African group at UN adheres to recommendations of Marrakesh conference of first ladies

The African group at the United Nations adhered to recommendations adopted by a series of preparatory meetings of the UN extraordinary general assembly on children, mainly the Marrakesh summit of African First Ladies (April 20-21).

Advisor to king Mohammed VI, Zoulika Nasri, said the meeting, chaired by Nigeria, was very important as it promoted awareness among delegates who adhered to the forum recommendations and asked that it be considered as an official document of the preparatory committee. She went on that the Moroccan delegation, led by Princess Lalla Meryem, has informed the African delegates on the program of events on children to be held in Morocco.

Regarding the African first ladies conference, the Moroccan delegation told African diplomats how representation was impressive and how participants assessed in a precise and courageous manner the situation of girls in Africa.

Recommendations, which gave priority to education, addressed all forms of moral, physical and economic exploitation.

The forum also helped find out that political will does exist and that what remains to be done is to look for funds, she said, insisting that for the first time the United Nations bodies, national public authorities, and international finance institutions were brought together.

The conference also helped find out significant funding shortages and debate means to increase mobilization around new ideas, as the international community's commitments were not respected, she said.

A special focus was also laid on the need to have customized solutions for Africa that take into account the cultural dimension, she added.