Message from His Majesty King Mohammed VI to participants at the 9th World Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations  

On the occasion of the 9th World Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), King Mohammed VI sent a message to participants on Tuesday, November 22. Here is the full text of the royal message, which was read by André Azoulay, Advisor to the Sovereign.

"Praise be to God, Blessings and Peace upon the Prophet, His family and His companions.

Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. High Representative of the United Nations 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 global forum on African soil. It thus sends a strong signal of continuity and universality. It rallies around a shared purpose: moving toward "an alliance of peace" and a common objective: responding to the imperative of "living together" in the name of a "single humanity". 

That the Alliance of Civilizations meets in Fez is self-evident. Did Morocco not have the privilege and honor of being among the founding members of the Alliance? Is Fez not the spiritual capital of a millennial Kingdom? Does its Al Quaraouiyine University not constitute the oldest university center in the world — the place where Muslim and Jewish scholars and even a pontiff completed their knowledge? Is its Euro-Mediterranean University not today building a space for academic and intercultural dialogue between the two shores?

Fez is thus, evidently, the very embodiment 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. Is Africa not 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 insisted that the place hosting you today symbolize the dual meaning of the encounter: both in its essence — embodied by Fez — and in its scope — reflected by Africa. We are committed that this forum produce concrete results. It cannot be otherwise, given the importance of the subject and the awareness of its urgency. 

This is, moreover, the meaning of the Message We address to this 9th Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.

It expresses Our confidence that this meeting will bring the added value expected by Us and by the United Nations Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, and it testifies to Our shared determination to materialize the excellent cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Nations.

Today, we continue the path opened by all those who worked for the prominence and relevance of the Alliance of Civilizations. We welcome, in this regard, the determination and commitment of the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos.

The spirited minds who conceived the Alliance of Civilizations knew how to envision a forum for the future. Today, We have in mind all those, notably in Spain and Turkey, who contributed to the perpetuation of this organization and to its institutionalization as a reference for understanding, trust and dialogue between cultures, religions and civilizations.

 

The ideals of peace that inspired us in 2004 are the very ones that guide us in this Forum. 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, 

The current context is marked by the resurgence of the causes that 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 fear and foment hatred; 

- Extremes saturate the debate and disqualify moderate discourse; religions are too often instrumentalized, when they are not stigmatized;

- Populism agitates societies, inventing questions without answering them, brandishing migration as a scarecrow in election contexts and making the migrant a scapegoat;



- Continents that had broken with war are returning to arms and violence in all its forms;

- Covid-19 has marked a return to inwardness, even though it could have crystallized awareness of a shared destiny; 

- While the planet produces enough to feed all humanity, food insecurity threatens the world; 

- Terrorism feeds on separatism and lurks where political instability slows socio-economic development;

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is always the right time to speak of peace — peace beyond the absence of conflict; peace as a vision of the world; peace as a relationship to the other. And the Alliance is, in this regard, a powerful vector of peace.

Indeed, unlike wars — whose beginning we know but whose end is never certain — dialogue is a success by its very nature. Faced with the resurgence of conflict, dialogue is always a positive promise: if not of settled disputes, at least of strengthened mutual understanding. 

The dialogue carried by the Alliance must have a voice at the table and must build the conditions for success. Salvation will come from dialogue, provided however:



- That this dialogue be inter-civilizational: that is to say inclusive and mindful of humanity in all its components, to apprehend the world in its plurality, act through non-hierarchical multilateralism and embody the universal in its primary sense;

- That this dialogue be inter-generational: that is to say that it involve youth and link the future to the present. Young people do not only represent generations we must protect from the scourge of war and from hateful discourse; they are already those who make peace;

- That this dialogue be inter-continental: that is to say non-ethnocentric. I can speak of Africa and for Africa, of the rightful place it deserves and not as a backyard; of the treatment it is entitled to: neither assisted nor left behind; that it have the partners it deserves and who deserve it and that it be considered for what it is: namely the demographic lung of the world and its economic reservoir, with its hopes and its assets.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, As a founding member of the Alliance of Civilizations, the Kingdom of Morocco has been involved in all the organization’s struggles: 

- Firstly, for reasons inherent to its identity: Morocco is structured around a model of openness, harmony and synergy that has seen Arab-Islamic, Amazigh and Saharo-Hassani components converge, and which, at the same time, has been enriched by African, Andalusian, Hebrew and Mediterranean currents.

- And also for reasons related to its commitments: the values of the Alliance, the ideals it upholds and the paradigm it promotes are also Morocco’s values, ideals and paradigm.

From the beginning, Morocco has engaged in this vanguard and has remained there consistently: First, it engaged by promoting openness as a culture of peace:

- Our Grandfather, the Late His Majesty King Mohammed V, protected compatriots of the Jewish faith against Nazi barbarity and the brutal and segregationist practices of the Vichy regime;

- Our father, the Late His Majesty King Hassan II, cultivated during his Reign the spirit of fraternity between Jews and Muslims of Morocco, everywhere in the world;

- For more than two decades, We have personally worked to value and safeguard Moroccan Jewish heritage and to cultivate this spirit of sincere communion between Jews and Muslims in the land of Islam; this bond makes Morocco unique. 

- And, with irrefragable constancy, We make in the Kingdom of Morocco the constantly renewed choice to remain a land of tolerance, coexistence and openness.

Secondly, Morocco has engaged by living religion as an instrument of peace: 

- As Commander of the Faithful — of all the Faithful — We guarantee the free practice of worship 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 Kingdom’s religious diplomacy. The Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema and the Mohammed VI Institute for the training of Imams, Mourchidines and Mourchidates are intended to counter radicalism that rages at the gates of Africa and to promote an Islam of moderation and the middle way. 

- Conscious of this role, Morocco had adopted in the United Nations General Assembly resolution A/73/328 on "Combating hate speech: promotion of interreligious, intercultural dialogue and tolerance". Co-sponsored by 90 countries, this resolution highlights the Fez Plan of Action on combating hate speech and promoting interreligious dialogue.

- We hosted His Holiness Pope Francis in Morocco on the occasion of a historic visit during which We emphasized the importance of seeing the three Abrahamic religions "open to one another," in respect of otherness and knowledge of the other. 

- With Pope Francis, We signed the Call of Al Qods, which advocates preserving the Holy City as a meeting place for the faithful of the three monotheistic religions and as a symbol of peaceful coexistence, dialogue and mutual respect.Thirdly, Morocco has engaged 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; a responsible actor in migration management;



- Morocco is involved in all areas of action of the Alliance — whether strengthening multilateralism, empowering and valuing youth, or empowering women and highlighting 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 emanates from the gaze of past generations and future generations. In this very particular moment of History, while we fight climate change, combat terrorism, work for sustainable development, water, energy and food security, and development in general, we must return to the essential, that is to say living together.

There is no point in carrying out major projects if we cannot overcome this first link of living together, in the name of a single humanity that places the human being at its heart.

Wassalamou alaikoum warahmatoullahi wabarakatouh".