الحمد لله وحده، والصلاة والسلام على مولانا  رسول الله وآله وصحبه

Your Excellencies,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,

In the very special context we live in today, it’s up to us to build together, a new, indispensable consensus, by defining the priorities we set for ourselves as global citizens bound by a common destiny.

The Covid-19 crisis reminds us of the urgent need to achieve global equitable sustainable development, that serves everyone.

The protection of the environment and preservation of our planet, our common home, are fundamental elements to this approach.

This is the lofty mission that the Mohammed the Sixth Foundation for Environmental Protection, which I’m honored to chair, is resolutely carrying out.

For more than two decades, our Foundation has been working to develop various programs aimed at reducing or eliminating the negative impact of Man on Nature.

My brother, His Majesty King Mohammed the Sixth, whose focus on environmental protection goes back to his youth, has always encouraged the pursuit of the most ambitious approaches, making sure they are embedded in the present, yet resolutely turned towards the future.

In this regard, His Majesty always reminds us, that the School is at the very heart of these development issues, and the environmental challenge, in particular.

School is a place for education, and the teaching of values.  Educating young people to respect the environment means believing in the promise of a new, more harmonious and sustainable world.

Education for Sustainable Development, the theme bringing us together, is the key to success.

For this reason, our Foundation focuses on raising awareness, and training young people on these issues.  We believe in sowing the seeds of environmental awareness, which contributes to the emergence of a society that is aware of the natural environment, and capable of adopting appropriate, eco-friendly behavior.

We are proud to partner once again with UNESCO.  We’ve been working together since 2020, to mainstream environmental education, into school curricula at all levels.

In this regard, Morocco is one of three countries in the world, conducting a pilot, for the UNESCO Global Schools Program.

Mobilization for environmental issues can only have a lasting effect, if it becomes a natural part of initial training: environmental education from an early age, is therefore an essential priority.

A generation separates us from the Rio Summit.  It is imperative to examine the reasons, that may have slowed the advancement of ESD in school curricula.

Let’s act, and immediately implement this important measure. Let’s make a firm commitment during this decade to establish Education for Sustainable Development as an absolute priority.

This is urgent!    This is vital!

والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله تعالى وبركاته