The “Throne Day” in Palermo strengthens the friendship between the Kingdom of Morocco and Rotary
By Antonio Giunta –D2110 Chair of the Intercountry Committee Italy, Malta, San Marino-Morocco
The celebration of the anniversary of King Mohammed VI of Morocco’s accession to the throne has always symbolized the unity of the Kingdom, as well as confidence in a future marked by cooperation and brotherhood among peoples.
This year, in keeping with this tradition, the Kingdom of Morocco General Consul in Palermo, Her Excellency Maryem Nassif, organized a splendid celebration for the occasion on July 30, 2027.
The Throne Day celebration, on its 27th anniversary, was held at the timeless ruins of the Church of Santa Maria delloSpasimo(Palermo Italy) in the presence of approximately 200 guests, including the Deputy Mayor of Municipality of Palermo, Dario Falzone, and numerous other civil, military, religious, diplomatic, academic, and civil society authorities.
After the performance of the Italian and Moroccan national anthems and the official speeches celebrating the accession to the throne of the King Mohammed VI, in a magical atmosphere under a starry sky, amidst music, dance, and Moroccan songs, typical dishes rich in flavor and color were served, delighting the palates of those present.
The celebration was also an important opportunity to strengthen the already strong bonds of friendship between the Kingdom of Morocco and Rotary District 2110 (Sicily-Malta).
Among the many invited dignitaries, the Consul extended a particularly warm welcome to District 2110 Governor Lina Ricciardello, who was present at the National Throne Day with the PDG Goffredo Vaccaro, the DGE Casimiro Gaetano Castronovo, the Italian President of the Italy ML, SM-Morocco Intercountry Committee Antonio Giunta, District Treasurer Alfredo Nocera, the President of the RC Palermo Annibale Chiriaco, the President of the RC Palermo Baia deiFeniciMario Cassarà, the President of the RC Palermo Teatro del Sole Mariafrancesca
Franco, the President of the RC Palermo AgoràLuisa Di Silvestri and many other Rotarians.
The presence of Archbishop Vito Rallo, Apostolic Delegate of the Holy See in Morocco and honorary member of the RC Mazara del Vallo, was also significant, testifying to the interreligious tolerance practiced in this country.
The Consul’s invitation to the National Throne Day was the best possible demonstration of the awareness that H.E. Maryem Nassif has of the commitment supported by Rotary and in particular byour District 2110 in Morocco, through the many humanitarian projects carried out over the past 15 years and the strong friendships established with Rotarians and Moroccan institutions.
Another aspect of the friendship that exists between Rotary and the Kingdom of Morocco is highlighted by the fact that His Majesty King Mohammed VI accepted (an extraordinary event) on October 4, 1999, the nomination of Honorary President of Rotary by Abdelkrim Benomar, Governor pro tempore of the Maghreb District 9010, and that the Rotary District 9010 Congress is always held in Morocco under the High Patronage of His Majesty the King and in the presence of an important representative.
The friendship between Rotarians in Morocco and Italy was born in 2006 through the personal story of a Moroccan woman, Samira Elyamani, who, at great financial sacrifice, took her son Ayoub, who was seriously ill with thalassemia, from a village in the province of Rabat to the GalieraHospital in Genoa.
Samira’s story highlights that in those years, thalassemia in Morocco was often undiagnosed or inadequately treated, and that hundreds of children died each year from a curable disease. Rotarians in Genoa, led by Paolo Gardino, decided to launch a project to control thalassemia in Morocco.
The “Thalassemia-Morocco” project extended to other Italian Rotary Districts, including our own District 2110, which has always been at the forefront of this great initiative thanks to the foresight of the late PDG Concetto Lombardo.
Four Matching Grants and seven Global Grants were awarded in Morocco.
The “Thalassemia” Project involved ten hospitals in Morocco (Rabat, Casablanca, Oujda, Marrakech, Tangier, El Jadida, Taroudant, Fez, and Larache), two bone marrow transplant centers at the “Centres Hospitaliers Universitaires” in Marrakech and Casablanca, and two blood transfusion centers (Rabat and Oujda). Four hospitals in Italy (Genoa, Turin, Palermo, and Trapani) were also involved.
The last Global Grant/VTT awarded in Morocco was GG2464128 “Cardioprotectionde Rabat avec DsAEet Formation de Secouristeset des Instructeurs BLSD” with a $42,000 endowment obtained with resources from the Rotary Foundation, Italian Districts 2110 and 2080, Moroccan District 9010, RC Palermo Teatro del Sole, and RC Rabat Excellence.
The project was completed in Rabat on February 10, 2026, through the efforts of a Vocational Training Team composed of five Rotarians from District 2110: Goffredo Vaccaro (team leader), Maurilio Carpinteri, Antonio Giunta, Pietro Leto, and Antonella Lombardo.
The Global Grant enabled the dissemination of first aid and early defibrillation among the population of Rabat, Morocco, with the goal of significantly increasing the chances of survival for those suffering cardiac arrest in environments where defibrillators were placed and donated.
The defibrillators were donated and installed in the following centers:
- Rabat Psychiatric Hospital,
- Rabat Hospital for the Care of Deaf Blind Children,
- Moulay Abdellah Prefectural Hospital in Mohammedia,
- Mohammed V University of Rabat,
- Rabat Golf Club
- Center for Integration and Employment Support for Young People with Down Syndrome in Rabat.
