Announcement

In Morocco, UN deputy chief talks action and reform for development and climate resilience

17 October 2023
Officials from various countries and institutions on a panel with bright screens and logos behind them.
Caption: In Marrakech, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed (third from right), speaks at a panel organized by Morocco on the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, on October 14, 2023.
Photo: © UN/Ass Hagouchi

The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, concluded on October 14 her visit to Marrakech, Morocco, to attend the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

During her visit, Ms. Mohammed gave opening remarks at a breakfast roundtable jointly hosted by the Open Society Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation and attended by government ministers and philanthropies. Attendees discussed reform proposals to create greater fiscal space for development and climate resilience and sought to strengthen the coalition around the proposals to drive action during and following the Annual Meetings. 

Ms. Mohammed emphasized the human cost of the slow progress in implementing agreed reforms, noting that 3.3 billion people live in countries where the cost of debt service now exceeds spending in education or health.   

A UN official, the deputy head of the UN, speaks to a member of a partner organization, and smiles brightly.
Caption: Deputy UN chief, Ms. Amina Mohammed, at a meeting on the United Nations' 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 2023.
Photo: © UN/Ass Hagouchi

The Deputy Secretary-General also attended the Development Committee of the IMF and World Bank on behalf the Secretary-General, noting that the global community is not meeting the ambition of the SDGs and called on partners to implement the Secretary-General’s SDG Stimulus to fuel faster progress and finance information in key areas including food, energy, and digital technology.  

She welcomed the steps taken by the Bank to reform through its evolution roadmap while urging Board members to support further and faster change. 

Furthermore, the UN Deputy Chief addressed a panel organized by Morocco on institutions contributing to the achievement of 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.  

In Morocco, Ms. Mohammed also met with a wide range of partners, such as the African Development Bank, ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) and the Vulnerable Group of 20 (V20), as well as women leaders from the region. Discussions centered around sustainable development policies, especially in light of undeniable climate crisis and human vulnerability, Ms. Mohammed added. 

This news story was extracted from Daily Press Briefings by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. 

To learn more about the UN team’s work in Morocco in French and Arabic, visit: morocco.un.org.