Address of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, at Opening Session of the “Forum of the House of Councilors for Moroccan Youth” Given on His Behalf by Deputy Speaker, Rep. Khadija Ezzoumi

Honorable Speaker of the House of Councilors,

Esteemed Head of the Government,

Esteemed Ministers,

Fellow Parliamentarians,

Dear Youth,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am honored to take part alongside you in the opening session of the Forum of the House of Councilors for Moroccan Youth, and I would like to thank the Honorable Speaker Ennam Mayara for his invitation to the House of Representatives to participate in the launch of this constitutive act of a space that aims to annually gather the institutional and civil actors to address citizens’ ambitions.

There is no doubt that when we target our youth using dialogue, cooperation, orientation, and organization, we address the future and bet on a category that was and will always be a driving force of societal dynamics, which is confirmed by the practice in our Moroccan case as young people had always assumed decisive roles in the various stages of constructing the national State, entrenching the institutional and democratic edifice, and achieving development.

Conscious of this position and these roles, the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify him, was proactive as it constitutionalized the rights of youth and determined them mandatory to all, regardless of the political colors of governments, institutions, or territorial authorities. In this respect, Article 33 of the Kingdom’s Constitution stipulates the rights that must be granted to youth by public authorities and enacts the creation of a Consultative Council of Youth and Associative Action following the adequate requirements in terms of public policies and programs directed at youth, which of course start from education, training, and openness, and shall not be limited to employment and participation in development and in the political, economic, and cultural life, but rather extend to the management of public affairs, even from outside institutions.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Observers of youth conditions today may observe a lack of participation by this category in public affairs, that aspiration towards employment and social services are the major goals that worry youth today, and that there are paradoxical perceptions of these conditions. However, let us be positive and avoid reducing the aspirations of youth to matters that are merely material, and value the achievements of youth, particularly in the Moroccan case.

In this regard, we should raise the following questions: Are youth not the ones that respond in thousands to the call for military services, express discipline, and perform their national duty after reinstating the military service, in an expression of citizen patriotism and feeling of responsibility? Are you not the ones that impact today the public opinion through social media and new technologies? Are youth not the ones that stimulate the sports and cultural life in associations and clubs? Are youth note the ones that assume a decisive role in civil orientation within civil society organizations in cities and rural areas?

Those are some illuminating positive manifestations that must be valued and expanded to the horizon that institutionalizes and regulates them.

In Morocco, we are lucky that our partisan and, generally, political traditions and practice have matured to the level where the integration of youth has become a common entrenched conviction and a political and social imperative. We must not ignore the role of youth wings within parties in enriching the partisan and political action. In this respect, and as much as they are a fertile ground that enriches political action with executives and elites, as much as they are a space for reflection and debate, a source for suggestions, and a platform that attracts organized and responsible partisan action. They are, alongside the civil society, arboretums that produce elites and executives.

We should also raise another question relating to the means for eliminating the hardships that restrain youth from achieving their goals in politics and public action. Among the possible responses to this question.

- I believe we are first required to change and correct our perceptions of youth, and believe in their potential and ability to create.

- Secondly, and instead of loading youth in terms of ideologies, we must rather invest in training, and instead of polarization, we must resort to convincing, inclusion, and integration, and instead of loading youth with introvert discourses, we must open before them the horizons of rational thinking and empower them with tools that would enable them to assimilate the values of democracy and coexistence, and make them believe in the peculiarities and potential of their country and innovate in the economic fabric and production systems.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The institutional and legislative reforms introduced by our country during the last two decades under the leadership of His Majesty, may God glorify him, in its aspect directed at youth, bore fruit to the selection of many skillful youth within representative and executive institutions. The most prominent evidence of this is the rejuvenation of the territorial councils and the legislative institution. In this respect, 41% of the members of the House of Representatives are less than 50 years old while 17% are less than 40 years old. These figures are quite similar to those recorded in old-standing democracies as the comparative examples in several European Parliaments show that the representation of youth of 40 years of age or less is not much different than the composition of the Moroccan Parliament in terms of age groups. In the same regard, we must commend the fact that several former young parliamentarians have acquired large expertise and become seasoned in dealing with political affairs that they gained the trust of His Majesty who appointed them as members of the Government and officials in executive institutions. On the other hand, we must recall the rights and opportunities granted by the Kingdom’s Constitution to civil society organizations as youth mobilize largely in the area of participatory and citizen democracy and take part in the management of public affairs, in addition to the horizons its opens before societal actors in terms of opportunities to orient the initiatives of citizens in petitions addressed to public and elected authorities, motions on legislation, participation in the evaluation of public policies, and amelioration of legislation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

History proves that the development and growth of nations are bound by the effective participation of women and men and their integration in development. In our national case, the New Development Model and the institutional, economic, and social reforms undertaken by country open vast horizons to youth to show their creativity in entrepreneurship and social action, and to become employers instead of looking for employment.

Whether it is the case of startups operating in new technologies, agriculture, or institutionalized social action, our Moroccan youth have their say and earn the necessary skills to contribute to the assurance of our cybersecurity, provide new services, and participate in the assurance of our food security.

There is no doubt that your forum puts these goals among its stakes. Hence, I commend your initiative and wish it continuity and success.

Thank you for your keen listening.