United Nations (New York) – Morocco’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Omar Hilale outlined in New York the strategic axes of the Rabat Ministerial Declaration on Middle-Income Countries (MICs) adopted at the closing of the high-level International Conference on MICs, which was held on February 5 and 6 in the Kingdom’s capital.

This presentation took place Thursday at United Nations headquarters in the presence of ambassadors of Member States, partners, and representatives of several UN agencies, including the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The participants thanked and congratulated the Kingdom for the strategic vision it has devised for MICs at the level of the United Nations and vis-à-vis international financial institutions.

The Ambassador underlined that at the initiative of Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living
abroad, jointly with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and UNDP, this conference, held under the theme “Solutions to the development challenges of middle-income countries in a changing world”, achieved its objectives.

He explained that Morocco succeeded in bringing together MICs from Africa, Asia and Latin America and engaging in collective reflection on concrete and action-oriented solutions in order to reorganize development cooperation with and between all middle-income countries.

The conference made it possible to rethink cooperation frameworks at the national, regional and international levels to support MICs, noted Hilale, adding that this conclave also succeeded in promoting the emergence of a new ‘strong and positive’ narrative in order to reorganize development cooperation with middle-income countries with a view to meeting their expectations and needs, as well as the challenges they face.

The diplomat further stated that the Rabat Declaration called for a paradigm shift in interna
tional cooperation in the service of sustainable development, by inviting United Nations entities, funds and programs to further develop specific strategies to engage and provide tailored support to middle-income countries.

This Declaration also supports the proposal of the United Nations Secretary-General to establish a high-level expert group to advance the selection of multidimensional indicators that complement or go beyond GDP, he indicated.

Under this Declaration, it was also decided to work towards the development of a Strategic Action Plan for MICs for the period 2025-2030 and to promote dialogue, coordination and cooperation in order to defend and make the interests of MICs heard.

The active participation of several countries and the UN system during this briefing demonstrates the great interest in the Moroccan initiative as well as in its outcome: the Rabat Ministerial Declaration which is now an official document of the General Assembly for the current session.

The participants highly praised t
he Kingdom’s commitment and the efforts made by Moroccan diplomacy to highlight MICs’ priorities at the international level.

Source: Agency Marocaine De Presse

Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, stated during a commemorative event in Beirut, “We are facing two scenes in Gaza,” saying that the first represents the resistance, “fighting with exceptional courage.”

The second represents the “Israeli-American enemy because what are we seeing today is an American-Israeli decision or rather more than that; Israel is a ‘tool’ used by the US.”

He added: “Faced with these two scenes, we have two choices: Either to be with this brutal occupying enemy or with the resistance and the rightful owners of the land.”

He added, “In the face of these two scenes, history will document who collaborated with Israel and who failed to support the resistance. Arabs, Muslims, and any human cannot say they have no connection to what is happening in Palestine […] This history cannot be erased.”

He further stated, “Despite all this brutality, Israel has not achieved anything. I tell you that it will not achieve anything. No matter how long it takes, Israel will
remain in the ‘hell’ it entered without achieving any results.”

Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the resistance has triumphed and prevented Israel from achieving its goals despite all the political, media, financial, and arms support it received.

Nevertheless, he noted that the resistance “remains steadfast,” and its operations continue.

“Resistance leaders have informed us that they can endure even if the situation continues for months. When we asked them about Rafah, they told us that the enemy thinks it is the operations center, although it is a city like any other city in Gaza,” he added.

He emphasized, “Regarding the circulated rumors about a ceasefire agreement: If there is no proposal leading to a cessation of fighting and ending the war, you are asking the resistance to hand over prisoners in exchange for some food and the release of detainees to then ‘eliminate’ the Palestinians. What kind of reasoning is this?”

“The solution lies in stopping the war, but not in this manner. Whoever bets on crushing
the resistance has discovered that it cannot be ended,” he added.

The Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah asked, “What if Israel attacked Lebanon?”

Adding: “In case it attacks Lebanon, we will face it, and it will curse the moment it decided to attack Lebanon. Patriotism requires supporting the resistance that defended and is still defending Lebanon.”

“Today, any patriot in Lebanon must be in the ranks of the resistance […] Today, we are facing a pivotal challenge, and rest assured that the enemy is suffering massive losses,” he stated, adding that one of its policies is “hiding” its losses, as “it puts a third of its army on the northern border.”

He concluded: “Some say we are losing, yes, both of us are losing, […] but our loss will be the foundation for victory in the future.”

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon