The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed today, Tuesday in Fez, that Morocco has always supported interfaith dialogue and been a pioneer in combating extremism. Mr. Guterres emphasized, in a speech on the occasion of the opening of the 9th United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Global Forum hosted by the city of Fez on November 22 and 23, that "Morocco is thus the natural host of this forum," praising "the wise choice of Fez to host this meeting."

He added that "the city's rich and ancient history makes it the ideal space for meeting and reflecting on what our world is currently experiencing."

The United Nations Secretary-General also did not miss the opportunity to express his gratitude to King Mohammed VI for his personal and continuous commitment to defending dialogue between religions, cultures, tolerance, and diversity as values that enrich our societies and our world."

Regarding the current global context marked by crises of trust and the collapse of values, Mr. Guterres noted that "hate speech, misinformation, and violence are becoming more widespread, particularly targeting women and the most vulnerable groups."

He stressed that "the scourges of fanaticism and irrationality have become more prevalent, as old evils such as anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, persecution of Christians, xenophobia, and racism have re-emerged," pointing out that "these odious scourges fuel each other and provoke division."

In this regard, the UN Secretary-General called for a collective initiative capable of building an alliance for peace at both global and local levels to respond to the challenges of our time, emphasizing the need "to work in these perilous times as one human family rich in its diversity, equal in dignity and rights, and united through solidarity." This global forum aims to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among different communities, cultures, and civilizations, with the participation of a group of prominent figures.

The opening session of this two-day forum, held under the theme "Towards an alliance for peace... Let us all coexist as one humanity," was marked by the royal message sent by King Mohammed VI to the participants, which was read by the King's advisor Mr. André Azoulay.

The Kingdom's hosting of this event is a confirmation of its effective commitment to the principles of dialogue, coexistence, and respect for others.

On another note, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, today Tuesday in Fez, called on African countries to join the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Friends Group.

Mr. Bourita affirmed, during the opening of the ministerial meeting of the 9th United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum, that "as this forum convenes for the first time on the African continent, the best message to emerge from our meeting is an invitation to African countries to join the Friends Group."

After pointing to the weak representation of the African continent, especially sub-Saharan Africa, in the Friends Group, he explained that the black continent constitutes only 20 percent of the members, with sub-Saharan Africa representing just 15 percent, while Europe accounts for nearly 34 percent of these countries, highlighting that almost all Arab countries and Latin America are members of the group.

Mr. Bourita also called for considering an African version of the forum, which would focus on the common challenges of African countries, noting that the alliance can benefit from its Mediterranean component to strengthen dialogue, understanding, and peace in the region, and to promote joint projects.

He continued that the Union for the Mediterranean, which is scheduled to hold its seventh forum next Thursday in Barcelona, can serve as a catalyst in this direction.

Mr. Bourita also said that the alliance should emerge as a proactive force capable of contributing ideas that would enhance dialogue and peace in the world, calling for studying the possibility of developing a comprehensive action plan for the alliance for the coming years, which would represent a roadmap including tangible measures and projects capable of strengthening dialogue, understanding, and peace.

The minister considered that Morocco had the honor of hosting allies for peace and coexistence in the city of Fez to discuss this shared destiny of humanity, affirming that “our duty is to promote dialogue among people and silence the voices of violent weapons.”

He concluded that "It is up to us to work together to realize this ambition we all share, which is to contribute to building a culture of openness, dialogue, tolerance, and peace globally."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, co-chairs this global forum together with the Deputy Secretary-General, the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos. The forum has the participation of 1,000 participants, including official delegations belonging to the group of countries and organizations friends of the alliance, civil society actors, alliance-related actors, academics, youth, and students.

This global event, attended by a group of high-level personalities including ministers, parliamentarians, diplomats, and religious leaders, aims to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among various communities, cultures, and civilizations, building bridges to unify peoples beyond their cultural or religious differences through developing a series of concrete measures aimed at avoiding conflicts and building peace.