Month: June 2022

This agreement is at the crossroads of cross-cutting objectives, such as improving information and awareness among security services for increased responsiveness and better management of reception, listening, support and accompaniment of women victims of violence.

It also provides for monitoring the care offered to women and girls who are victims of violence and capitalizing on the efforts of the various stakeholders.

The agreement was signed in the presence of representatives of the ministries of the Interior; Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad and Economy and Finance; the Gendarmerie Royale and the national police (DGSN), as well as the National Council for Human Rights, the Inter-ministerial Delegation for Human Rights, the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s office and the Enabel Development Agency.

The convention is part of the consolidation of the partnership established between Morocco and Belgium, through the exchange of expertise, the sharing of experiences and the strengthening of collaboration.

The action of the Ministry of Interior, the Gendarmerie Royale and the DGSN in this field is reflected in their contribution and their commitment, as combating violence against women is part of the fight against delinquency.

This agreement formalizes the complementarity between the stakeholders to combat all forms of violence against women and to work towards better care for the victims.

The commitments made require strengthened public action involving non-governmental actors to move towards an operational and targeted response that meets the needs of victims.

In a statement to the press, the Belgian ambassador to Morocco, Veronique Petit, said she was very pleased with the signing of this agreement between the two kingdoms, stressing that it concerns a difficult issue that affects all areas.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

Speaking at the opening of the 2nd meeting of the Board of the IOM-UNDP Global Program on Migration for Sustainable Development (M4SD), Skim said that this program fits perfectly within the framework of the migration policy adopted in 2013 by Morocco, thanks to HM King Mohammed VI’s enlightened vision.

It aims to ensure better integration for migrants into the Moroccan society, particularly through support to concrete initiatives at the local level, in terms of facilitating access of migrants to basic services, but also support to public institutions to effectively integrate migration-related issues in their respective sectoral strategies at national and regional levels, he explained.

Skim also stressed that the contribution of migrants to development is a crucial issue today, both in host countries and in countries of origin, believing that the universality of human rights means that these migrants must have access to education, employment, health and especially security.

For his part, the Swiss Ambassador to Morocco, Guillaume Scheurer said that the annual meeting of the global program is an opportunity to meet and interact between different stakeholders, adding that this is an initiative promoted by Switzerland with the UNDP (United Nations Development Program).

It is to review the progress of the objectives set and plan future actions, he said, stressing that this meeting is particularly relevant and useful because at the international level, migration contributes significantly to fostering development.

Scheurer also highlighted the importance of cooperation of all actors, including public authorities, private sector and civil society actors to ensure better governance and collective response to the challenges of migration today, welcoming the initiatives of Morocco in migration policies.

For her part, the Deputy Head of IOM Morocco, Botella Teresa said that this dialogue will generate a lot of knowledge and good practices for the deployment of new partnerships for better governance of migration, at all levels of the state.

Referring to the leadership of Morocco in migration strategies, she noted that the Moroccan policy is in line with the objectives of sustainable development and can be taken as an example in the African context, insofar as it includes several actors in the governance of migration.

She further noted that this meeting is a moment of reflection and an opportunity for a fruitful exchange between the representatives of 11 countries, around the good practices of each country in order to identify the best ways to follow so that migration has a positive impact on sustainable development.

Launched in 2019, the IOM-UNDP Global Program is in Phase III of a long-standing effort to pave the way for a more integrated methodology for migration governance, promote policy coherence and foster community benefits in line with national and local development priorities.

The program aims to show the extent to which integrating migration into development and other sectoral policies yields results on the ground that directly contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda SDGs, thereby linking policy and practice.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

The silence and manipulations of the military regime no longer work. Algeria must assume its responsibilities. Moreover, under international law, there can be no delegation of sovereignty, since the Tindouf camps are under its authority and responsibility.

These camps have become, for nearly half a century, the scene of serious human rights violations perpetrated, with impunity, by the armed militias of the “polisario” with the complicity of the Algerian army. The Algeria-polisario tandem has imposed a state of military and media siege on the populations sequestered in the camps of Tindouf where it conducts a policy of terror against a heavily weakened population.

However, Algeria, as a signatory to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has undertaken, in accordance with Article 2, to guarantee to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction the rights recognized in the Covenant, and to provide an effective and enforceable remedy when a violation is established.

Nevertheless, the decision of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) attests to the contrary, since the Committee adopted, during its 134th session, an opinion against Algeria in the context of a complaint filed on behalf of a former “polisario” member, M’Rabih Ahmed Mahmoud Adda, who was able to flee his torturers to settle in Mauritania.

The Committee, which is the UN body of reference in matters of human rights, issued an opinion in favor of the complainant, “for abduction, arbitrary detention, torture and degrading and inhuman treatment,” in retaliation for his participation in demonstrations against the leadership of the “polisario”, while attributing responsibility to Algeria.

