Events

Abdelhak Bassou, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South

Abdelhak Bassou is a Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, previously known as OCP Policy Center, who focuses on Security Studies and Strategies and Defense. He occupied several offices within the Directorate General of the Moroccan National Security where he was Borders’ Division Chief from 1978 to 1993. He was the former Director of the Royal Institute of Police in 1998. He also served as the Chief of Regional Security (Errachidia 1999-2003, Sidi Kacem 2003-2005) and was also Head of the Central General Intelligence from 2006 to 2009.

He also contributed to the output of several international organizations endeavors including the Council of Arab Interior Ministers from 1986 to 1992, where he represented the Directorate General of National Security in several meetings. Abdelhak Bassou holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science and International Studies from the Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences of Agdal in Rabat.

Amira Abdelhalim, Expert in the African program, Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS)

Amira Mohamed Abdel-Halim is Senior Researcher in International Studies Unit in Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS). Dr Abdelhalim’s research focuses on African Affairs, especially in conflicts and terrorism in Africa. She holds a PhD in African Studies from Cairo University, on the African Security after the end of Cold War. A study of the sources of threat and methods of confrontation in the eastern and southern African regions.

She contributed to the Annual African and Arabic Strategic reports, and writes regularly in Arab periodicals and online newspapers. She participated in international conferences, workshops both in Egypt and abroad, and trainings on conflict analysis.

Bouchra Rahmouni, Director of Research, Partnerships and Events

Bouchra is Director of Research, Research Valorization, Partnerships and Events at the Policy Center for the New South. Since May 2010, Professor Rahmouni has been a Distinguished Professor at Grenoble Ecole de Management (France). She is also an Associate Professor at New York University (USA), International Trade and Law Institute at Pusan National University (South Korea), and Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (Lebanon). She has contributed to several joint publications such as "L’Afrique des nouvelles convoitises" (Editions ELLIPSES, Paris, October 2011), " Femme et entrepreneur, c'est possible " (Editions PEARSON, Paris, November 2012), " Gouvernance, risques et crises ", (Editions l'HARMATTAN, December 2012). She led the book "Afrique : Nouvelle frontière de la croissance – Comprendre, Investir et Entreprendre" published by Technip & Orpfys Publishing, Paris, October 2015. This book earned an interview in Forbes about the Savannah Valley (African Silicon Valley). She is co-author of "Géopolitique de la Mediterranée", (Editions PUF, Paris, April 2013, translated in Japanese by the editions Hakusui-Sha.) and "Géopolitique de la condition féminine", (Editions PUF, published February 2014). She also directed the book " Le Maroc stratégique:  ruptures et permanence d'un Royaume " (published in December 2013 at Editions DESCARTES, Paris).
 

Fathallah Sijilmassi, Former Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean

Born on 21 August 1966 in Rabat (Morocco), Fathallah Sijilmassi is an economist and a career diplomat. After having worked at the Banque Commerciale du Maroc (currently Attijariwafabank) in Milan (Italy) from 1989 to 1992, then at the Ministry of Foreign Trade from 1992 to 1999, he held the functions of Director of Multilateral Cooperation (1999-2001), and Director of European Affairs (2001-2003) within the Moroccan diplomacy. In 2003, he was appointed by His Majesty the King of Morocco Ambassador of Morocco to the European Union (2003-2004), then to France (2005-2009). From 2009 to 2012, he leads the new Moroccan Agency for Investment Development. During this period, many multinational companies and SMEs chose Morocco as a regional platform. From 2012 to 2018, Fathallah Sijilmassi was appointed Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), an international organization bringing together 43 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region and whose vocation is to promote dialogue and cooperation. The headquarters of the UfM is in Barcelona (Spain). F. Sijilmassi holds a doctorate in International Economics from the University of Grenoble (France). He is a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Grenoble (France). 
Fathallah Sijilmassi has received several decorations:

-    Grand Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite et Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (France) ;
-    Encomiendo de numero of the Royal Order of Isabel la Catolica (Spain);
-    Star of Merit (Palestine).

Mohammed Loulichki, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South

Mr. Loulichki is a Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, previously known as OCP Policy Center, who focuses on Diplomacy, conflicts resolution and Human rights. He has an extensive experience of 40 years in diplomacy and legal affairs. He assumed inter alia the functions of Head of the Department of Legal Affairs and Treaties in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was also Ambassador of Morocco in Hungary, Bosnia – Herzegovina and Croatia (1995-1999), Ambassador Coordinator of the Government of Morocco with MINURSO (1999 – 2001), Ambassador of Morocco to the United Nations in Geneva (2006-2008) and New York (2001-2003 and 2008-2014), as well as President of the Security Council (December 2014).

Mr. Loulichki was appointed President of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council (2013), President of the working Group on Peace Keeping Operations (2012), Vice-President of the Human Rights Council (2006), Facilitator of the Universal Periodic Review of the said Council (2006 and 2010) and President of the National Committee in charge of the follow up on nuclear matters (2003-2006).

Niklas Bremberg, Research Fellow, Swedish Institute of International Affairs – UI

Niklas Bremberg is a Senior Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and researcher at the Department of Government, Uppsala University. His research focuses on international practices, security communities, climate security governance and EU foreign and security policy, especially towards North Africa. He has been visiting researcher at the University of Toronto, the University of Liverpool, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the European Policy Centre in Brussels. Dr Bremberg holds a PhD in Political Science.

His publications include the research monograph Diplomacy and Security Community-Building: EU Crisis Management in the Western Mediterranean and articles in e.g. Journal of Common Market Studies, WIRE: Climate Change, Cooperation & Conflict, European Security, Global Affairs and Mediterranean Politics.

Patricia Lisa, Analyst, Elcano Royal Institute

Patricia Lisa is an Analyst at Elcano Royal Institute for EU and migration matters. She has been involved in international negotiations for more than ten years, representing public offices for European Affairs and government members in Portugal. She was a team member in the Portuguese (2007) and Spanish (2010) Presidencies of the Council of the EU, head delegate for Justice and Home Affairs at several EU working parties and deputy to the advisory Committee of Article 36 (pre Lisbon) for policy and judicial cooperation in penal matters. She has been a technical advisor to government members on EU and national law and participates in various networking projects, as a Contact Point for the European Judicial Network in penal matters. She is a member of the Bellevue Programme at the Bosch Foundation and of the Global Diplomacy Lab. Her research areas are mainly: EU institutional affairs, in particular in the area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ), free movement of persons, criminal law, police and judicial co-operation and migration policies.

She has a postgraduate Diplom in European Law from King’s College London and in Advanced Studies in Public Management from the Portuguese Institute for Public Administration. She is a PhD candidate at the University Institute of Studies on Migration (IUEM) of the Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid.