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Omar Hilale (Tamazight:ⵄⵓⵎⴰⵔ ⵀⵉⵍⴰⵍ;Arabic:عمر هلال; born 1 January 1951 inOulad Teïma) is a Moroccan career diplomat. He has been Morocco'sPermanent Representative to theUnited Nations in New York since he was appointed in this position in April 2014. He used to be the permanent representative of Morocco to the UN inGeneva.[1]
Hilale is a graduate of theMohammed V University inRabat where he obtained a bachelor's degree in political science in 1974. He served in many diplomatic posts such as ambassador to Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia, between 1996 and 2001.[1] He was the General Secretary of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation between 2005 and 2008.[1] In November 2008 he became Representative of Morocco to the UN in Geneva.[1] On 8 April 2020, he was appointed co-facilitator for the process of strengthening the United Nations human rights treaty bodies.[2]
In February 2021 he presented a letter to the UN from on behalf of Morocco, alleging that thePolisario Front fabricated reports of armed conflict and human rights violations against theSahrawi people and incited violence in league withAlgerian state media. He specifically denouncedSultana Khaya as "a supporter of violence" and for using "human rights for political ends".[3][4] Moroccan authorities have kept her under de facto house arrest since 2020,[5][6] and Khaya has been repeatedly attacked, subject to sexual assault and raids on her house, as reported by a number of human rights groups.[7][5]
In July 2021, he expressed support for "self-determination" of theKabyle people, leading to Algeria recalling its ambassador in Morocco.[8]