This opinion, which has the value of an official “rejection” of the existence of the puppet entity, unequivocally castigates Algeria and ineluctably recognizes its status as a party to the Moroccan Sahara conflict.

This is not an isolated case. Already in 2018, the Committee had, in its concluding observations on the fourth periodic report of Algeria adopted at its 123rd session, expressed “its deep concern about the de facto devolution by the Algerian State of its powers, including jurisdictional powers, to the polisario.

It stressed that this situation is contrary to the obligations of the State party, according to which it must respect and ensure the rights recognized in the Covenant to all individuals within its territory.

This de facto devolution of Algeria’s prerogatives to the “polisario”, on part of its territory, has created a jurisdictional vacuum, depriving the local populations of access to the institutions of judicial recourse or equity of the host country and this, in total violation of the international Conventions and Treaties signed by the Algerian regime.

The same concern was reiterated in the report of the Secretary General of the United Nations (No. S/2018/889, para. 67), particularly that relating to the lack of access of victims in the Tindouf camps to remedies before the courts of the State Party.

This legal vacuum has been exploited by the “polisario” and the Algerian army to systematically repress anyone expressing an opinion different from the “polisario” leadership, or daring to criticize the depravity and clientelism rampant in the Tindouf camps.

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) had also singled out Algeria in its Opinion 7/2020, adopted during its 87th session, following the abduction of the opponent El Fadel Breica, who was tortured and illegally detained for nearly 5 months by the “polisario” leadership.

The WGAD stressed, in this context, that “the responsibility of Algeria is engaged, as long as these violations were committed on Algerian territory and therefore under Algerian territorial jurisdiction.

The case of M’Rabih Ahmed Mahmoud Adda also raises the issue of the recruitment of child soldiers by the “polisario”, which operates with impunity on Algerian territory and in flagrant violation of international law, since he too has been enlisted and indoctrinated since the age of 15.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

The UN Human Rights Committee has slammed Algeria in connection with the complaint filed by a former element of the polisatio in the name of M’Rabih Ahmed Mahmoud Adda, for kidnapping and acts of torture and ill-treatment he suffered on the territory of this country, in retaliation for his activities denouncing human rights violations in the camps controlled by the militias of the separatists.

IOPDHR noted that this judgment “is an important step forward that comes in addition to the multiple opinions and decisions issued by regional and international bodies castigating the full responsibility of Algeria in all crimes and abuses committed by the polisario against the population of the Tindouf camps”.

“This is a clear message to those responsible for these crimes and a victory for the victims and activists who are fighting tirelessly to ensure that the Algerian authorities and the polisario leaders are held accountable for the crimes committed,” said the Observatory in a statement.

The case of M’Rabih Ahmed Mahmoud Adda illustrates the situation of lawlessness in the camps of Tindouf, it noted.

For IOPDHR, “it is important to maintain pressure to investigate all cases of abduction, detention, extrajudicial executions, torture, persecution, enforced disappearance and other forms of violations committed in the camps of Tindouf so that the perpetrators of these abuses are brought to justice”.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

“I would like to submit the idea of establishing a working group attached to the F15 Committee, which would serve as a platform to reflect and propose ways to strengthen the performance of the AU budget and improve the efficiency of expenditure,” said Fettah at the opening the high-level meeting of the committee.

Such a consultation mechanism, which may take the form of a small sub-committee, will help bring out concrete recommendations to support the AU Commission in the implementation of a real performance approach, thanks to its functional agility and its mandate focused on budget performance, she said.

“Our fellow Africans call for a strong, dynamic African Union capable of providing tangible solutions to the various problems facing the countries of the continent,” Fattah noted. The achievement of this “legitimate” aspiration depends, however, on the increased efforts of all parties involved in the process of institutional reforms initiated by the Union as of 2016, the minister added.

The F15 high-level meeting opened Monday in Rabat on the theme “Beyond COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Enhancing the Resilience of African Economies and Financial Sustainability of the African Union”.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse

The framework agreement was signed at a ceremony chaired by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch.

The program, under the framework agreement, has been allotted a budget exceeding 4 billion dirhams by the government to design a new training scheme spread over 5 years, a statement from the department of the Head of Government said.

This program is a materialization of the high concern of His Majesty King Mohammed VI on issues related to education, training and scientific research as fundamental levers for upgrading the human element and the pillars of the development project, according to the same source.

It also responds to the provisions of the framework law No. 17-51 on the system of education, training and scientific research, and the New Development Model, which have established the promotion of the level of teachers as essential factors for improving the quality of education and training in our country.

This program aims to meet the current and future needs of teachers of different specialties in the cycles of primary and secondary education. It also intends to make the bachelor of education the main pathway to accessing the teaching profession, the statement concluded.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse