Morocco is the first country to chair the Center for Mediterranean Integration to coordinate positions among countries around the Mediterranean, taking over from the World Bank Group, which has been leading its activities until now.
The mandate of this presidency will cover the period from 2021 to 2024. Morocco becomes the first country to chair this regional center, taking over from the World Bank group that has been leading the CMI’s activities.
“Since its creation in 2009, the CMI has been a real engine for knowledge sharing, North-South and South-South exchanges, and thematic collaboration between the two shores of the Mediterranean. We welcome the appointment of the Kingdom of Morocco to the presidency of the Center, allowing a strengthened ownership of the Center by its members, including the southern Mediterranean countries,” Ferid Belhaj, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa region, was quoted as saying.
For his part, Mohamed Benchaaboun, Moroccan Minister of Economy, Finance and Administrative Reform, stressed that Morocco “welcomes this mandate at a pivotal moment in the development of the Mediterranean region, during this term,” he added,
Morocco will strive to consolidate the gains and achievements of the Center and will deploy new programs with regional scope, to ensure more convergence and contribute to the objective of building an area of stability and shared prosperity, in the light of accelerated changes in the post-Covid-19 world.
The CMI is a forum for the exchange of best practices, public policies and solutions to the development challenges of the Mediterranean region. It also facilitates the implementation of regional projects that meet the new challenges of inclusive, green and resilient development in the region.
The Center brings together development agencies, states, local authorities and civil society from around the Mediterranean to exchange knowledge, discuss public policies and identify solutions to the challenges facing the region.
HA/fss/abj/APA