2023-05-11 18:05:29
The argan tree represents the richness of Morocco’s natural heritage, said Wednesday in New York, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, on the occasion of the celebration of the international day of this endemic tree of Morocco. Kingdom.
Speaking during a high-level panel chaired by Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, Omar Hilale, with the participation in virtual format, of the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Waters and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, under the theme “Local socio-economic development and the sustainability of the Argan ecosystem”, the UN official stressed that the “important” strategies put in place by Morocco have gave a strong impetus to the argan sector which contributes to the socio-economic development of local populations.
The sustainable development of the argan sector has enabled job creation, empowerment and financial inclusion of women, especially in rural areas, she said, noting that cooperatives and community organizations s Activating in this sector contributes to food security and the eradication of poverty, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ms. Amina Mohammed also noted that the celebration of this international day helps to raise awareness and appreciate the vital role that the argan tree plays in the lives of millions of people, in addition to its benefits for sustainability and health. In this regard, she stressed the need to preserve this “precious and vital” source of nature, as well as its endemic region.
Along the same lines, the Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Qu Dongyu, indicated, via videoconference from Rome, that the International Day of the Argan Tree is a celebration Morocco’s efforts to preserve and promote this tree as an “ancestral source of resilience and sustainable development”.
He also highlighted the importance of Moroccan know-how in this sector, which contributes to food security, the preservation of ecological habitats and the maintenance of biodiversity and resilient ecosystems, considering that management by the Morocco of its argan forests is a “model” to follow in the world to understand the best way to “reconcile the sustainable use of natural resources and the needs of humanity”.
He considered it “essential” to continue to learn from the traditional socio-ecological systems of argan to achieve an effective transformation of agri-food systems for both people and the planet.
For his part, the director of the UNESCO office in New York, Eliot Minchenberg welcomed the celebration of this international day which highlights a “miracle tree” and its ecosystem, stressing that the argan tree is a essential component of sustainability whose resilience must serve as a source of inspiration for the world. For him, the argan tree and its ecological system contribute to sustainable development, biodiversity, climate adaptation and food security.
Same story with Moaz Doraid, Director of the Division of Management and Administration at UN-Women, who noted the importance of the argan tree in terms of generating income and improving socio-economic conditions, in particular rural communities.
He expressed the readiness of UN-Women to strengthen its cooperation with Morocco, in particular to further promote the contribution of women to prosperity and environmental sustainability. The UN official also welcomed Morocco’s efforts to align socio-economic development with the preservation of biodiversity.
For her part, the director of the country programming division of the Green Climate Funds, Carolina Fuentes highlighted the partnership between Morocco and the Fund, particularly in the context of efforts to preserve the argan tree and its ecosystem.
Emphasizing the importance of this emblematic tree in Moroccan history and culture, the speaker paid tribute to the contribution of women in the preservation of the know-how linked to the argan tree sector.
At the start of this panel, the audience watched an institutional film retracing the efforts made by Morocco to preserve the argan tree and promote its sustainable development for the benefit of local populations.
In commemoration of this day celebrated on May 10 of each year, a two-week photo exhibition highlighting the argan tree was inaugurated at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The photos, which are the work of Said Oubrahim and Fadel Brahim, give an overview of the specificities of this tree registered in the intangible cultural heritage of humanity and which is an ancestral source of sustainable and resilient development.
Similarly, a reception was organized in honor of the community of ambassadors and officials of the United Nations system, to taste the products of the Argan and discover the offer of local Moroccan cooperatives.
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