Topic:
Country: Morocco
Delegate Name: Lukian Fific
UN Disarmament & International Security
Reduction of Military Budgets
Kingdom of Morocco
Lukian Fifić
The Kingdom of Morocco believes in a nation’s freedom to reduce or increase its military budget as it deems necessary. Although Morocco is a nation that prioritizes peaceful resolution, as was the case in how we gained independence from France, we also understand that war may be necessary in certain cases. And in such cases, it is imperative that a nation has access to the tools necessary to defend itself.
According to a study conducted by Macrotrends, Morocco has had a steady incline in military expenditures since the country’s inception. Starting at USD 0.04B in 1960, the annual military expenditures in Morocco have increased to USD 5.38B in 2021. However, we made sure not to increase the budget at the expense of our citizens, rather our nation’s economy has simply grown enough to support this budget, as this cost is only 4.18% of the nation’s GDP as of 2021. The percentage used of the GDP has been decreasing since its high of 6.62% in 1977. However, the Kingdom of Morocco has used its military for good causes, as is indicated by the spikes in the defense budget graph coinciding with various United Nations and NATO-led peacekeeping operations. Examples can be seen in 1998 when Morocco deployed one company of soldiers to aid in the KFOR, a NATO-led peacekeeping mission with the goal of establishing security in the Kosovo region. Alternatively, in 2013 the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces sent a contingent of 777 soldiers to the Central African Republic to be deployed at the UN Integrated Peace Building Office, during a United Nations peace mission to foster stability and peace in the region. In total, the Kingdom of Morocco has supported six United Nations-led peacekeeping missions and one NATO-led mission by contributing its soldiers and supplies
The Kingdom of Morocco is a nation that is first and foremost interested in peace and stability around the globe. However, we also acknowledge that military expenditure is necessary for both defense and peacekeeping operations. Because of this, we believe that each nation deserves the right to make decisions about its military spending however it deems fit.
