Geneva: Morocco has been appointed as Chair of the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) Participants’ Committee for the term of 2025-2026. The appointment highlights Morocco’s strengthened credibility on the multilateral stage and its recognized leadership in promoting South-South cooperation and a fairer international trading system.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, the GSTP, established in 1989, currently comprises 42 member countries, including Morocco, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Thailand. It is the only interregional agreement legally based on the World Trade Organization’s Enabling Clause and is administered by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The GSTP’s mission is to bolster South-South trade through tariff concessions, sectoral cooperation, and trade facilitation.

UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan, in her letter inviting Morocco’s candidacy, commended the nation for its steadfast commitment to multilateralism and its leadership in advancing South-South cooperation. She also acknowledged Morocco’s dedication to the GSTP, demonstrated by its past chairmanship of the GSTP Committee of Participants from 1997 to 2002 and its continuing role as depositary of the Agreement.

As Chair, Morocco will lead the Committee’s meetings, promote dialogue among member countries, and drive momentum within the mechanism. The Kingdom is set to preside over the 33rd session of the GSTP Committee of Participants on September 25, 2025, in Geneva, followed by a high-level ministerial event on October 22, 2025, during the 16th UNCTAD Conference.

This appointment reaffirms Morocco’s increasing role in global value chains and its determination to actively contribute to a more equitable and sustainable international trading system.