Fundamental to the realization of this project was the collaboration of Rotarians at the local level and in particular of: Najat Lecheheb, President of RC Rabat Excellence and of PDG El Jilali Antari.
The importance of this Global Grant is further evidenced by the fact that this project was recently presented with a comprehensive and extensive video on July 3, 2026, at the “ICC 3rd Africa Peace Forum” in Casablanca, in the presence of the International President of the Executive Council of the Intercountry Committees, Annemarie Mostert, and the Governor of District 9010, Younes Saih.
Thanks to the cooperation between Rotarians of Italy and Morocco and specifically the RC Rabat Excellence, the Maghreb District 9010, the Italian Districts 2110 and 2060 and the CIP ItalyMorocco on 2 March 2024 the drinking water supply project was completed in the Agadir Iznaguenevillage, located in the Al Haouz province at an altitude of 1,224 metresin the Atlas mountain range south of Marrakech.
Within the “Thalassemia-Morocco” Project, the last project completed was in February 2024 with Global Grant/VTT GG2234268: ‘’Créationd’un Centre de Diagnostic et Traitementde la Thalaéssemieà l’Hôpital Lalla Meryem à Larache’’ with the local lead club being RC Casablanca Mers Sultan (D.9010), chaired by Mohamed El Iraqi, and the international lead club being RC Palermo Baia deiFenici(D.2110), chaired by Francesco Muceo.
Districts 9010 (Morocco), 2110 (Italy), 2080 (Italy), 1730 (France), and many RRCCs in Morocco, Italy, and France, as well as the Rotary Foundation, also contributed to this Global Grant.
The project was implemented through the acquisition of medical equipment and training provided by an interdistrict team (D.2110 and D.2080) of Rotarian doctors composed of Goffredo Vaccaro (team leader), Antonio Giunta, Gabriele Andria, Rossella Ricciardi, Federico Bizzarri, and Giuseppe Masnata. The training was requested to improve knowledge of the use of the equipment received and to keep up to date with the latest scientific developments in the diagnosis and treatment of thalassemia.
The importance of the “Thalassemia-Morocco” project was also recognized through the scheduled presentations on the topic that the organizers of International Rotary Conferences chose to include in the official program.
The progress of the Thalassemia Project in Morocco was presented at the following international Rotary conferences:
- Institute Zone 20B, October 2014 in Marrakech, with speaker Maurizio Triscari and in the presence of International President Gary Huang.
- Presidential Conference on Disease Prevention and Treatment, February 2016 in Cannes, with speaker Paolo Gardino and in the presence of International President K.R. Ravi Ravindran.
- 1st Rotary African Summit, March 2018 in Marrakech, with speakers Antonio Giunta and Salvatore D’Angelo in the presence of International President Ian Riseley.
The friendship between Rotarians in Morocco and Italy has also been strengthened through the signing of the following twinning agreements:
- RC Tanger Espoir and RC Palermo Baia dei Feniciin Tangier on May 10, 2015, with
- RC Palermo Baia deiFeniciand RC Casablanca Mers Sultan in Palermo on May 3, 2019, with Presidents Franco Dones and ZhoraBenali
- Districts 2110 (Sicily-Malta) and 9010 (Morocco- Tunisia-Algeria-Mauritania) in Palermo on July 12, 2025, with Governors Sergio Malizia and Khaled Fourati
- RC Rabat Excellence and RC Mazara del Vallo in Rabat on February 14, 2026, with Presidents Najat Lecheheband Calogero (Lillo) Giorgi.
A further boost to the strengthening of the friendship between the Rotarians of Italy and Morocco were officially appointed on June 6, 2022,
with the establishment of the Italy-MaltaSan Marino/ Morocco Intercountry Committee.
This was followed by the official appointment of Antonio Giunta (District 2110) as President of the Italian-Malta-San Marino National Section, and PDG El Jilali Antari (District 9010) as President of the Moroccan National Section.
Presidents Zineb Chaoudriand Raffaele Parlato The delivery of the Charter took place in the presence of Cyril Noirtin, president of the CIP Rotary International Executive Committee pro
tempore, during a Zoom ceremony attended by PDG Alessandro Pastorini, national coordinator of CIP
Italy, Malta and San Marino, DGN Saadia Aglif, national coordinator of CIP Morocco, Gaetano De Bernardis, governor of District 2110 and Leila Roubache, governor of District 9010.
The officialization of the Constitution of CIP Italy-Morocco can only strengthen the existing bonds of friendship between the two peoples and promote new joint actions in the name of solidarity between peoples.
CIP Italy-San Marino-Malta/Morocco has thus joined the network of 400 existing CIP Rotary clubs, and this will certainly further strengthen the bridge of solidarity we have built over the years between the two shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
We will have the opportunity to promote new joint projects, to expand friendship and intercultural understanding between the two countries and ultimately to promote the peace that is sorely needed in these times.
In this regard, we will be happy to reciprocate the invitation extended by H.E. Maryem Nassif and to welcome the members of the Rabat Excellence Rotary Club—and others—to Mazara, on the next October, for the “Rotarian Invocation” event, a celebration of peace and brotherhood among peoples and interfaith dialogue
Rotary Izmir Dokuz Eylül
District 2440, Turkey - Past District Governor
Past Rotary Public Image Coordinator
Turkish Rotary Magazine board member
Active member of the WASH and SRoF fellowships
TRF CADRE
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