Morocco, UN to Celebrate International Day of Argania on May 10 in New York

Rabat – Morocco and the United Nations will celebrate the International Day of Argania on May 10 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, under the theme “Local socio-economic development and sustainability of the argan ecosystem”.

The UN General Assembly has adopted on March 3, 2021,by consensus the resolution proclaiming May 10 of each year as the International Day of Argania.

This celebration highlights Morocco’s efforts to promote the argan tree as a tree endemic to the Kingdom and as intangible cultural heritage of humanity and ancestral source of sustainable development, said a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests.

It also aims to highlight the role of the argan tree in strengthening the resilience of communities, its contribution to food security (SDG 2), adaptation to climate change (SDG 13), water stress (SDG 6) and its importance in empowering rural women (SDG 5), through the support and promotion of cooperatives and agricultural organizations (SDG 8).

Indeed, Morocco, aware of the environmental issues and challenges facing the argan ecosystem, is committed to developing and maintaining sustainable community management practices, in a context of water stress and increasing climate change. Through this international day celebrated each year by the United Nations, the Kingdom shares its knowledge to strengthen the resilience of this emblematic ecosystem, where the argan tree is a symbol of biodiversity and carries useful know-how and experiences to rebuild a balance between human beings and nature.

The celebrations of this day will start this year from the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, and the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, said the statement.

This celebration will also be marked by the organization, for two weeks, of an art and photography exhibition on the argan tree at the United Nations Headquarters, as well as a reception in honor of the community of ambassadors and officials of the United Nations system, to taste the products of the argan tree and discover the offer of local Moroccan cooperatives.