For the first time, the UN Secretary-General highlighted, in his annual report on the Sahara, the Royal vision «for the Atlantic coastline becoming a gateway for trade and economic integration with Africa and the Americas by facilitating access for the countries in the Sahel region to the Atlantic». Referring to the speech of King Mohammed VI, delivered on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Green March in November 2023, Guterres informed the members of the Security Council of Morocco's initiative aimed at strengthening the role of the Sahara as a regional economic hub, facilitating trade between sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the world. Hence, the members of the Security Council can discover, with supporting evidence, the serious and credible efforts made by the Kingdom of Morocco in favor of a regional cooperation and development approach that provides solutions beyond a purely security or military approach, offering African countries, particularly landlocked Sahelian countries, access to Morocco's road, port, and rail infrastructure. The Secretary-General's report is a strong diplomatic advancement that will allow the UN executive body to invest in the Royal Atlantic strategy, based on South-South cooperation in solidarity with its African neighbors, with a view to its formal recognition and incorporation into UN policies and projects.
