Message from HM King Mohammed VI to participants in the 9th global forum of the United Nations alliance of civilizations
Miscellaneous announcements
On the occasion of the 9th World Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), King Mohammed VI sent a message to the participants on Tuesday, November 22. Here is the full text of the royal message, read by André Azoulay, Advisor to the Sovereign.
“Praise be to God, Prayer and Salvation to the Prophet, His family and His companions.
Mr Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr High Representative of the United Nations for the Alliance of Civilizations, Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations is holding, today, the 9th edition of its world forum, on African soil. It thus gives a strong signal of continuity and universality. It unites around a shared purpose: moving towards “an alliance of peace” and a common objective: responding to the imperative of “living together” in the name of “one humanity”.
That the Alliance of Civilizations meets in Fez is a self-evident occurrence. Did Morocco not have the privilege and honor of being among the founding members of the Alliance? Isn't Fez the spiritual capital of a thousand-year-old Kingdom? Isn’t its Al Quaraouiyine University the oldest university center in the world – the place where Muslim scholars, Jews and even a sovereign pontiff perfected their knowledge? Isn't its Euro-Mediterranean University building, today, a space for academic and intercultural dialogue between the two shores?
Fez is thus, obviously, the very incarnation of a fruitful alliance between civilizations. That the Alliance of Civilizations meets in Fez is also a privilege that goes without saying. After New York, Baku, Bali, Vienna, Doha, Rio, Istanbul and Madrid, it was appropriate that the global forum of the Alliance of Civilizations be held on African soil. Isn't Africa the cradle of humanity, the melting pot of civilizations, the reservoir of youth and the promise of the future?
For all these reasons – and many others, we wanted the place which welcomes you today to symbolize the double meaning of the meeting: both in its essence – embodied by Fez and in its scope – reflected by the Africa. We are committed to ensuring that this forum produces concrete results. It cannot be otherwise, given the importance of the subject and the awareness of its urgency. This is also the meaning of the Message that We are addressing to this 9th Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.
It marks Our confidence that this meeting brings the added value expected by Us and by the Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, and it testifies to Our common determination to materialize the excellent cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Nations.
Today, we are continuing the path opened by all those who have worked to promote the influence and relevance of the Alliance of Civilizations. In this regard, we salute the determination and commitment of the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos.
The valiant minds who designed the Alliance of Civilizations knew how to design a forum for the future. Today, we are thinking of all those, particularly in Spain and Turkey, who have contributed to the perpetuation of this organization and its institutionalization as a reference for understanding, trust and dialogue between cultures and religions. and civilizations.
The ideals of peace that inspired us in 2004 are the same ones that guide us in this Forum. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The current context is marked by the resurgence of the causes which were at the very origin of the creation of the Alliance of Civilizations:
- Never has our civilization been so exposed, never has living together been so threatened on a daily basis;
- Rarely has the Other been so associated with suspicion or used to stir up fear and foment hatred;
- The extremes saturate the debate and disqualify moderate speeches; religions are too often exploited, when they are not stigmatized;
- Populism agitates societies, inventing questions without answering them, brandishing migration like a scarecrow in electoral contexts and setting up the migrant as a scapegoat;
- Continents that have broken with war are returning to weapons and violence, in all its forms;
- Covid-19 has marked the return of withdrawal, even though it could have crystallized awareness of a shared destiny;
- While the planet produces enough to feed all of humanity, food insecurity threatens the world;
- Terrorism feeds on separatism and lurks where political instability slows down socio-economic development;
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is always an opportune time to talk about peace – peace beyond the absence of conflict; peace as a worldview; peace as a relationship with others. And the Alliance is, in this respect, a powerful vector of peace.
