Morocco on Thursday secured a place among the Human Rights Committee at the end of a vote held at the 38th Meeting of States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Morocco received 127 votes of 171. About 14 candidates were competing for nine seats at the committee.
Mahjoub El Haiba, former Secretary-General of the Consultative Council of Human Rights, currently the National Council of Human Rights, will represent Morocco at the committee.
El Haiba is also a lecturer in public law, regional planning law, human rights, and international humanitarian rights in several Moroccan universities.
The professor’s portfolio is strengthened by his knowledge of international human rights mechanisms and experience covering a wide range of human rights issues, including transitional justice, water law and humanitarian law, and environmental law.
The Moroccan expert will be part of the committee for a four-year term. The UN body is in charge of monitoring the implementation of commitments incumbent on States Parties under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ratified to date by 173 countries.
Commenting on the news, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs applauded El Haiba’s appointment, saying that the success of his candidacy mirrors “the confidence and credit enjoyed by the far-sighted policy driven by his majesty King Mohammed VI.”
The ministry’s statement also touted Morocco’s democratic reforms, highlighting the country’s commitment to widening and strengthening its record on the protection of human rights.
For the Moroccan ministry, El Haiba appointment “constitutes an undeniable recognition and a clear support from the international community for the irreversible choices of the kingdom, which has made the promotion and defence of human rights one of the priorities of its national and international policy.”
The statement also recalled that the new appointment comes after the election of Mohammed Amrati at the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights on September 14.
Morocco is set to represent Africa at the committee for a period of four years.
