Hilale, who is also Chair of the General Assembly Committee on Information (2019-2021), underlined in an article published by the UN magazine, that "the multilateral system, despite its weaknesses, remains our only option, and the United Nations our best hope for addressing humanity’s present and future challenges."

The diplomat also stressed the need for a strengthened multilateral approach to confront COVID-19 and other global challenges.

"The tectonic waves of this pandemic aroused global reactions, while being sometimes uncoordinated, and jolted the multilateral system. The United Nations response was global, conducted through its principal organs and specialized agencies. They ensured the continuity of their activities and the implementation of their respective mandates by adapting their working methods to the realities of confinement and social distancing. They adopted resolutions to facilitate the coordination of the international response to COVID-19, thus demonstrating their resolute engagement in favour of multilateralism, even at this extraordinary juncture," he pointed out.

For his part, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres demonstrated leadership, acting in the earliest days of the crisis to mobilize the international community to effectively fight the epidemic, Hilale said.

It is in this context that the Secretary-General made several calls, such as for an immediate global ceasefire, to end gender-based and domestic violence, protect children, address climate change, alleviate debt, combat hate speech, and more recently, protect displaced persons, the Moroccan ambassador added, noting that these initiatives raised universal awareness of the importance of strengthening and consolidating efforts to lessen the consequences of this health crisis.

Morocco prides itself on having been in phase with these calls, notably in organizing, on 12 May 2020, a high-level videoconference of representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths on the role of religious leaders in confronting the multiple challenges of COVID-19, including the struggle against hate speech, Hilale said.

Looking to lessons learned in past health emergencies, notably the Ebola crisis, which affected Africa in 2014, Morocco sent millions of masks and medical supplies to many African countries, he said, adding that His Majesty King Mohammed VI proposed an operational cooperation framework between African States, which was supported by many of his counterparts.

Disinformation has been another toxic facet of the pandemic, said Hilale, noting in this regard that the Secretary-General sounded the alarm on this “misinfo-demic spreading”, comparing the dangers of disinformation with those of the coronavirus itself.

Conscious of this danger, Morocco, in its capacity as President of the Committee on Information of the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly, firmly supported the action taken by the United Nations Department of Global Communications, which has redoubled its efforts during the crisis.

The creation of the “Verified” label perfectly illustrates the importance of United Nations action in terms of the dissemination of reliable information, Hilale said.

"Some analysts are already dreaming about an overhaul of the international architecture. Others are declaring the Bretton Woods institutions obsolete and point to the advent of a new, post-COVID international order. Indeed, the pandemic and its multidimensional consequences resolutely call for a legitimate and existential questioning of world governance. Those predicting deglobalization, however, will certainly be disappointed. The current geopolitical “blast” will continue for some time, and today’s multipolar world will still be in place tomorrow," the diplomat pointed out.

While the United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary, it would be unjust to reduce it to the Security Council’s paralysis, he said, adding that the Organization’s accomplishments under its three pillars—development, peace and security and human rights—are incontestable.

"Their impact on the daily life of the world’s citizens is, without a doubt, meaningful and concrete."

The celebration of the 75th anniversary will be an opportunity to reinforce our collective commitment to the values and principles of multilateralism, and to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to act with unity and solidarity, the Moroccan ambassador underlined, adding that this will likewise be an occasion to engage in a serious reflection with the aim of adopting a long-term vision.

"To this end, the multilateral system, despite its weaknesses, remains our only option, and the United Nations our best hope for addressing humanity’s present and future challenges," Hilale said.