Morocco has elected Latifa Yaacoubi, Director General of the National Agency for the Development of Oasis Zones and Argan Trees (ANDZOA), as President of the International Coordinating Council of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme (ICC-MAB) for a two-year term.
The election of Morocco to head this body took place on Tuesday in Agadir, on the occasion of the 36th session of the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (1-5 July).
Speaking on this occasion, Mrs. Yaacoubi, who succeeds the Nigerian Adepoju Adeshola, welcomed the confidence placed in Morocco for the presidency of the CIC-MAB, expressing her commitment to work together with the other members and partners of the Council for the realization of the various projects within the framework of the MAB Program.
“I am honored by this responsibility and fully committed in accordance with the High Royal Guidelines to strengthen cooperation relations with member countries, and to continue on the same momentum with a view to promoting the development of biospheres, on the path to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” she stressed.
Reacting to the election of Morocco to the presidency of the CIC-MAB, representatives of member countries of the Council praised the notable contribution of the Kingdom to the implementation of environmental initiatives and its constant advocacy for the strengthening of regional and international cooperation in this area.
The CIC-MAB’s mission is in particular to guide and supervise the MAB Programme, to examine the progress made in the implementation of the said programme, to recommend research projects to States and to formulate proposals on the organisation of regional or international cooperation.
The Council is composed of 34 Member States of UNESCO, elected by the General Conference at its ordinary sessions, taking into account equitable geographical distribution, the need to ensure appropriate rotation, the ecological representativeness of these States in the various continents and the importance of their scientific participation in the international programme.
The 36th session of the ICC-MAB opened on Tuesday at the initiative of UNESCO in partnership with ANDZOA, with the participation of representatives of Member States and Associate Members of UNESCO, as well as representatives of UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations.
