The Dakhla Declaration concludes the MD Sahara Forum with a call for national unity and continental ambition
The MD Sahara Forum, organised by Maroc Diplomatique between 13 and 16 November, closed with the Dajla Declaration, presented by Luis Filipe Tavares, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence of Cape Verde, and Souad Mekkaoui, founding president of the international event. The Declaration reaffirmed the duality of national unity and continental ambition as the basis for consolidating Morocco's territorial integrity and conveying the continent's demands.
Taking advantage of the 50th anniversary of the Green March, as a symbol of unity and faith, Morocco sent a message of hope and peace from the land of light in Dakhla, in the service of a united, confident and sovereign Africa.
National unity and continental ambition
The Dakhla Declaration reaffirmed that national unity is inseparable from continental ambition, reiterating the conviction that the Green March continues towards the development of the African continent, since ‘Morocco is Africa and Africa is Morocco’.
Western Sahara has served as an example illustrating this national unity turned into a continental model. Its human, economic and cultural development shows that a territory previously subject to dispute can be transformed into a space of integration, stability and shared progress.
In this context, Morocco is one of the African nations that represents a laboratory for cooperation and a lever for lasting peace, advocating that Africa should not wait for others to reach out to it, but should extend its own hand to the world.
The signatories of the Dakhla Declaration reaffirmed their commitment to the national unity and territorial integrity of Morocco, lent their support to the royal vision of a united, supportive and forward-looking Africa, and welcomed Morocco's commitment to South-South cooperation and active African solidarity.
Convinced that the African continent, the repository of universal hope, is united by solidarity and guided by the wisdom and scope of its youth, the signatories called for the strengthening of human, economic and cultural bridges between the peoples of the continent.
In this vein, Morocco reaffirmed its commitment to building, together with the other countries of the continent, an Africa that is united, sovereign and confident in its destiny. This is an Africa that is committed to unity rather than division, to sharing rather than indifference, and to peace rather than fear.
A united, strong and supportive Africa
Following the strategy set out by King Mohammed VI, Morocco continues its mission of reconciliation between history and destiny, between South and North, between peoples and horizons.
Gathered in Dakhla, the participants of the MD Sahara Forum, states, institutions, the private sector, civil society and African youth proclaimed their commitment to an Africa united in its diversity, rich in its peoples and strong in its common roots.
In this regard, Morocco conveyed the promise of a continent reconciled with itself, of solidarity and mutual trust, through a message of unity and cooperation.
‘Africa not only needs to unite; it must sustain itself. African solidarity is not a distant ideal, it is a moral and political concept, as well as being the first condition of our collective sovereignty,’ said Luis Filipe Tavares
‘We affirm here, from Dakhla, that the destiny of each African nation is linked to that of all the others, no country can advance without its neighbours progressing, and no people should be left out of development, dignity or peace,’ added the former Cape Verdean foreign minister.
Morocco has made South-South cooperation an instrument of justice, trust and co-development in several sectors: hospitals, universities, solar power plants, knowledge sharing and clean energy.
Morocco is working with other African countries to create an autonomous, innovative and united continent. It thus calls for active solidarity that builds bridges rather than walls, unites peoples rather than setting them against each other, and makes Africa a space of fraternity in action.
