Morocco's ambassador to the United States, Lalla Joumala Alaoui, and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, chaired on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., a ceremony celebrating the Kingdom of Morocco, its culture, traditions and history. Speaking on this occasion, the Moroccan diplomat expressed her pleasure «at taking part, alongside the Moroccan community working in the IMF and the World Bank, in this event which celebrates our rich Moroccan heritage and distinctive diversity.» She also paid tribute to the worthy representatives of Morocco at these two international institutions and underscored the importance of the event, which focuses on the values of diversity, otherness and tolerance. On the eve of the celebration of the International Women's Day, the ambassador said she was «delighted to be with Christine Lagarde, a world icon of women's empowerment, praising efforts made by women to promote the values that are so dear to us». The IMF and the World Bank, she said, support, through their actions and initiatives around the world, development policies that put the principles of gender, diversity and democratic governance at the heart of their concerns. «Morocco's resolute commitment to these principles, thanks to His Majesty's leadership and personal commitment, is the cornerstone of the success of the Kingdom's partnership with the Bretton Woods institutions,» she pointed out. The ceremony was organized on the initiative of the Moroccan embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Diversity Reference Group at the IMF, with the support of Banque Populaire and Morocco's flag carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM).
