Address of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Khadija Zoumi, at Opening of the Parliamentary Forum on "Women’s Representation in Parliaments: Practices and Perspectives"

Your excellency, the Ambassador of Canada in Rabat,

Honorable colleague, Ms. Caroline Nokes, Member of the British House of Commons,

Honorable colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have the honor to open, with you, on behalf of the Speaker and members of the Board of the House of Representatives, this Forum, in which we shall continue to discuss a central issue in contemporary societies, especially in emerging democracies. Our concern today is enabling women to be present in Parliaments and ensuring their adequate representation in legislative institutions on an equal footing with men, given that it is an institutional and political step towards equal presence in public executive decision-making positions and towards economic and social equity.

First of all, I would like to thank our international partners in organizing such events, especially the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), the Canadian Embassy, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Rabat, for their participation in the organization of this panel and their effective presence with us. I would also like to thank, in particular, Your Excellency, the Ambassador of Canada in Rabat, and the Westminster Foundation office in Rabat. On behalf of the Speaker and the Board of the House of Representatives, I welcome everyone to this Forum with hope that its work would constitute another brick in the process of accumulating ideas and proposals that will help promote the assumption by women of public, representative, and executive responsibilities.

Ladies and gentlemen

Honorable colleagues,

Our country has adopted decisive reforms to achieve equality and equity in favor of women and ensure the constitutionality of women's rights. In this respect, Article 19 of the Constitution establishes that men and women "shall enjoy, on equal level, civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights and freedoms...". The same Article stiuplates that the State shall work “to achieve parity between men and women,” and “shall create the Authority for Parity and the Fight against all Forms of Discrimination.”

This decisive constitutional reform has launched a new dynamic at the legislative level and in gender-sensitive public policies and those that seek to guarantee equality, equity, and women's economic empowerment, hence concluding a set of incremental reforms in favor of women. For example, the reforms introduced in the electoral laws in 2002 have led to the adoption of the national women's list and the increase in the number of women in the House of Representatives from five to 35, which was then a significant development concerning the presence of women in the parliaments of Africa and the Middle East, and which has given a powerful impetus to the cause of women in public debate, in representative and executive institutions, and has fundamentally changed many social representations regarding the contribution of women. Therefore, it was an example for other institutions to take into account the gender approach in their structure and actions.

One of the fruits of this decisive reform is the current presence of women in the House of Representatives, with 95 women out of a total of 395, or 24%, and within the House of Councilors, the local, provincial and regional territorial collectivities, as well as in the Government, and in public institutions and enterprises.

Before this significant reform and the related legislative and institutional dynamics, in which the pleadings of women parliamentarians and political party activists played a prominent role, it is worth recalling the central importance of the provisions of the Family Code that our country adopted in 2004 thanks to the wisdom, farsightedness, and solicitude of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify him, who ensured that this Code was issued by the Parliament after it had been the subject of maturation, consensus and discussion at the level of society within the framework of a Special Committee. At the time, this bold reform was unique in the region, not only because of the rights it guaranteed but also because it enshrined the concept of co-responsibility between women and men in the management of the family and in conjugal and family life.

In the Kingdom of Morocco, we are proud of our bold constitutional and legislative reforms based on the methodology of involvement, maturation, and consensus among the components of the nation, accumulation, but never on decisive extreme views. Such reforms are undoubtedly critical entries that should be attributed and subdivided into gender-sensitive legislation, mainly in national, regional, and local public policies that integrate women into development and facilitate their equitable presence in decision-making positions. In this regard, it is worth bearing in mind what His Majesty, may God help him, said in the Speech from the Throne in 2022: "One of the main reforms we have introduced in this regard include the adoption of the Family Code and the 2011 Constitution, which enshrines equality between men and women in terms of rights and obligations and provides for the principle of parity as a goal to be pursued by the state.

The question here is not about giving women unwarranted privileges; rather, it is about giving them their legal and legitimate rights. In present day Morocco, women cannot be deprived of their rights.

In this regard, we need to make sure the constitutional institutions concerned with the rights of the family and women are operational, and to update the relevant mechanisms and regulations for the promotion of the status of women. The Family Code was a major step forward. However, it is no longer sufficient. Experience has shown there are many hurdles which stand in the way of completing this process and achieving its objectives.” end of the quote of His Majest the King.

These royal directives open broad reform prospects that we must keep in mind and orient ourselves to their human and democratic horizon, and the House of Representatives is, of course, at the center of this orientation.

Whatever the legislation, laws, and administrative or political procedures that were taken, they are still insufficient to achieve equity and equality, as the first important step is society's grasping of a culture of equality, its appreciation of the role of women in development, and in the public sphere as in the family. Therefore, we must always place the cultural challenge and the change of women’s representations in society into positive ones at the core of political and institutional action and public debate, the media, Parliament, universities, parties, and associations.

On the other hand, it is necessary to invest in education and schooling in favor of women to achieve social promotion that will enable them to assume executive responsibilities in enterprises and institutions.

We must also place the issue of women at the heart of all public policies since the promotion of the status of women is also linked to the improvement of their income, to providing them with sources of income, and therefore of an independent life.

Ladies and gentlemen

Honorable colleagues,

Women's achievements and rights in various societies have not been achieved all at once, nor have they come arbitrarily. This process has required progression and accumulation and was associated with the accumulation by these societies of wealth, institutional building, democratic, economic, social, technology, and educational transitions, as well as other factors. This has required capacities that have helped build social cohesion and inclusion, as women were put at the center of it all, and given that this progress has been linked to the size of accumulated wealth that has facilitated the benefit of all.

If we, in the Kingdom of Morocco, are proud of the transitions, development, and the fundamental democratic evolution and institutional building we have achieved, the total empowerment of women, at the economic, political, and social levels requires determination to pursue the reform process following the vision of His Majesty, who has given justice to women and valued greatly their status and roles. This situation requires placing women at the center of development dynamics in parallel with strengthening their presence in decision-making positions.

Undoubtedly, all the living forces of society, including the components of the legislative institution, are unanimous in pursuing reforms through equity and equality. In this sense, we must highly appreciate the dynamics of the civil society organizations concerned with women and human rights, who are constantly vigilant in guaranteeing women's rights and placing the demand for reform at the forefront of their needs.

Today's debate in the legislative institution would enrich this process of calm and gradual reform to which women leaders contribute. Besides, it would be of great value to learn about the practices of countries with long-standing democratic traditions, although we always evoke the context and specificities of each society. In this regard, it would be helpful to network our relations as parliamentarians in a forum that brings together Moroccan women parliamentarians with their counterparts from friendly countries such as the ones present today, namely Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and other friendly European countries.

I would like to thank you for your presence that has enriched our discussion today, and thank the experts who will provide us with a space for debate that will undoubtedly be enriching our practices.

Thank you for your attention