UN Appoints Hilale Co-Chair of Group of Friends on Voluntary National Reviews of SDGs

Posted on by

The President of the UN General Assembly and the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) appointed Ambassador Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN along with the Ambassador of the Philippines, co-chair of the Group of Friends on the Voluntary National Reviews of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The appointment strengthens Morocco’s key role on the international scene thanks to the leadership and vision of HM King Mohammed VI, in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Morocco has adhered to the 17 SDGs, including poverty eradication, food security, climate action, and energy transition in its new national development model. The Kingdom has made a global partnership, including South-South cooperation, a strategic component of its foreign policy with Africa at its forefront. The Group of Friends was created in 2019, a year in which Morocco held the vice presidency of ECOSOC for two successive cycles in 2019 and 2020. It aims to support countries that will present their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) in the framework of the high-level political forum that takes place every year. The VNRs are a tool for assessing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and a space for sharing best practices in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Group of Friends of NRVs will play a transformative role during the decade of action and at ECOSOC high-level policy forums. The next High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will take place in July 2022, under the auspices of the ECOSOC. Morocco has twice participated in a voluntary national review under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2016 and 2020. The Kingdom had conducted a broad consultation campaign involving national institutions and international partners, particularly among UN organizations, to consolidate the collective ownership of the SDGs by national stakeholders.