UN: Ambassador Hilale Re-elected President of Central African Republic Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission
Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Omar Hilale, was re-elected, by acclamation, by the members of the Peace-building Commission (PBC), as President of the Central African Republic Configuration. This plebiscite, renewed for the tenth consecutive year, testifies to the continued trust enjoyed by the Moroccan ambassador with regard to the successful conduct of his mission. It also represents an unambiguous recognition of his efforts and commitment to lasting peace and stability in the Central African Republic. This confidence and recognition were reaffirmed by Faustin Archange Touadera, President of the Central African Republic, during a meeting with Hilale on the sidelines of the work of the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in Kampala in January 2024. During this meeting, Mr. Touadera thanked Morocco for the multifaceted support provided to the Central African Republic for many years, both at the bilateral and multilateral level, notably through its presidency of the Central African Republic Configuration. He also invited the Moroccan ambassador to make a working visit to Bangui in 2024. For his part, Hilale praised the leadership of President Touadera and reiterated Morocco’s full support to achieving the priorities of the Central African Republic, identified by the Central African authorities and shared with him during his last visit to Bangui (November 7-11, 2023). This concerns, mainly, the successful organization of local elections – the first in the country for more than three decades -, a major political and democratic stake for the Central African Republic, and an illustration of effective local governance and legitimate local representativeness, which are both vectors of lasting peace in the country. It is also about investing in economic development in the Central African Republic, in order to bring about the paradigm shift desired by President Touadera, which will take the country out of a situation of dependence on humanitarian assistance and will enable the Central African populations to reap the benefits of sustainable socio-economic development. To this end, the Moroccan ambassador will ensure, during his current mandate as President of the Central African Republic Configuration, to continue to mobilize the political and diplomatic support of the international community and to engage regional and sub-regional technical and financial partners to redouble support for the Central African Republic as part of its longer-term vision in favor of lasting peace and stability and effective and sustainable socio-economic development. The Configuration will also focus on the development of advice and recommendations to the Security Council on the eve of the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).