM King Mohammed VI," said the committee's president, Mohammad Dawodieh.

During a meeting at the House of Counsellors with the Chargé d'Affaires at the Moroccan Embassy in Amman, Adil Oussihamou, the former ambassador to Rabat, noted that bilateral relations derive their solidity from the deep fraternal ties rooted in history that unite the two royal families, highlighting the convergence of views at a high level on the political and diplomatic fronts based on permanent coordination and consultation.

In this regard, he stressed the importance of the complementarity between the two Kingdoms, especially in their historic role on the Palestinian issue, with HM King Mohammed VI as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee and HM Abddallah II as Hashemite Guardian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Al-Quds.

He also stressed Jordan's constant support for the issue of Morocco's territorial integrity, noting that his country's position on this issue has always been "clear" and "suffers from no ambiguity," as evidenced by the opening of a Jordanian consulate in Laayoune.

Mr. Dawodieh, who is also the Chairman of the Culture, Youth and Sports Committee of the Council of the Kingdom, expressed his appreciation for the progress made in Morocco in all fields under the wise leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, noting that the two kingdoms have enormous opportunities to explore in order to reinvigorate their bilateral cooperation.

To this end, the members of the Moroccan-Jordanian Fraternity Commission unanimously stressed the need to give new impetus to bilateral economic relations, particularly in the fields of investment, tourism, agriculture, education and health, with the involvement of the private sector.

They deplored the "still timid" nature of trade between the two countries, whose volume will barely exceed 41 million dinars in 2021, despite several conventions and cooperation agreements, and called for the resumption of the direct Casablanca-Amman air route, suspended since the Covid crisis.

For his part, Mr. Oussihamou said that this meeting comes within the framework of ongoing consultations to examine ways of developing bilateral cooperation, particularly at the parliamentary level, in line with the multidimensional strategic partnership that unites the two kingdoms.

Speaking at the opening of the Government Council, Akhannouch said that major projects are on the agenda for the new political year, including strengthening water and food sovereignty, as well as promoting investment to create jobs and make the "Morocco Offer" effective in the field of green hydrogen.

The government is also working to develop a new approach dedicated to direct support for families wishing to acquire a primary residence and to continue implementing the royal project for social protection, he added.

As part of this project, the social benefits program will be launched before the end of the current year, based on the unified social registry, which is the most effective mechanism for targeting poor and destitute households, he added.

In this regard, Akhannouch urged the various ministries and governmental bodies to intensify their efforts to implement the various public policies adopted by the government.

He also called on members of the government to give priority to projects that are the subject of high royal instructions and fall within the framework of agreements signed before His Majesty the King.

Regarding the implementation of major reforms, he affirmed that the government is committed to implementing ambitious public policies in priority social sectors such as education, health and employment.

He also pointed out that since its inauguration, the Government has been working in an international context marked by the recurrence of crises and the escalation of geopolitical tensions, stressing that the Kingdom, under the wise leadership of His Majesty the King, has been able to cope with these pressures and manage complex crises, limiting their repercussions and mitigating their direct impact on the national economy and the living standards of citizens.

Akhannouch highlighted the high royal directives contained in the Throne Day speech, which he described as a "compass for government action," such as the guidance for the 2024 budget, the broad outlines of which reflect the seriousness of the executive.

The Head of the Government praised the full commitment of his Cabinet to the implementation of the High Royal Directives and the Government Program over the past two years, and called for speed and efficiency in the implementation of the various projects planned for the coming years in order to live up to the trust placed in His Majesty the King and the expectations of Moroccans.

The MASI.20, an index of the 20 most liquid stocks, decreased by 0.21% to 960.52 pts.

With financial support from the Republic of Korea, the program aims to identify high-potential start-ups and mobilize global expertise to help them develop rapidly, says the EBRD in a press release.

"Star Venture" has demonstrated its full potential by making a significant contribution to the growth and success of the five start-ups that participated in its first cohort, the same source points out, citing the example of "Pipip Yallah" specialized in car-sharing, "Deepecho" in the field of artificial intelligence applied to healthcare and "Weego", specialized in sustainable mobility, which have distinguished themselves by achieving remarkable performances thanks to the personalized 18-month coaching and resources made available to them by the program.

Currently deployed in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) regions, including Morocco, as well as in the Western Balkans, Turkey, Bulgaria, Moldavia and Romania, the "Star Venture" program already supports over 350 early-stage companies worldwide.

Drawing on an international network of mentors, advisors and investors, "Star Venture" offers personalized support to young companies for 18 months to help them realize their full potential, while supporting gas pedals to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The primary aim of the program is to identify promising young companies, with a view to helping them improve their operational efficiency and foster rapid growth.

The objective is lofty. The summit seeks to propel the club, set up in 2009, to playing a role of “flag bearer” of the global south and, hence, pave the way for a reform of the global financial and political governance architecture.

However, experts wonder about the viability and durability of the project. The ambition is bogged down, according to them, in the complexity of a disparate group and in the diverging objectives of its member countries some of whom suffer from huge economic deficits.

+ The South African Wrong Key +

South Africa is mentioned on top of the list. The country that joined the bloc in 2011, has always lagged behind in terms of economic performance compared to China, India, Russia and Brazil, which represent the backbone of a group designed to be the gathering of emerging countries.

