Following the Political Conference dedicated to the Initiative for Security against the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), five African countries officially announced their adherence to this Initiative in Marrakech.
Zambia, Ghana, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, and Benin officially announced their membership in the ISP at the end of the conference held from January 31 to February 2 in Marrakech. This event was organized jointly by Morocco and the United States, increasing the number of African countries participating in the Initiative from 6 to 11.
Meanwhile, Malawi, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, and Nigeria expressed their intention to join this initiative very soon.
During their interventions, several African countries took the opportunity to express their appreciation to the Kingdom of Morocco for its concrete and pragmatic contribution aimed at strengthening South-South cooperation and developing African national capacities in technical, security, and operational aspects in the fight against the proliferation of WMDs.
The Marrakech Conference witnessed an unprecedented participation of African countries (25 countries), representing various regions of Africa, including foreign affairs ministers, deputy ministers, secretaries of state, general secretaries, ambassadors, directors, as well as several national and international experts.
The Initiative for Security against the Proliferation (ISP) is a multilateral cooperation framework officially launched in 2003, with the goal of "combating the illicit transport of Weapons of Mass Destruction, their delivery systems, and related materials."
Marrakech Declaration
"At the end of its meeting in Morocco, the ISP adopted by acclamation the joint Morocco-United States Declaration titled "Marrakech Declaration."
The Declaration endorses an action plan under the co-chairmanship of Morocco and the United States, focusing on three axes: encouraging African countries endorsing the ISP to participate in future initiative meetings, promoting the organization of exercises and training workshops for new African members of the ISP, and taking joint action to encourage other African countries to endorse it through awareness-raising activities and the holding of regional and sub-regional meetings.
The Declaration also reaffirmed that one of the goals of the Marrakech meeting and its follow-up process is to strengthen South-South cooperation as a framework allowing African countries to benefit from synergies at the sub-regional and regional levels.
In his opening address at the Marrakech conference, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Nasser Bourita, emphasized the importance of the African dimension in international cooperation efforts to address new security challenges at global and regional levels.
The Marrakech Declaration welcomed the official announcement by five African countries of their membership in the ISP, namely Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Zambia, Togo, and Benin, bringing the total number of African countries participating in this initiative to 11.
With this membership, the Initiative for Security against the Proliferation of WMDs currently has 111 participating states.
The conference was chaired by the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Bonnie Jenkins, and the Director of the United Nations and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Redouane Houssaini.
The Marrakech Conference demonstrates the commitment of the Kingdom of Morocco to a solidarity-based, effective, and results-oriented multilateralism, in line with the very high vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him."