Mohammed Isa Al Abbasi 
A number of university professors and experts discussed in a symposium, organized on Friday in the city of Meknes, the outcome of the presidency of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union (Ecosocc), represented by Khaled Boudali, who held this position from December 2022 to his official delivery to his successor to Louis Sheikh Cisoko during the African Summit held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa February 15 and 16th.
The interlocutors in this symposium, organized by the “Hand in Hand for Sustainable Development” Foundation in Meknes, unanimously agreed that the period of Khaled Boudali for the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union during the past four years was distinguished by making radical changes in the work of this African institution, where the voice of African civil society has become audible in all regional and international forums, thanks to the reforms led by Budali, As well as cutting with the politicization of the work of this continental council.
In her opening speech to this symposium, which was distinguished by the celebration of Khaled Boudali, Naima Benfaida, head of the “Hand in Hand” Foundation, said that “Khaled Boudali, as one of the sons of the city of Meknes, presided over and competent for a period of 4 years one of the largest organizations of the African Union, namely the Economic, Social and Cultural Council consisting of 150 members representing women, men of thought, economics and unions The elected and cultural actors in Africa.
Benfaida added that “Khaled Boudali gave, by virtue of his experience and competence, a new breath for this council to play more than one consultative role, and to become an indispensable active in the field of drawing, formulating and implementing African policies, addressing the balanced international bodies, and an audible voice for African civil society in all regional and international forums, which enhances its role in implementing the goals of the African development vision.”
For his part, Mohamed Luz, Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities in Meknes, said in his intervention, “Khaled Boudali is a man who enriched his giving the joint African work process, and he contributed to his idea and efforts to consolidate the values of cooperation with our dear continent,” adding that “Boudali is a stature of the civil diplomacy, and his name was associated with serious institutional work, reform and development.”
He continued, saying: “Khaled Boudali left clear imprints in strengthening the African partnership, and deepening the foundations of cooperation south in the south according to the vision of the vision of King Mohammed VI, which is based on solidarity, integration and solidarity.” He pointed out that “his efforts have a great impact in promoting dialogue between African civil societies, and establishing more effective mechanisms to formulate fair development policies; Believing that the African continent, with its abundance of human and economic capabilities, deserves to be a model of renaissance and progress.
In a statement to Hespress, Khaled Boudali, the former head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African Union, said that “thanks to the royal royal orientations and diligence of the ministry in the person of the minister and the ambassadors of the Kingdom of Morocco, Moroccan diplomacy moved from an observer to a major actor and axis within the African Union’s agencies,” adding that from his position as President of the African Economic, Social and Cultural Council, he tried to work a lot to work on “Creating a kind of governance and re -framing the council as a legislative mechanism and a mechanism for good governance.”
He pointed out that during his presidency of the African Economic, Social and Cultural Council, it was operated on “many foundations and signs that changed the course of the council’s work as a very important and influential body within the African Union to a body that has reached something, to the world, where the Council has become one of the largest bodies of the African Union most desirable to work with it by international and international organizations”, adding, “This indicates the systematic change that the Kingdom has written from During, first, changing legal texts and creating very important mechanisms, especially for African immigrants and expatriates as the sixth official party of the African Union, and secondly, by updating the accreditation committee and moving away from the randomness and some external dictates to influence the work of the council.
Boudali, who is currently a strategic advisor and the International Confederation of the African Union, explained that the council’s work was distinguished, during its assumption of its presidency,
By engaging in many economic initiatives, and working with the African Union High Commissioner, especially the High Commissioner for Development, and encouraging the free zone and the African Air Transport Market, in addition to engaging in sustainable development programs, and in royal initiatives, among them is the Moroccan Nigerian gas pipeline to Europe, and the very important Atlantic initiative to remove isolation from the countries of the southern coast, and give it an opportunity and an optimism on the ocean Atlantic.
It is noteworthy that the African Economic, Social and Cultural Council consists of civil society organizations from various sectors, including work groups, businesses, professionals, service providers and political thought centers inside Africa and the countries of the Diaspora.
