UN peacekeeping missions face challenges amid funding cuts and rising global conflicts
via Le Matin5 min read
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, highlights the critical role of UN peacekeepers in protecting civilians and preventing instability in conflict zones. He notes that over 50,000 personnel serve under the UN flag daily in dangerous environments. For example, in 2024, the MINUSCA mission in the Central African Republic established a temporary base near Birao to protect displaced communities affected by the conflict in neighboring Sudan. This led to a local peace agreement that allowed 11,000 displaced people to return home. However, UN peacekeeping faces significant challenges, including financial constraints, which have forced missions to reduce their presence and operations. Delayed and incomplete contributions have led to the repatriation of a significant number of soldiers from nine of the 11 peacekeeping operations, contract terminations, and reduced patrols and training activities. This directly impacts peacekeepers' ability to maintain presence and support communities. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a reduction in police personnel led to a 30% decrease in patrols, limiting access to remote, high-risk areas. In South Sudan, the closure of local offices in Torit and Aweil hindered political engagement and reduced the mission's capacity to protect communities. Despite these challenges, peacekeepers continue to make a tangible difference, monitoring ceasefires in regions like Cyprus and the Golan Heights, supporting mobile courts in
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The Morocco-UK Economic Forum, held in Casablanca on June 3, highlighted a new phase in the economic partnership between the two countries. Mehdi Tazi, president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises CGEM, emphasized mutual trust and shared ambition for sustainable growth and prosperity. Since the Morocco-UK Association Agreement came into effect in 2019, bilateral trade has consistently grown, now exceeding 4.6 billion pounds sterling annually. This growth is significant as Morocco positions itself as a credible alternative for British manufacturers seeking supply chain diversification. Ben Coleman, the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Morocco and West Africa, praised Morocco's "concrete ambition" and the "exceptional" engagement of businesses from both nations. He noted the complementary strengths: Morocco as an expanding industrial and technological hub and a gateway to Africa, and the UK with its global expertise in finance, complex project engineering, and design. The 2030 World Cup serves as a key example, with British companies expected to contribute to Morocco's infrastructure projects, drawing parallels to the urban regeneration seen during the London 2012 Olympics. Agreements signed in June 2025 further define this evolving partnership, opening new avenues in sectors such as infrastructure, water management, mobility, security, and migration. Royal Air Maroc is also enhancing air connectivity between the UK, Morocco, and the African continent, reinfor
An anthology titled "Anthology of Moroccan Andalusian Music, Al Ala" was presented at the Institut du Monde Arabe IMA in Paris. This work, developed over several years of research, recordings, and transmission, aims to be a reference work bridging memory and modernity. Initiated by the Association of Amateurs of Andalusian Music of Morocco AAMAM between 2021 and 2023, the anthology involved seven orchestras, Mounchidines, and about a hundred musicians. It features over 130 hours of audio recordings and more than 6,000 pages of musical notations and texts in Arabic and transliteration. The project also includes an immersive digital experience for interactive listening, reading, and content consultation. Azzedine Kettani, president of AAMAM, stated that the presentation in Paris, as part of the IMA's Andaloussiyat 2026 conference series, extends the international reach of Moroccan Andalusian music. He highlighted the anthology's ambition to compile all texts of Andalusian music comprehensively, unlike previous works, across different "Mizan" and "Snaïa." Kettani also noted the innovative aspect of presenting texts in Arabic, French, and English transliteration, with a digital tablet allowing direct access to recordings. This enables users to listen to music, follow lyrics in real-time, and consult various text versions, making the repertoire accessible to musicians unfamiliar with Arabic. Musician Omar Metioui praised the anthology's quality, recognizing its rigorous work in pr
Must ReadNizar Baraka, during the second MAP Town Hall in Rabat, outlined Morocco's long-term water policy, emphasizing water security as a national priority. He stated that ensuring water guarantees Morocco's ability to choose its own destiny, aligning with the Royal Vision for water. This vision aims to provide sustainable water access to all citizens, reduce territorial disparities, and enhance the Kingdom's resilience to climate change. The national water policy is structured around five pillars: establishing water sovereignty as a national pillar, strengthening the country's water resilience through a national industrial ecosystem for desalination and water professions, ensuring territorial equity via interconnections between hydraulic basins and "water highways," promoting resource sustainability through responsible management and wastewater reuse, and positioning water as an instrument of diplomacy and cooperation, particularly in Africa. Baraka highlighted the historical role of dams, with 156 large dams currently in operation and 14 more under construction. He noted that eight large dams were completed between 2021 and 2026, increasing the hydraulic heritage by over 62% since 1999. The country now has an average visibility of at least two years for water security. Desalination is another major pillar, with 17 operational stations and an annual capacity of 410 million cubic meters, projected to reach 1.7 billion cubic meters by 2030, covering 60% of the Kingdom's potable water
Morocco's Government Council has adopted draft decree N° 2.25.561, which amends and supplements decree N° 2.90.554 concerning university establishments and residences. Presented by the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, this text is part of the ongoing implementation of strategic directives aimed at developing the higher education, scientific research, and innovation system. The decree seeks to align the national university map with the demographic, economic, social, and scientific changes occurring across Morocco's regions. It also addresses the increasing demand for diverse educational offerings, improved quality, and enhanced accessibility of university services for students. The project aims to restructure and divide several open-access university establishments to improve strategic and administrative oversight, strengthen academic specialization, and increase the effectiveness of supervision, training, and scientific research.