Day: March 1, 2022

The Moroccan News Agency (MAP) received an award on Saturday evening in Essaouira, during a ceremony organized in honor of several personalities and national and foreign institutions, which have stood out in various fields in 2021.

During this event, organized by a private company operating in the field of media, together with the International Center for Legal and Institutional Activities, the Provincial Council of Essaouira and other partners, an award was presented to MAP, on behalf of its Director General, Khalil Hachimi Idrissi, as a sign of recognition of the efforts made by this pioneering national institution and its constant commitment to ensure its leadership role on the national, continental, regional and international media scenes in a continuously changing context.

This distinction is also an eloquent testimony, by the organizers, of their gratitude for the unfailing commitment and the colossal and professional work accomplished by MAP throughout the year 2021, which has imposed itself as an agency of the 21st century and asserted itself as an irreversible and unavoidable real-time source of information.

During this event, which blew its 4th candle this year, other prizes were also awarded to several institutions and national personalities who have marked the past year, namely the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans abroad, Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family, Aouatif Hayar, the Secretary General of the Department of Environment and Sustainable Development, Mohamed Benyahiya, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Redouane Arach, the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, President of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, El Hassan Daki, the member of the High Council of the Judiciary, Younes Zouhri, the former Moroccan ambassador to Norway in Iceland, Lamia Radi, the Secretary General of the Rabita Mohammedia of Ulemas, Ahmed Abbadi, the President of the Communal Council of Marrakech, Fatima Zohra El Mansouri and Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch and Meyrem Bensalah as businesswomen.

The winners also include the artist Hamid Bouchnak, the assistant coach of the national soccer team, Mustapha Hajji, the athlete Soufiyane El Bekkali, the president of the Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers (FMEJ), Noureddine Miftah, the director of production at the TV channel One minute TV and the digital expert, Fadoua Kamal.

An array of foreign personalities were also awarded prizes on this occasion, such as the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Rabat, Al Asri Saeed Ahmed Aldhaheri, the dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in Morocco and Ambassador of Cameroon, Mohammedou Youssoufou and the Secretary General of the Council of the Jewish community of Morocco, Serge Berdugo.

At the local level, other awards were given to the cell of fight against COVID-19 at the provincial delegation of health and to the commander of the Royal Gendarmerie company in Essaouira, Abderrahim Jouhari.

In a speech, the chairman of the organizing committee, Youssef El Mourih, highlighted the importance of this event which aims to enshrine the culture of recognition and gratitude to all those who have rendered valuable services and contributed to the influence of Morocco both nationally and internationally, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI.

He also expressed his conviction that this culture will remain the breadcrumb trail of the action taken by the organizers in the service of the Kingdom’s interests, recalling that a tribute was paid to about 300 people and institutions during the previous editions of this event which is in its fourth edition.

This initiative is, moreover, a contribution to consolidate this culture of recognition at the level of Essaouira as a city of coexistence, sharing and living together, he added.

For their part, officials and personalities among the recipients of these awards, present at this ceremony, welcomed the organization of this event, while welcoming this kind of commendable and highly symbolic initiatives that tend to anchor this culture of recognition, celebrating personalities and institutions for their efforts and their actions, each in its field, for the development and influence of the Kingdom.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

Speaking at the High Level Segment of the 49th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), Ouahbi noted that in the context of the fight against the pandemic, the Kingdom has adopted, at the instigation of HM the King, an inclusive approach to address the consequences of this health crisis at all levels, based on maintaining and preserving rights and intensifying efforts to protect the right to life and health, given their position in the hierarchy of rights.

The Kingdom, he added, has worked to ensure free vaccination against the virus for the benefit of all Moroccans and foreigners residing in Morocco, in addition to launching an ambitious national project to manufacture the anti-Covid 19 vaccine and other vaccines, so as to secure in the near future the vaccine sovereignty for the Kingdom and for the entire African continent.

He also cited the Kingdom’s humanitarian initiatives of solidarity with the peoples of the continent in the fight against the pandemic.

Furthermore, the Minister noted that the human rights dimension of the democratic process in Morocco has made the Kingdom clearly committed to the right to political choice and the guarantee of periodic elections.

Indeed, despite the conditions related to the pandemic, the Kingdom organized in September 2021 legislative, regional and local elections, during which Moroccan women played a central role and ensured a large presence, both by their participation or by the results obtained, he recalled.

“These elections have resulted in a new government formation, which may differ in its vision from the previous government, but which is part of a process stemming from the Constitution and a democracy open to all political parties. These elections were also an opportunity to consolidate many reforms and rights,” he said.

In addition, Ouahbi noted that the Kingdom remains open to a constructive dialogue with all international mechanisms concerned with the issue of human rights, in accordance with its international obligations in this area. In this regard, Morocco is preparing to present and discuss the national report on the 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review mechanism during the current year.

The Kingdom is also preparing to discuss the periodic reports submitted over the past two years to the relevant treaty bodies.

Regarding the artificial dispute over the historical and legitimate rights of Morocco on its Sahara, the Minister said the Kingdom reaffirms its commitment to the political process under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations, in order to achieve a realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and mutually acceptable political solution, in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council, in particular 2602 adopted on 29 October 2021.

He highlighted, in this sense, the relevance of the autonomy initiative proposed by Morocco and described by the Security Council as serious and credible in its last 18 resolutions.

The Minister stressed the commitment of the population of the Moroccan Sahara to the autonomy initiative, as evidenced, he said, by the large participation of the southern provinces in recent elections, noting that this region of the Kingdom leads in terms of participation, far exceeding the national average of 50.35%.

These elections, described as transparent and honest, allowed the inhabitants of the Moroccan Sahara to manage the affairs of their territorial communities and their locally elected institutions and to elect representatives of the inhabitants to national constitutional institutions such as the House of Representatives and the House of Advisors, he noted.

