Address of the Moroccan Delegation at the Plenary Session of the 145th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Honorable President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Honorable Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Rwanda,
Honorable brotherly and friendly parliamentarians,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Honorable colleagues,
First, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the friendly and brotherly Republic of Rwanda, its leadership, and its people for hosting this Assembly and their hospitality and warm welcome.
Honorable audience,
The chosen theme of “Gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change for a more resilient and peaceful world" is of utmost importance in the current time and remains one of the major concerns of the Kingdom of Morocco that gives it particular attention in terms of action, follow-up, and evaluation, according to a methodology of convergence and complementarity of relations and human rights, political, social, cultural, and development aspects in our country.
It is not just a matter of allocating a number of seats or developing the representation of women in different positions, but a matter of entrenching a culture of effective equal participation of both genders in managing the various aspects of private and public life.
In this respect, we, in the Moroccan Parliament, recalled the recommendations of the 127th Assembly held in Quebec in October 2012, which were stipulated by the parliamentary action plan for gender-sensitive parliaments, and came in full conformity with the transformation process initiated by the Kingdom of Morocco since 2002, as the House of Representatives witnessed the change in women's representation from two women Representatives in 1993 to 96 women Representatives in 2016, including six elected through the universal direct suffrage and 90 within regional constituencies. It was a massive leap of great importance amidst a general context that had started to gradually overcome the reasons for hesitation and preservation of social and cultural status.
As for the House of Councilors, we have recorded a significant development that has accompanied the legal and organizational transformations of the Kingdom of Morocco since the adoption of the 2011 Constitution. In this respect, the number of women Councilors amounted to 12 in 2015, while it has increased to 14 in the ongoing legislative term.
We consider that the legislative framework of the Kingdom of Morocco is a fertile ground for gender equality and non-discrimination. In this context, the 2011 Constitution, being the country's supreme law, prohibited "all forms of discrimination based on gender, color, belief, culture, or the social, regional, linguistic belonging of the individual, or his language, disability, or personal situation." In addition, the provisions of the Constitution stipulate the principle of equality in rights between genders, including civic, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights (Article 19) and the right to the physical and moral integrity (Article 22), in addition to the principle of parity through the creation of the "Authority for Parity and Fight Against All Forms of Discrimination (Article 19 and 164),” whose Organic Law was adopted in 2017. Furthermore, the Kingdom of Morocco also adopted, in 2015, a Government Bill ratifying the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
In the same vein, the Family Code in the Kingdom of Morocco was a turning point in the history of legislation in our country and a huge leap in the process of strengthening the rights of women and children, as the provisions of the Personal Status Law have been changed in favor of women and children, hence granting women more rights in marriage, divorce, guardianship, and custody. In addition, the new Code also granted the right to Moroccan women to pass their citizenship onto their children from foreign husbands.
As for the political situation of women, political parties have granted great attention to advancing the status of women and enabling them to access political life, especially given their awareness of their crucial responsibility in supporting women in the Parliament and representative councils, which was stipulated by Article 7 of the Constitution: "The political parties must orient citizens, train them politically, and advance their engagement in political life and the management of public affairs."
About fighting violence against women, the Kingdom of Morocco has consolidated its institutional and legal arsenal by adopting a law on combating violence against women in 2018, which stipulates several punitive provisions that criminalize some practices, such as forceful marriage or sexual harassment. In addition, the Kingdom of Morocco has also implemented several institutional mechanisms to take care of women victims of violence, prohibit all its forms, and provide women with support and adequate orientation to access the available services to foster them. In the same respect, national, regional, and local committees and units were created to care for women victims of violence.
In addition to these measures, regular annual awareness-raising campaigns take place to fight this phenomenon. Besides, these measures have been fortified by the launch of a program for the creation of 65 multifunctional spaces for women at the regional and local levels to take care of women victims of violence (reception, listening, temporary accommodation, orientation, in addition to medical, psychological, and social care), and the 2020-2030 National Strategy to Fight Violence against Women.
On the same matter, the Royal directives are a driving force to modernize and feminize Moroccan society, as we record that since the accession of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the Throne, the feminist political and civil movements have been satisfied with the solid Royal endeavor to promote women's rights and implement effective equality, in conformity with the Constitution and the relevant international conventions the Kingdom has acceded to.
We are of the conviction that work to achieve gender equality is a continuous process that requires joining efforts and resources to achieve the aspired goal. Furthermore, the achievement of equality and consolidation of women's role must remain present in the elaboration of all national laws and programs in order to empower women further and grant them the same rights and obligations as men in all areas.
To conclude, I assure you, honorable colleagues, that we in the Kingdom of Morocco are aware that gender equality is the gate to the development and prosperity of society and remains a prerequisite to constructing the democratic State built upon the collective intelligence of women and men. We are also aware that the struggle to achieve such level is a long-term one that requires a strong political will and has several aspects that cannot be addressed separately. For this purpose, we have taken the challenge to work on all economic, political, and cultural fronts, and we are willing to coordinate on a broader level with national parliaments through consolidating dialogue, exchanging experiences, in order to march together toward a better world, one of peace, justice, and social prosperity.
Thank you for your keen listening.