The experts' arguments are shored up by statistics. During the first decade since the inception of the BRICS, all four countries initially performed well. China’s economy grew by 176%, India’s by 110%, Russia’s by 60% and Brazil’s by 47%. The club saw its performance go downhill after the much smaller South Africa joined in 2011.

During that decade, South Africa’s economy went from bad to worse as a result of the disastrous policies of the African National Congress, at the helm of the country since 1994. A modest growth of 3,17% was the country’s best performance during that decade. The rate would continue to go down the slippery slope with 0,66% in 2016, 0,30% in 2019 before hitting the bottom of a humiliating -6,34% in 2020.

This year, China’s GDP will hit 19 trillion dollars, ie 50 times higher that South Africa’s. Worse, the country’s economy is just a quarter of that of Brazil, which ranks fourth among the BRICS countries.

Since 2014, South Africa saw its sovereign grade degraded by the major rating agencies, as a result of the state of collapse of a country crippled by years of corruption.

The figures are the perfect illustration of the “false key” that South Africa represents within the club. Pretoria’s inclusion in the group has been considered so since the beginning by Jim O’Neill, a former British chief economist at Goldman Sachs, who gained world fame for coining the acronym BRIC to combine the four large emerging economies (South Africa was not on his list). 

In a note to investors, O’Neill said: “the presence of South Africa within the group is a handicap”. He believed that the country’s limited capacity to contribute to financing the bloc’s initiatives is “a brake” to the group’s development plans.

+ The Dream of mirage leadership+

The media frensy in which the South African leaders embarked on over the last weeks, tells about their stubbornness to defend a so-called “leadership” in Africa.

Lyal White, researcher at the South African Brenthurst Foundation, says that Pretoria is indeed over paced by other economic powerhouses in Africa. A situation which shows, according to the researcher, the “insignificant” economic role of South Africa in a bloc in which it was admitted “for geopolitical reasons”.

Folashadé Soulé, researcher at Oxford University, believes that South Africa has lost much of its economic clout in Africa. The country can no longer pretend to be “the spokesman” of Africa, he says, stressing South Africa’s economic failures.

+ an Outdated Dogmatic Posture+

The analyst also stresses that foreign investors are turning their back to South Africa, preferring more secure and more promising destinations on the continent.

South Africa’s presence in the BRICS “is only meant to serve the country’s foreign policy interests rather than those of Africa”, adds Soulé.

Several analysts agree, in this regard, that the dogmatic and ideological posture Pretoria adopts to serve lost causes is an additional brake to the BRICS’ capacity to attain its economic objectives. An attitude that indeed make South Africa “the lame duck” of the group.

Even though South African leaders claim that their Country’s presence in the BRICS is an opportunity to promote African interests, it actually allows Pretoria to attract international attention despite its modest economic weight, notes the researcher, citing “serious suspicions" in Africa with regard to the real aims of South Africa within the club.

Speaking at the ceremony, held in the locality of Al-Ramm, north of Al-Quds, Ismail Al-Ramli, coordinator of the Agency's programs and projects in Al-Quds, stressed that under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency is present on the ground to support the Palestinian people in general and the inhabitants of the Holy City in particular.

Noting that this ceremony is an opportunity to reward the graduates and encourage them for the next steps, Al-Ramli highlighted the projects carried out by the Agency and the support it provides to Al-Quds institutions and its inhabitants to sustain their resistance in the Holy City.

In this respect, he praised the cooperation between the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency and the Directorate of Education and Teaching in the Holy City in implementing educational projects and building schools, with a view to developing the education system which faces many challenges and obstacles.

Al-Ramli also highlighted the ceremony organized on Monday by the Agency on the occasion of Youth Day, which coincides this year with the 60th birthday of HM King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, with the presence of Makdissi children benefiting from the 14th edition of the "Green March" summer camp.

For his part, the Vice-Governor of Al-Quds, Abdellah Sayyam, congratulated the students and their families, praising the efforts of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency in supporting the residents and institutions of Al-Quds.

For his part, Ayoub Alian, representative of the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Teaching, expressed his gratitude to Morocco: King, government and people, for their support for the Makdissis and their attachment to Al-Quds and its sacred sites, which need support in these difficult circumstances.

At the end of the ceremony, the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency presented the graduating students with laptops and certificates of appreciation.

"Thanks to its big waves that stretch along the 2,500 kilometers of Atlantic coastline, Morocco has some of the world's best surfing spots that are active all year round, hence the craze for the sport, which is becoming increasingly popular with Moroccan women," the media outlet points out.

In addition to their sporting successes, "Moroccan women surfers set a positive example of commitment and perseverance, opening up new horizons for women who are passionate about this sport of the heart and courage," it adds, referring to one of the pioneers of Moroccan women's surfing, Maryam El Gardoum.

According to the publication, the former champion founded a surf school where she teaches the sport to local women, "thus mobilizing, like other of her peers, for the promotion of this discipline among her fellow women."

The Italian media also refers to an "inspiring new generation", citing Lilias Tebbai, a six-time national champion despite being only 19 years old.

"The professional surfer has proven her skills both in Morocco and on the world stage," the magazine notes. In fact, she won three gold medals in the women's edition of the Agadir Open and a gold medal in the team competition -Team Morocco- at the 2018 Gymnasiades, where she also won a silver medal.

The MASI.20, an index of the 20 most liquid stocks, gave up 0.03% to 962.24 pts, while the MASI.ESG, an index of companies with the highest ESG rating, as published by Moody's ESG Solutions, fell by 0.05% to 890.36 pts.