Speaking at a high-level meeting held by Morocco at the Palais des Nations on the sidelines of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi stressed the need to foster the establishment of these national mechanisms, which play "an essential role in the effective interaction" with the international human rights system.

The minister stressed the need to further institutionalize this international network by encouraging and supporting states to join and drawing up a structured action plan, which will be presented at the third international NMIRFs seminar.

He also called for promoting the Marrakech Policy Framework, as a consolidated international reference, to encourage and facilitate the creation and strengthening of NMIRFs and to follow up on the implementation of HRC Resolution 51/33, particularly with regard to the contribution to the virtual knowledge hub dedicated to NMIRFs.

For Morocco, the creation of the International Network of NMIRFs stems from the recommendations adopted in the Marrakech Declaration of 2022, and it is in this dynamic that the national mechanisms of Morocco, Paraguay, and Portugal have worked together to draw up the reference framework for the international network, aimed at providing a solid basis to help states wishing to set up or strengthen their national mechanisms, he recalled.

Ouahbi also highlighted Morocco's commitment to the creation of this network as part of the celebrations of the 75ᵉ anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2023, a commitment fully realized on May 9, 2024, with the adoption of the Asunción Declaration, which formalized the establishment of this network.

This step marks a significant advance towards the institutionalization of international cooperation in this field, with a view to strengthening constructive exchanges between states and regional and international human rights mechanisms and ensuring more effective implementation of international commitments and recommendations by reinforcing dialogue and coordination, supporting the creation of NMIRFs, and exploiting international best practices in reporting and monitoring”, the minister said.

Morocco, as coordinator of the International Network of NMIRFs, in collaboration with Paraguay and Portugal on the Executive Committee in charge of guiding and implementing the Network's programs, has spared no effort to facilitate the smooth running of this initiative, he added.

He paid tribute to Morocco's partners, Paraguay and Portugal, as well as to all the network's member states, for their collective commitment to bringing this ambitious initiative to fruition, illustrating the collective commitment to strengthening international cooperation in the exchange of expertise and best practices in this field.

He also thanked the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for its ongoing support in institutionalizing and improving states' interaction with the international human rights system.

Held under the theme "The International Network of NMIRFs: Strengthening Cooperation, Promoting Membership, and Disseminating the Marrakech Policy Framework," the panel aims to follow up on the establishment of the NMIRFs Network, take stock of the conclusions of the 10th Glion Dialogue, and present the Marrakech Policy Framework as a basis for further action.