Address of the Speaker of the House of Representatives at Opening Session of the Seventh World Parliamentary Forum on Social Justice
Honorable Speaker of the House of Councilors,
Distinguished President of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council,
Distinguished Presidents of Constitutional Institutions and Governance Bodies,
Esteemed Ministers,
Distinguished Parliamentarians,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honored to participate on behalf of the House of Representatives in the Seventh World Parliamentary Forum on Social Justice, organized by the House of Councilors in partnership with the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council, which this year deals with the theme of investment in human capital, given its position at the heart of social justice. I want to thank my colleague and friend, Hon. Naam Miyara, the Speaker of the House of Councilors, for inviting the House of Representatives to take part in a debate on a matter of prime importance on the national agenda.
One of the factors that reflect the central importance of this theme in today's Morocco, as has been the case for more than two decades, is that this Forum is graced by the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify him, who has made, since he acceded to the Throne, human development, investment in the human element, and the preservation of fundamental human rights and giving them a social and economic dimension one of the priorities of His Majesty. In this regard, the National Initiative for Human Development, launched by His Majesty in May 2005, with its achievements and fruits, is considered by any objective observer as one of the policies that mark the era of His Majesty.
Moreover, historical practices and experiences have proven that no nation has been able to advance or progress without placing the human element at the heart of its quests, and without investing in the human capital through education, culture, training, and entertainment, as well as through the provision of social services with the required quality, given that the economic and social empowerment of the human element and income-generating jobs that guarantee the future are the factors that facilitate its participation in development, production, and management of public affairs, taking into account the positive impacts that this has on social stability and the consolidation of the institutional edifice within the framework of a State that guarantees rights and ensures compliance with obligations.
Based on its deep-rooted traditions, culture, and history, our country has built its social model on solidarity, mutual aid, and solicitude for the human element. This model is being strengthened, its implementation is accelerating, and its aspects are multiplying for more than two decades under a continuous royal benevolence in terms of development and implementation.
As I mentioned earlier, the National Initiative for Human Development is a highlight of this social model as its projects and potentials are mobilized to combat vulnerability, facilitate schooling, especially for girls in rural areas, support income-generating initiatives of the solidarity and social economy, provide drinking water in rural areas, and build and manage social protection, reintegration, and training institutions.
In order to institutionalize public interventions in social services, our country has managed to ensure health coverage for more than 23 million people who benefit from this regime in an institutionalized and structured way that guarantees public health service within the framework of modern legal regulations. Being aware of the project's demands in terms of finances, human resources, and infrastructure, we must recognize its true value and be proud of it, especially considering the context in which it was carried out, a context of wars and successive world crises with repercussions known to us all. It is, in the first place, a royal project that requires us to continue the collective mobilization at the level of all the institutions and responsibility positions to enshrine and improve it, and allow the citizen to feel its concretization.
It is also a gentle revolution in the healthcare offer and health coverage in our country, and a project that enshrines solidarity, mutual aid, and social cohesion, gives the right to health care its concrete meaning and will improve the indices of the health service and create positive changes in the relationship of the citizen with the public service.
Distinguished Speaker and Presidents,
Distinguished Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let us agree on the appreciation of this achievement and its positioning as a basis for the future, knowing that there is still effort that must be deployed, public policies that have to be implemented, and financial, human, and logistical resources that must be provided in order to win our strategic challenge regarding what we are about the achieve, meaning the State of social welfare. In parallel with that, let us agree that the investment in and for the human capital has a broader dimension. In this vein, our collective aspiration is to shape an individual that keeps an attachment to his national values, remains open to the world, defends his institutions, participates in the management of public affairs, is independent in thinking, and bases his decisions on conviction and awareness. In an open world where all ideological borders have been demolished thanks to information technologies, positive values are sometimes subject to hybridization and obliteration because of misinformation and false news.
In response, discourses of introversion, intolerance, rejection of others, extremism, and isolationist tendencies flourish. It is a global phenomenon that probably touches all societies. Here, we raise the question of appropriating positive social values, values of belonging to the country, solidarity, cohesion, production, work, initiative, innovation, fair competition, merit, and non-dependency. These values we have known to be deep-rooted in our country must be glorified and restored in our relations and dealings. However, the necessary remains that we must invest in public policies and the channels and spaces that produce, enshrine, and promote them. It is a strategic and productive investment in the human element. This investment is linked to education, training, schooling, culture, and innovation, particularly in schools, universities, and scientific research. On this matter, the enormous and voluntary public spending in education and training must have the aspired tangible impact on ameliorating the indices of the area. If we win this challenge by restoring the pivotal role of schools and universities in society and value building, we will certainly earn positive results in all sectors.
