This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress
The secretary of state in charge of maritime fishing, Zakia Driouich, reaffirmed, Friday in Bouknadel, the firm commitment of Morocco in favor of sustainable governance of the oceans, in accordance with high royal orientations.
According to a statement from the State Secretariat for Maritime Fisheries, Ms. Driouich, which was expressed at the opening of the high-level preparatory workshop at the third United Nations Conference on the Ocean (UNOC-3), scheduled for June 09 to 13, 2025 in Nice, recalled that Morocco has acquired an ambitious roadmap for the blue economy.
This roadmap includes an integrated maritime legal framework, fisheries development plans, the development of protected marine areas (AMP), and the fight against illicit, unsuccessful and unregulated fishing (INN), said the Secretary of State during this workshop, jointly organized by the Mohammed VI Foundation for the protection of the environment, and the French Embassy in Morocco.
On this occasion, Ms. Driouich praised the decisive role of the Mohammed VI foundation for environmental protection, in particular through its flagship initiatives such as clean beaches, blue pavilion and #B7arblaplastic.
She stressed the importance of associating youth and civil society with these efforts, recalling the participation of more than 500 young people in the African Tangier consultation in October 2024, and the involvement of more than 950 young African experts in the program to strengthen the oceanography capacity launched in November 2024.
The Secretary of State also insisted on the need to make a strong and coordinated African voice heard at UNOC-3, relying in particular on the results of structuring events organized in Morocco, such as the African Tangier consultation, the Blue Africa Summit forum and the BBNJ regional workshop in Rabat.
In this sense, it called to enhance African initiatives in ocean governance, to mobilize blue funding and to strengthen North-South, South-South and Triangular Partnerships.
Furthermore, Ms. Driouich recalled that Morocco is one of the first countries to have ratified the Marine Biodiversity Agreement beyond the National Jurisdictions (BBNJ), testifying to its commitment to sustainable management of marine resources, in accordance with the objective of sustainable development (SDG) relating to aquatic life.
She concluded by reaffirming the availability of the kingdom, under the enlightened leadership of SM The King Mohammed VI, to share her experience and to support African partners in the development of an inclusive and sustainable blue economy, insisting on the need to inscribe these efforts in a vision of food sovereignty, regional integration and shared prosperity.
Has at the Hassan II International International Center for Environmental Training, this workshop has experienced the participation, in particular, of the special envoy of the President of the French Republic for the Ocean Conference of the United Nations and ambassador for poles and maritime issues, Olivier Pepper d’Arvor, and the main environment, urban planning and mobility advisor to the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tosi Mpanu Mpanu.
