Assahafa.com
Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Omar Zniber, attended on Monday the opening of the 72nd session of the Trade and Development Board (TDB) of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which is being held in Geneva until November 28.
UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan opened the session by presenting the outcomes of the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 16), the organization’s activities during 2025, and the outlook for 2026.
The TDB serves as UNCTAD’s governing body between the four-year sessions of the Conference. It meets annually in Geneva to oversee the organization’s activities.
This session comes at a timely moment, one month after the adoption of the Geneva Consensus at UNCTAD 16 in October. The Consensus represents a significant step toward establishing a fairer, more inclusive, and sustainable global economic order.
Speaking under agenda item 3, relating to the general debate, Zniber praised UNCTAD’s work in support of developing countries, particularly through its research and analytical capacities and technical assistance, notably in debt management, investment capacity-building, and trade facilitation.
The ambassador reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to actively contributing to the implementation of the Geneva Consensus, highlighting two key priorities.
First, he emphasized the promotion of South-South trade partnerships as a crucial driver of regional economic integration, noting that UNCTAD can support its member states through the Global System of Trade Preferences (GSTP) by identifying new areas for inclusion, enabling them to promote sustainable trade and development.
The diplomat also highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation and regional South-South initiatives, which are vital for addressing the challenges faced by developing countries, particularly the least developed countries (LDCs), including in the field of infrastructure.
As an example, Zniber cited the royal initiative aimed at improving access for Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, designed to open up the Sahel region, provide vital maritime access, and strengthen security, stability, and shared prosperity for the 23 African countries bordering the Atlantic.
The diplomat also took the opportunity to invite the UNCTAD and its African member states to participate in the second edition of the AfCFTA Business Forum, to be held on December 11-12 in Marrakech.
Source: map
