The Permanent Mission of Morocco to the UN in New York organized, on Monday, an international research seminar on the theme “Territorial autonomy: Promotion of foreign direct investment”.
The seminar was led by leading experts, researchers and academics from Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Indonesia and Tanzania. It was attended by some fifty diplomats, including several ambassadors in New York, senior UN officials and media accredited to the United Nations.
This meeting made it possible to compare the autonomy initiative proposed by the Kingdom of Morocco for the Sahara region with other autonomy experiences in the world, particularly with regard to the promotion of foreign direct investment in the autonomous regions and the stimulation of the economic development of local populations.
International experts had the opportunity to share experiences from the islands of Madeira, Aceh, Zanzibar, Faroe Islands and the Crown Dependencies.
Mr. Marc Finaud, Senior Advisor at the “Geneva Center for Security Policy”, recalled in his speech the provisions of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative which guarantee the socio-economic development of the Sahara region, in particular its article 13 which stipulates that the region will have the financial resources necessary for its development and will benefit from funds allocated by the State in line with the principle of national solidarity.
In addition, he indicated that Morocco is mobilizing efforts to attract more foreign direct investment in the region, which, he added, is experiencing unprecedented dynamism thanks to the New Development Model for the Sahara launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in 2015.
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Mr. Finaud concluded by highlighting the growing number of states that support the autonomy initiative as the only solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara, in addition to some thirty Arab, African, Asian and American countries, and several regional organizations, which have decided to open diplomatic representations in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla.
Dr. Rui Carita, professor at the University of Madeira (Portugal), made an analytical comparison between the autonomy status of Madeira and the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative. In this context, he highlighted Article 13 of the Moroccan Initiative and proposed establishing an International Business Center in the Moroccan Sahara, aimed at attracting new investments, similar to the neighboring Atlantic autonomous regions such as Madeira.
Furthermore, he considered that “the progressive international recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara and the opening of several consulates in Dakhla and Laayoune demonstrates an urgency to define the status of the new autonomous region”, affirming, in this regard, that “the analysis of the history of the European Atlantic autonomous regions of the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands, and the coasts of North Africa, allows us to conclude that the future of the question of the Moroccan Sahara will involve the establishment of an autonomous region of Morocco”.
For her part, Dr. Maria Mut Bosque, Professor of Law at the University of Catalonia (Spain), recalled that “the Autonomy Initiative was presented by Morocco to the UN Secretary General, in order to break the impasse in the negotiations on the regional dispute over the Sahara.”
In this context, she stressed that the UN Security Council, in its successive resolutions, described the Moroccan Initiative as “serious and credible”.
On the subject of promoting foreign direct investment, she dwelt on the provisions of Article 13 to support the development of the Sahara region. Finally, she recalled the proclamation of the United States on the recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, explaining that the opening of the American consulate in Dakhla aims to “promote economic and commercial opportunities in the region.”
She gave the example of “the United States International Development Finance Corporation which announced a $5 billion investment plan in Morocco and the region.”
For his part, Dr Mawardi Ismail, professor of law at the University of Syiah Kuala (Indonesia), applauded “Morocco’s seriousness in resolving the regional dispute over the Sahara” which, for him, “is evident in Morocco’s willingness to offer the opportunity to improve its autonomy proposal during the negotiations.”
In terms of foreign direct investment, Mr. Mawardi spoke at length about Morocco’s efforts to promote the economy and sustainable development, including in the Moroccan Sahara. In this regard, he indicated that “Morocco is making considerable efforts to establish itself as the gateway to Africa in terms of investment.”
Citing the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, he indicated that Morocco is the 9th country that attracted the most foreign direct investment in Africa in 2021. For him, “Morocco has made so many efforts that it rose to 53rd place worldwide in the ‘Easy of Doing Business’ ranking in 2020”. This is, according to him, “spectacular progress”.
The speaker said that Morocco’s policy of facilitating the opening of foreign consulates in the Sahara region will help attract more foreign investment to the Sahara region. He found this “very interesting,” noting that “this policy does not exist in the implementation of special autonomy in Aceh.”
In his presentation, Dr. Johnny í Grótinum, professor at the University of the Faroe Islands (Denmark), presented some differences between the autonomy status applied in the Faroe Islands and that planned for the Moroccan Sahara region.
In this context, he indicated that the Danish archipelago is separated from the continent, while the Sahara is part of the continental territory of Morocco, adding that “due to its geographical position, the economy of the Faroe Islands is mainly based on fishing and fish farming, while the economy of the Sahara region can be more diversified, with the sectors of maritime fishing and other natural resources, as well as developing its industrial potential.”
He noted that “the autonomous tax system of the Faroe Islands is very developed and attractive for foreign investors. This is something the Sahara region has to wait for until the negotiations for autonomy are finalized.” Finally, he considered that “the tax system of the Faroe Islands, with its incentives and tax breaks for foreign investors, could be a model for the Sahara region.”
In the same vein, Dr. Yahya Khamis Hamad, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Sharia at the University of Zanzibar (Tanzania), compared one of the African examples of territorial autonomy, Zanzibar, with the Moroccan Sahara. In this context, he affirmed that “Zanzibar has everything to gain from the experience and development progress made by Morocco and its transformation into a model for many states in difficulty on the African continent and elsewhere.”
In this regard, he considered it “very important to learn about the giant progress made by the Kingdom of Morocco in terms of investments and business, as well as in the areas of industrialization, tourism, fishing, sports and other areas that make the Moroccan people happy and proud.”
He appreciated “Morocco’s intelligent use of its strategic geographical position, located between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, its governance and its political stability,” explaining that these elements have made it possible to create a legal framework and modern infrastructure that attract investors.
The speaker stressed that “Morocco occupies an enviable position as one of the leaders of the African continent and beyond,” noting that “Zanzibar has much to gain from the efforts made by Morocco.”
Speaking on this occasion, the ambassador, permanent representative of Morocco to the UN, Omar Hilale, indicated that this seminar, which is in its 13th year, testifies to the political will and seriousness which animate the Kingdom of Morocco to find a political solution to the bilateral dispute with Algeria on the basis of an extended autonomy.
He noted that the autonomy models presented at this conference prove the effectiveness of this governance mechanism, particularly in terms of promoting investments, prosperity, living together, reconciliations and power sharing.
Compared to other autonomy models around the world, the plan proposed by Morocco is the best solution, especially since it stands out for its generous provisions, noted the ambassador, adding that compared to several cases, particularly in Europe, the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative offers more power and prerogatives to local authorities and populations.
Mr. Hilale also noted that the Security Council considers the Moroccan initiative serious and credible because it presents several mechanisms and paradigms that can solve political and regional problems, reduce tensions with neighbors and contribute to peace and security in the entire region. This is why more than 110 countries express their support for the Moroccan autonomy plan as “the solution” to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, while recognizing that decolonization was completed once and for all by the return of the southern provinces to the Motherland, Morocco, the diplomat stressed.
The ambassador also cited the support of more than 18 European countries for the Moroccan initiative, 15 of which are members of the European Union, which proves the credibility and seriousness of the Moroccan autonomy initiative and thus reinforces the Moroccan Sahara as an economic engine and a privileged hub of West Africa and the transatlantic space.
With MAP
