Message from His Majesty Mohammed VI - King of Morocco - at the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors - World Bank

Jul 19, 2026

A formal address by His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, delivered by Omar Kabbaj at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank’s Boards of Governors. The message welcomes participants in Marrakech and highlights major international milestones hosted there. It underscores expectations amid geopolitical, economic, and environmental pressures, stresses the need to protect and renew multilateralism, calls for global solutions through unity and respect for diversity, and supports reform of global financial architecture while outlining Morocco’s development priorities and reforms.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

Message to the Governors

Welcome and Marrakech context

Global challenges and reform of multilateralism

Economic trends and inequalities

Global solutions and financial architecture

Morocco’s development vision and reforms

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized October 13, 2023 Message from H. M. MOHAMMED VI, King of Morocco, as delivered by Mr. Omar Kabbaj, at the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Message from His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, as delivered by Mr. Omar Kabbaj, at the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Morocco and to Marrakech, this time-honored city, which has a rich history and a distinctive cultural heritage. Marrakesh is not just a world-class tourist destination; it has also been the venue for major international events, some of which have shaped our modern history. I am referring, in particular, to the GATT Summit, held here in 1994-which saw the birth of the World Trade Organization-and more recently, the COP22, in 2016. I am sure these Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund will be just as successful. I should like to thank you for the friendship and confidence you have shown by attending these Annual Meetings in Marrakech, shortly after the devastating earthquake which struck my country. I also wish to thank the states and institutions which expressed their readiness to assist Morocco, particularly in thereconstruction phase. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, After a two-year postponement due to the pandemic, we are delighted to see this prestigious forum back here on the African Continent, half a century later, and in the MENA region, 20 years after the Annual Meetings held in Dubai, in 2003. It goes without saying that, given the exceptional circumstances the world is facing today, and the geopolitical, economic and environmental challenges we have experienced in recent years, high expectations are pinned on these Annual Meetings. At a time when our planet is facing climate disruptions which have created a new reality on the grounda reality corroborated by data on a daily basis-the world is sinking into problems which we thought had been largely resolved thanks to the rules established and multilateral institutions set up in the aftermath of the Second World War. Today, gee-economic fragmentation and the rise of a sovereignty-driven sentiment - which can be explained, in part, by a desire to readjust the balance of both economic and political power at the global level-are jeopardizing the significant progress multilateralism has enabled us to make over the last few decades. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Globalization, which has prevailed since the 1980s, has helped reduce production costs and expand global trade. It has contributed, in part, to mitigating inflation. However, inflation is now eroding household purchasing power across the world, despite aggressive monetary policies which, although they have been largely synchronized, have not been without consequences for economic activity. Globalization has led to tangible improvements in living standards, enabling large swathes of the world's population to escape poverty. However, globalization has not been without adverse effects, especially in terms of growing inequalities. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The economic, social and political developments witnessed in recent years call for reforming the institutions and rules governing multilateralism. However, the basic principles underlying it ought to be consolidated, and the spirit that drives multilateralism, revitalized. Those principles remain necessary topreserve stability and world peace, and to boost synergies in order to meet the common challenges our planet and our peoples are facing. However, and as we all know, global challenges call for global solutions. They can only be devised within a framework of unity and mutual respect between nations-a framework in which diversity is a valued component, a source of wealth rather than conflict,

FAQs

Who delivers the message and at what event is it delivered?

The message from His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, is delivered by Mr. Omar Kabbaj at the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank.

What does the address emphasize about multilateralism?

It calls for consolidating the basic principles of multilateralism, revitalizing its spirit, and developing global solutions grounded in unity, mutual respect, and diversity.

How does the message describe Morocco’s development approach?

It highlights Morocco’s history and peaceful, culturally diverse identity, along with a strategy centered on economic openness and cooperation, prioritizing social and economic reforms, and preserving macroeconomic balance for resilience.

Jul 19, 2026

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