"Considering the political, economic and social challenges confronting the Arab world, we need to step up efforts and promote cooperation and coordination to bolster our joint action and fulfill the aspirations of Arab peoples for development and progress. A comprehensive, participatory approach should be adopted to invigorate Arab joint action and achieve our strategic objectives", HM the King said in a speech to the Doha Arab Summit, read out by foreign minister Saad Dine El Otmani, who is representing the Sovereign in the summit.

     HM the King laid special emphasis on the areas of human rights and the strategic questions of food security and water resource management.

    In this regard, the Sovereign commended the initiative taken by the King of Bahrain, HM Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, with a view to setting up an Arab human rights court "designed to promote Arab joint action from the human rights perspective, and to keep pace with international efforts in this area by furthering the broad human rights agenda."

     As regards the strategic questions of food security and water resource management, HM the King stressed the importance of follow up to the implementation of agreed programs and strategies regarding food and water security, as "a challenge for Arab countries today and in the future."

     "I am referring specifically to the Arab Emergency Program for Food Security and the Arab Water Security Strategy, the latter being fully in line with our national policy in this vital sector," the Sovereign said, recalling the launch by Morocco, in 2008, of the Morocco Green Plan, which is based on the implementation of 960 modern farming projects, with investments estimated at $9 billion.

    He also recalled that the Kingdom "has developed the national program for the conservation of irrigation water, which aims to reduce the scarcity of water and improve its usage for agricultural purposes during the 2008-2020 period."

     HM the King said that in support of national and Arab efforts in this area, Morocco attaches special importance to the creation of the Arab center for strategic studies and research on water resources, with its headquarters in the Kingdom of Morocco.

     The Sovereign said that "we all look forward to seeing our countries reap the benefit of creative economic growth, democracy, good governance and social justice."

     Yet, he continued, "such a goal cannot be attained unless we join efforts to achieve optimal Arab integration in general, and Maghreb integration in particular."

     He emphasized the need to strive harder in order to preserve accomplishments and reinforce them constantly, promote proper management of natural resources and upgrade the Arab world’s abundant human resources.

     "Thanks to these resources, we can become a key political player in the international arena, and our countries can constitute a successful economic bloc that makes significant contributions to the global economy," HM he King concluded.