In his opening remarks, Morocco’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Omar Zniber, highlighted the importance of this open exchange between the Francophone Ambassadors and the UN Secretary-General in the context of the major challenges facing the multilateral system.
He paid tribute to the Secretary-General’s efforts, particularly in the fight against climate change, and commended his commitment to multilingualism. Ambassador Zniber also recalled that Morocco’s presidency of the GAF places particular emphasis on identifying concrete solutions to the difficulties currently facing multilateralism, based on the group’s shared values of linguistic and cultural pluralism, democracy, human rights, and sustainable development.
For his part, Mr. Guterres reaffirmed his commitment to advancing the UN’s objectives across its three main pillars: peace and security, development, and human rights, while underscoring the central importance of development in the organization’s work.
He went on to brief the Francophone Ambassadors on the significant challenges the UN is facing, particularly regarding funding, in an increasingly complex global environment. In this regard, he presented his proposals to strengthen the Organization under his flagship “UN-80” initiative, which aims to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and mandate rationalization.
Mr. Guterres also reaffirmed his dedication to fulfilling the UN’s various mandates related to Africa and development issues.
The Francophone Ambassadors unanimously welcomed the initiative to hold this meeting and reiterated their commitment to multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations.
The GAF, chaired by Morocco for the 2025-2026 term, brings together more than 70 UN member states from all regional and political groups. It serves as an important catalyst for cooperation among Francophone countries in Geneva, which hosts over 42 international organizations.
Editorial team/le7tv