The Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Omar Hilal, highlighted, on Tuesday in New York, Morocco’s firm and steadfast adherence, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, to the values of coexistence and the fight against hate speech and intolerance.
Hilal’s statement came during a high-level event organized by the Permanent Mission of Morocco to the United Nations and the United Nations Office for the Prevention of Genocide, on the occasion of the Third International Day against Hate Speech, on the topic “Investing in the capacity of young people to confront and combat hate speech.”
This international day, which is commemorated on June 18 of each year, was adopted by the United Nations, at the initiative of the Kingdom in July 2021.
In this context, Hilal indicated that the King kindly gave his instructions to place Moroccan youth at the heart of any integrated development strategy, by adopting policies centered on the principles of equal opportunities, quality education, citizenship education, and cultural and professional empowerment.
The diplomat explained that the goal is to ensure that young people are protected from any marginal, risky behavior, and to enable them to work as agents of change within society, highlighting that the involvement of Moroccan youth in combating hate speech and extremism within society has “proven its effectiveness” in combating all forms of social exclusion. Hence, the relevance of the integrated national strategy for youth (2015-2030) is highlighted.
The ambassador indicated that Morocco attaches utmost importance to the pivotal role of civil society and youth associations, recalling the establishment of the Advisory Council for Youth and Association Action in July 2011.
He noted that Morocco currently has about 50,000 associations throughout the national territory, active in several fields including education, social integration, health, sports, political leadership, defending human rights and youth development, adding that the work of these associations contributes to strengthening Moroccan youth. From the scourge of hate speech and enhancing their role as agents of change.
Ambassador Hilal confirmed that the King reaffirmed the importance of integrating youth, in his message addressed to the Ninth Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, held in November 2022 in Fez, where he stressed that the dialogue must “be an intergenerational dialogue, involving youth and anticipating the future.” Youth do not only represent the generations that we must protect against the scourge of war and against hate speech in its various forms, but they are the same generations that are actually involved in peacemaking.”
On the other hand, participants during this event praised the Kingdom’s role and leadership in combating hate speech in all its forms, including within the digital space where this speech is widespread. They pointed out that this international day serves as a reminder of the importance of jointly confronting hate speech and mobilizing the efforts of all components of society, including youth, in order to overcome this scourge.
The holding of this high-level event established the role of the Kingdom, under the enlightened leadership of King Mohammed VI, as a regional and international leader in combating hate speech. It also represents recognition of Morocco’s tireless initiatives to advance the values of coexistence, coexistence and dialogue across the world.
This event was marked by the reading of a message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in which he highlighted that “youth are often the group most affected by hate speech, and therefore they must be part of the solution.”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations stressed that “governments, local authorities, religious leaders, entrepreneurs, and community leaders have a duty to invest in promoting tolerance, pluralism, inclusion, and combating hate speech in all its forms.”
For his part, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, stressed in a recorded message the need to embody the values of harmony, tolerance, understanding and respect, which are essential for healthy societies.
“This is how to engage 1.2 billion people on this planet,” he said. Young people, who represent 16 percent of the world’s population, are the most connected to the Internet. “They are often the first to experience online hate, as targets, victims, or witnesses, and they play a vital role as agents of positive change.”
This event, which witnessed the participation of many ambassadors and diplomats accredited to the United Nations, was distinguished by the presentation of interventions by young people and a number of United Nations officials, especially the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, the Special Adviser on the Rights of Children at UNICEF, and the Special Adviser to the Office on Violence Against Human Rights. Children, along with representatives of the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
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2024-06-21 07:21:29