The Minister also drew the attention of the Human Rights Council to the ordeal endured by the populations held against their will in the camps of Tindouf in Algeria. He pointed in this regard “the refusal of the other party (Algeria) to conduct a census of the population in the camps of Tindouf since 2011, when the Security Council had adopted the resolution that stipulated the separation between the humanitarian dimension and the political dimension in the treatment of the humanitarian conditions of the populations in these camps”.

“This country is responsible for the inhumane conditions suffered by this population, especially with regard to corruption, manipulation and systematic diversion of humanitarian aid intended for the detainees in these camps,” he stressed.

In this regard, he strongly condemned the recruitment of children in the camps, in clear violation of the relevant international norms, which consider the military recruitment of children as a war crime and a crime against humanity.

Morocco, with its permanent presence in international human rights institutions, and its serious and responsible steps, renews its call to the international community to intervene to protect these children and all citizens held against their will in the camps of Tindouf, and makes the other party bear full responsibility for violations of human rights and infringements of fundamental freedoms and economic and social rights of these people, said the minister.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

These talks, which took place in the presence of the Permanent Representative of Morocco in Geneva, Ambassador Omar Zniber, were an opportunity to highlight the Moroccan model in the field of human rights, the rule of law and the consolidation of the democratic process, as well as the role of the Kingdom in the promotion of human rights at the Arab and African level.

Ouahbi met with the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals and in charge of Human Rights in Gabon, Erlyne Antonella Ndembet, with whom he discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and exchange of experiences, as an extension of the excellent and historic relations between the two countries.

The Minister also held talks with the Director of the Geneva Center for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), Thomas Guerber, during which both parties were pleased with the quality of cooperation between the Kingdom and the Center under the DCAF Morocco Program.

The Minister took the opportunity to highlight the progress made in Morocco on various issues related to the field of human rights, stressing the important changes that the Kingdom is experiencing, especially in terms of security governance, the criminal justice system and legal and judicial procedures.

Ouahbi then met with the Director General of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), Jan Beagle, focusing on the prospects and ways to develop relations between the justice sector in Morocco and IDLO.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

The delegation led by the President of the Council, Omar Hamad Attiyallah Hijazi, learned about the Moroccan experience in terms of harmonization and convergence between the action of national constitutional institutions and that of other public bodies, according to a statement of the upper house.

On this occasion, Mayara particularly highlighted the fruitful cooperation between the House of Advisors and the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH) which has helped promote human rights in the Kingdom, all generations combined, according to the statement.

Mayara stressed that Morocco, through the institutions concerned and its experience recognized by the international community in the field of transitional justice, is willing to act with the Libyan brothers in favor of the consolidation of the culture of human rights and its promotion for the benefit of the Libyan people, according to the same source.

Speaker of the Upper House also referred to the efforts that the Kingdom continues to deploy, in accordance with the High Instructions of HM King Mohammed VI, for Libya to regain its strength and stability so as to fulfill again its leadership role in the region, recalling in particular the holding of several rounds of the Libyan dialogue in Morocco which is concerned with a rapid outcome of the Libyan conflict and a reunification of all components of Libya as well as the building of a strong democratic state, capable of meeting the expectations and legitimate ambitions of the Libyan people.

For his part, the President of the National Council for Civil Liberties and Human Rights in Libya, Omar Hamad Attiyallah Hijazi, said that this visit of the Libyan delegation is motivated by the desire to learn from the Moroccan experience in the field of human rights, noting that “Morocco has a great experience in this field and is among the most advanced Arab countries and even internationally”.

He also said that Morocco is very attached to the stability of the situation of human rights in Libya, which works to promote them, stressing that his Council is determined to achieve this goal.

The Libyan delegation is on a working visit to Morocco with the aim of discovering the Moroccan experience in the field of transitional justice. The delegation’s agenda also contains a tour in the judicial and legislative institutions as well as the institutions of governance in the Kingdom.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

This forum, organized under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, will be marked by the presence of representatives of the Senates of more than 31 countries of the three geopolitical groups, as well as those of the regional parliamentary Unions of Africa, the Arab World, Latin America and the Caribbean, said a statement by the upper house.

The House of Advisors of the Kingdom of Morocco aims, through its presidency of the Association of Senates, Shura and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World, to make this parliamentary forum for dialogue between the Senates of the South a new mechanism for the consolidation of institutions of dialogue and programs of South/South parliamentary cooperation and a space for exploring new opportunities for multidimensional cooperation, according to an approach advocating a strategic partnership and solidarity, based on rapprochement and effective joint action, the same source added.

Participants in the forum will address several issues including the “Role of Senates, Shura and Equivalent Councils in promoting South-South cooperation”, “Trade and economic exchanges between Africa and the Arab world, Latin America and the Caribbean: reality and prospects”, and “Climate and health equity: What role do the Senates of the South play,” noted the release.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

In a statement, the upper house stresses that this congress will be opened by an address by Naama Mayara, speaker of the House and the Association, and by the presentation of a detailed report of the General Secretariat on the activities of the Association during the previous period, as well as the future prospects.

The congress’ proceedings will continue with the formation of three commissions namely: the financial commission, the commission of programs and the commission of the final statement, adds the same source.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

In a statement to the press after his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, Abdel-Razek said he was satisfied with his visit to Morocco, “which gives its interest to all that is likely to consolidate political relations between the two countries”.

This meeting, he added, is an opportunity to exchange and reiterate the convergence of views on many issues of common interest.

The Speaker of the Egyptian Senate further noted that this meeting was also an opportunity to reiterate the firm commitment of both parties to raise bilateral relations to the highest levels.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse