Morocco’s Ministerial Delegate for Human Rights Holds Bilateral Talks on Business And Human Rights with High-Level African And Arab Delegations
On the sidelines of the First Arab-African Forum on Business and Human Rights, held in Marrakech on June 24–25, 2025, Morocco’s Ministerial Delegate for Human Rights, Mr. Mohammed Habib Belkouch, held a series of bilateral meetings with senior officials from Arab and African delegations participating in the event. The forum provided an unprecedented platform for regional dialogue on integrating human rights principles into business conduct and public policy.
These high-level meetings brought together representatives of national institutions and international organizations actively engaged in human rights promotion and oversight. Mr. Belkouch met with the Secretary-General of the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions, a delegation from the National Human Rights Committee of the State of Qatar, and the Acting Director of the Human Rights Directorate at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for relations with UN mechanisms. Further engagements included discussions with the Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mauritania, the High Commissioner for Civil and Political Rights of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, a member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, the President of the Arab Institute for Human Rights, and the President of the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies based in Banjul, The Gambia.
During these exchanges, Mr. Belkouch presented Morocco’s institutional approach to human rights, highlighting the mission of the Interministerial Delegation as a mechanism for dialogue with international systems and the coordination of national efforts to fulfill Morocco’s international obligations. He emphasized the importance of open, structured cooperation with global and regional partners, each according to their areas of competence and engagement.
The Ministerial Delegate also reiterated Morocco’s readiness to support emerging human rights themes such as the growing intersection between business practices and human rights standards. He stressed the strategic importance of regional cooperation between Arab and African stakeholders to foster shared understanding, exchange best practices, and contribute meaningfully to international human rights frameworks.
All participating delegations expressed strong appreciation for Morocco’s leadership in hosting the forum and commended the quality of the discussions and the forward-looking agenda. Several institutions signaled interest in strengthening collaboration with the Interministerial Delegation and drawing from Morocco’s accumulated experience in institutional reform, human rights monitoring, and multilateral engagement.
The Arab-African Forum on Business and Human Rights marked a milestone in regional efforts to embed human rights values into economic and governance frameworks. Over two days, it convened public authorities, human rights institutions, civil society organizations, business actors, and UN representatives to discuss responsible business conduct, access to remedy, and cooperation strategies. The forum concluded with a shared commitment to pursuing inclusive, rights-based development across the Arab and African regions, anchored in international human rights standards.