Indeed, unlike wars – of which we know the beginning, but never the end – dialogue is an inherent success. Faced with the resurgence of conflict, dialogue is always a positive promise: if not of resolved disputes, at least of strengthened mutual knowledge. The dialogue led by the Alliance must have a voice and build the conditions for success. It is from dialogue that salvation will come, provided however:
- That this dialogue be inter-civilizational: that is to say inclusive and concerned with humanity in all its components, to understand the world in its plurality, act through non-vertical multilateralism and embody the universal in the first sense ;
- That this dialogue be inter-generational: that is to say, it involves youth and combines the future with the present. Young people not only represent the generations we must protect from the scourge of war and hate speech; they are those who, from now on, make peace;
- That this dialogue be inter-continental: that is to say non-ethnocentric. I can speak of Africa and for Africa, of the place that legitimately belongs to it and not in a backyard; the treatment to which she is entitled: neither assisted nor left behind; that it has the partners it deserves and who deserve it and that it is considered for what it is: that is to say the demographic lung of the world and its economic reservoir, with its hopes and its assets .
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Founding Member of the Alliance of Civilizations, the Kingdom of Morocco has been part of all the organization's struggles:
- First, for reasons consubstantial with its identity: Morocco is structured around a model of openness, harmony and synergy which has seen the Arab-Islamic, Amazigh and Saharo-Hassani components converge, and which , simultaneously, was enriched by African, Andalusian, Hebrew and Mediterranean tributaries. - And also for reasons inherent to its commitments: the values of the Alliance, the ideals it carries and the paradigm it promotes are also the values of Morocco, its ideals and its paradigm.
From the beginning, Morocco has been committed to this avant-garde and has remained there consistently: First, it has committed itself by promoting openness as a culture of peace:
- Our Grandfather, the late His Majesty King Mohammed V, protected compatriots of the Jewish faith in the face of Nazi barbarism and the brutal and segregative practices of the Vichy regime;
- Our father, the late His Majesty King Hassan II, cultivated during his Reign the spirit of brotherhood between Jews and Muslims of Morocco, everywhere in the world;
- For more than two decades, we have personally sought to promote and safeguard Moroccan Jewish heritage and to cultivate this spirit of sincere communion between Jews and Muslims, in the land of Islam; this link makes Morocco unique.
- And, with irrefutable constancy, We make, in the Kingdom of Morocco, the constantly renewed choice to remain a land of tolerance, coexistence and openness. Secondly, Morocco is committed, by living religion as an instrument of peace:
- As Commander of the Faithful – of all Believers, We guarantee the free exercise of religion throughout the Kingdom of Morocco;
- We consider that religion must be a bulwark against extremism and not its pretext, and We advocate this conviction, everywhere, through the religious diplomacy of the Kingdom. The Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulemas and the Mohammed VI Institute for the training of Imams Mourchidines and Mourchidates aim to counter the radicalism raging at the gates of Africa and to promote an Islam of moderation, of the golden mean.
- Aware of this role, Morocco had the United Nations General Assembly adopt resolution A/73/328 on the “Fight against hate speech: promotion of interreligious, intercultural dialogue and tolerance”. Co-sponsored by 90 countries, this resolution highlights the Fez Action Plan on combating hate speech and promoting inter-religious dialogue.
- We welcomed His Holiness Pope Francis to Morocco, on the occasion of a historic visit during which We underlined the importance of seeing the three Abrahamic religions "open up to each other", in respect for otherness and knowledge of the other.
- With Pope Francis, We signed the Al Quds Appeal, which pleads for the preservation of the Holy City as a meeting place for the faithful of the three monotheistic religions and a symbol of peaceful coexistence, dialogue and mutual respect.Third , Morocco is committed, by working for development, in the broad sense, as a pillar of peace:
- Morocco is an essential ally in the fight against terrorism; a reliable partner in the fight against climate change; an actor responsible for migration management;
- Morocco is involved in all areas of action of the Alliance – whether it is the strengthening of multilateralism, the promotion and empowerment of youth or the empowerment of women and the highlighting of their role as actors of peace and security.
Mr Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr High Representative of the United Nations for the Alliance of Civilizations, Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Politics speaks to citizens, religion speaks to their souls, dialogue speaks to their civilizations. In all languages we must speak to peace. This injunction comes from the perspective of past and future generations. In this very special moment in History, while we fight against climate change, as we combat terrorism, as we work in favor of sustainable development, water, energy and food security, and development in general, it we must return to the essential, that is to say living together.
There is no point in carrying out major projects if we cannot go beyond this first link of living together, in the name of a single humanity which places humanity at its heart.
Wassalamou alaikoum warahmatoullahi wabarakatouh".
