Omar Hilale appointed co-president of the ECOSOC Forum

The President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ambassador Bob Rae, has just appointed the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, Omar Hilale, to co-chair, with the Ambassador of Finland, Elina Kalkku, the ECOSOC Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals to be held on May 7 and 8, 2025.

The choice of Morocco testifies to the visionary leadership of King Mohammed VI in the field of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in view of the remarkable progress in the digital transformation of the Kingdom’s infrastructure and its positioning as an African leader in terms of AI.

Indeed, this designation is a recognition of the Royal vision which initiated an ambitious digital transformation project from the start of His reign, aimed at modernizing digital and telecommunications infrastructures, improving access to technology for citizens and the integration of technology and innovation in education and for the benefit of young people.

Furthermore, the UN responsibility entrusted to Mr. Hilale reflects the credibility, trust and respect enjoyed by Morocco at the United Nations level, as an active and credible actor, and consolidates the new technological model of the Kingdom founded on the approach to innovation and research.

This designation comes after the adoption of the Global Digital Compact last September in New York, and follows the successful co-facilitation by the Moroccan ambassador of the first UN resolution on artificial intelligence, adopted by the General Assembly in last March, and his co-chairmanship of the first UN Group of Friends on Artificial Intelligence, jointly with the United States, an active Group composed of more than sixty member countries.

The 10th edition of the ECOSOC Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation is scheduled for May 7-8, 2025. It is extremely crucial for the increased expectations of the implementation of the Global Digital Compact for sustainable development . This will be an opportunity for Morocco to lead discussions and submit the result of the consultations, in July 2025, to the High-Level Political Forum of ECOSOC, which is the supreme UN body responsible for implementation. of the SDGs.