The King’s Ambassador to Lebanon, M’hamed Grine, said Morocco’s bold approach in the fight once morest Covid-19 has spared it two waves of the pandemic spreading.
In a statement to the press on the sidelines of the work of the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development, Grine indicated that the forum “was an opportunity to recall the bold step taken by the Kingdom, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic”.
He explained that Morocco “and thanks to the decisions it took, which some considered strict, only experienced three waves of the pandemic, while most countries experienced five waves, thanks to the strict decisions, the latest of which was the closure of airspace until mid-February this year”.
Grine added that the mortality rate due to Covid-19 in Morocco, compared to the number of the population, placed the Kingdom among the countries with the fewest number of death cases, a ranking comparable to, or even much better than. a number of developed countries.
He said the way the Kingdom has coped with the repercussions of the pandemic was also unique economically and socially, with Morocco having quickly set up a solidarity fund fed by donations from citizens, from all categories of the world. Moroccan people.
He highlighted that this fund, which is an expression of solidarity, synergy and mobilization of everyone to help those affected by the repercussions of the pandemic, has helped to alleviate the suffering of citizens who have lost their jobs. , as it provided all members of the National Social Security Fund with compensation during the entire period of closure. Assistance was also granted to the companies themselves in order to maintain their presence and their employment.
Regarding the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development, the Moroccan ambassador indicated that this year’s edition takes place in a tense regional and international situation, due to the crisis in Ukraine and its effects on the economic plan, for several countries in the region and at the international level.
He underlined that the forum was also an opportunity to present the major projects launched by King Mohammed VI, relating to social coverage with an integrated and global approach, by broadening the coverage in terms of retirement allowances and generalizing compulsory health insurance for all categories of society.
He added that the approach also involves the generalization of family allowances for the benefit of all children of school age, which will concern 8 million children.
And the ambassador to specify that the last part of the great royal project, “which is a challenge, is the generalization of unemployment compensation for anyone who has a stable job”.
On this occasion, M’hamed Grine expressed his congratulations to the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and its Executive Secretary, Rola Dashti, “for all the efforts it is making, not only for the success of this forum and previous forums, but also for all the work it does in various areas of development, the results of which help various Member States to adopt public policies aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
