Agadir – Morocco participated in the Fourteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (MC14), held from March 26 to 29 in Cameroonian capital Yaoundé, with Foreign Trade Secretary Omar Hjira representing Morocco.
Speaking at a high-level meeting of the Trade Ministers’ Alliance for Climate, chaired by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Hjira emphasized the importance of aligning trade policies with environmental priorities.
He outlined Morocco’s national strategy, recalling that it targets a 45.5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and aims to increase renewable energy capacity to over 52%. This reflects a clear transition toward a low-carbon economy, Morocco’s ministry of industry and trade argued.
Morocco also advocated for the expansion of trade in environmental products and services, the reduction of tariffs on green products, and the promotion of the circular economy.
These efforts seek to foster investment and facilitate the transfer of clean technologies, reinforcing Morocco’s position as a regional leader in climate-conscious economic policy.
Hjira noted that Morocco sees its participation in the fourteenth WTO Ministerial Conference as a key platform to highlight the country’s leading role in issues related to international trade and sustainable development.
“This global event, which brought together thousands of participants and experts, provided an opportunity to showcase Morocco’s strategic orientations under the leadership of Mohammed VI, particularly in the fields of innovation, technology, and integration into the global economy,” he said.
Beyond policy declarations, Morocco marked its participation with an intensive series of bilateral meetings to strengthen economic partnerships and expand trade opportunities.
Hjira said that the conference also offered an opportunity to strengthen dialogue and exchange expertise with a wide range of partners, while underscoring Morocco’s position as an active ally at both regional and international levels, especially in areas such as supply chains, maritime trade, and digital transformation.
These included a meeting with the New Zealand Minister of Trade and Investment in which the two countries agreed to boost trade relations and arrange mutual economic missions to explore trade opportunities.
According to the Moroccan Ministry of Trade and Industry, Morocco’s participation in this high-value multilateral event has provided opportunities to access support in the implementation of the country’s Foreign Trade Program for the 2025-2027 period.
This cooperation will focus particularly on digitalization and the empowerment of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in order to enhance their competitiveness and integrate them into value chains, the ministry explained in a post on X.
Morocco also sought to strengthen its relationships in Africa and other regions. Negotiations with Ghana’s Minister of Trade laid the groundwork for the upcoming official visit to Morocco with the objective of bolstering bilateral cooperation.
Similarly, discussions with Somalia’s Minister of Trade and Industry highlighted plans for future collaboration based on untapped export potential.
In Eastern Europe, the meeting with Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration led to an agreement to establish a joint technical committee to identify areas of cooperation and address imbalances in trade between the two countries.
Such diplomatic engagements indicate Morocco’s strategy of diversifying its economic partners and cementing its role in the international market.