It is also a matter of restoring the central role of the family in upbringing and education to the spirit of Tamghrbit (Moroccanity), which core is discipline, loyalty, respect, diligence, and linking rights to obligations.
The third pillar is the media, which are normally entrusted with orienting the public debate and contributing to the consolidation of national awareness, enshrining diversity, and shaping the national identity.
We certainly agree on this note. Therefore, we must monitor the use of modern communication technologies, both in terms of content and discourses and their exploitation in administrations and public life.
On the same note, we must also closely monitor the content consumed by our youth. The opinion of the Economic, Social, and Environment Council on fake news and the sociological study conducted by the House of Representatives on values certainly sound the alarm and urge us to adopt the necessary policies and laws to subvert the negative orientations in these fields through encouraging the positive use of communication technologies.
To address the challenges that face our country, we must remain attached to our deep-rooted and common Moroccan values that are open to the world and its cultures. This being the basis and pillar of our unity and rallying around our national constants and institutions, action in this area in terms of investing in the human capital still requires material support, without which it cannot be durable or enshrined. In this regard, the guarantee of rights and values outlined in the Constitution of the Kingdom, which are very advanced, remains a project open for amelioration, expansion, consolidation, and acceleration. In addition, the empowerment of women and the guarantee of their rights based on equality, parity, independence, their integration in the economic and social dynamics, and the facilitation of their participation in the executive and representative public institutions, is a must as it is meaningless to still ignore an essential component of society.
As investment in the human element is an investment in the future, investment in youth is one of the public responsibilities that we must, as institutions and authorities, keep in mind and render convergent with other public policies in elaborating, implementing, and benefitting from them. The purpose of this remains to spread hope for the future, curb disappointment, and enable youth to take initiatives in entrepreneurship and production.
In parallel with that, our focus on future generations must not inhibit us from forgetting about the women and men who contributed to building today's Morocco, meaning the elders whom we must take care of and whose dignity we must preserve. It is a religious, social, and moral duty, knowing that family care for parents remains one of the traits that Moroccans must not let go of.
Certainly, the focus on these categorical dimensions and balance in caring for generations and the gender dimension must go hand-in-hand with ensuring spatial solidarity and justice. Morocco's progress must have a comprehensive spatial and social impact that covers all the Kingdom's regions to consolidate social and territorial cohesion as part of a model that makes all Moroccans feel that they belong in, both in terms of rights and obligations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our country has succeeded under the leadership of its three Kings in gaining national independence through a hard-fought struggle that is now taught worldwide. Subsequently, the Kingdom has succeeded in building institutions and achieving its institutional democratic model in parallel with major successes in the field of infrastructure, such as dams, roads, seaports, and airports, as well as in the area of basic services, such as electricity, drinking water, health, and education. Certainly, the preservation and development of this Moroccan model and this ascension are built on accumulation and depend on its appropriation by everyone, and on the degree to which Moroccans feel that it represents them, benefits them, and meets their aspirations and expectations. And here lies the importance of investment in human resources.
If there is a need for a sectoral or spatial locomotive to pull the development train, the great disparity in the pace of development will not help achieve the desired social cohesion. And this is where the importance of spatial justice that is oriented and integrated with social justice lies.
Some pivotal events have shown that our country has enormous potential. The most recent example is what our country managed to accomplish under the enlightened and proactive leadership of His Majesty the King, may God glorify him, in its battle against Covid-19, as well as the achievement of the Moroccan National Football Team in the Qatar World Cup, in which Moroccans, players and supporters, amazed the world with a remarkable performance. On the other hand, Moroccans abroad demonstrate that Morocco's soil bears fruit to high skills and qualifications. These were some of the achievements of the Moroccan human capital, which only surprise those whom they irritate and who consider us unworthy of progress, democratization, and global positioning, ignoring the fact that we are a nation that has confronted, throughout history, the strongest empires so that Morocco remains a long-standing country with distinct peculiarities.
Thank you for your keen listening.