Address of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, in the Inauguration Ceremony of the Training Program on “Youth and Parliamentary Action”

On the occasion of the launch of the program "Including Youth in Parliamentary Action," for the benefit of youth from the political parties and civil society bodies, as part of the cooperation project linking the House of Representatives and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Hassan Benomar, gave the following address on behalf of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami:

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, and may peace and blessings be upon His most noble Messenger

Honorable Anthony Smith, the Chief Executive of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy,

Honorable Secretary-General of the House of Representatives,

Esteemed Airlie Taylor, Head of the Middle East and North Africa region at the Westminster Foundation,

Distinguished Director of the Foundation’s Office in Rabat,

Dear youth participating in the training Program,

Ladies and gentlemen, the Executives of the Administration of the House of Representatives,

        I am honored to inaugurate, on behalf of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, this sitting through which we launch an ambitious and intensive training program for, and with youth that belong to the political parties represented within the House of Representatives, and others that belong to civil society bodies from the twelve regions of the Kingdom.

        I am pleased to welcome you all, and I commend your positive response to the invitation of the Honorable Speaker and the nominations of your parties and civil society bodies for you to participate in this Training Program on "Youth and Parliamentary Action." I also want to thank our international partner, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, for its cooperation in implementing this exercise; which we aspire to be a democratic and citizen one that foresees the future in terms of content and objectives and that consolidates the exemplary partnership we have entertained with this international organization for twelve years, bearing fruit to dozens of activities and reference documents in parliamentary action.

        As you will get to know tomorrow with the work group who will contribute to running this Training, it is a Program in favor of around 50 youth from the parties represented within the House of Representatives and the civil society bodies operating in parliamentary action. The Program was designed on the basis of a field study on the expectations of youth from the legislative Institution. It aims to familiarize the beneficiaries with parliamentary action and with the manner through which the House of Representatives performs its constitutional competencies in terms of legislation, Government action control, public policy evaluation, citizen representation, as well as the functions it exercises because of reality, meaning parliamentary diplomacy, and its obligations towards society in terms of listening to citizens, communication, openness, and what we can call the proximity Parliament.

        There is no doubt that you value and have knowledge of the context that surrounds the launch of this Program, and its stakes. In this regard, youth, which we aspire for you, ladies and gentlemen, to represent, are the demographic cornerstone of development and progress. You are the category that will carry the mantle of renewal and modernization and bear the responsibility for initiative, and we are aware of your growing needs and aspirations.

        It is not a matter of a mere demographic category to whom apply the theories of traditional demography, but one of an age category that is dynamic, lively, and daring to research and raise questions. It is also a category with moral and symbolic power, although it is impacted by the technological revolution and its uses.

        Given their historical roles in the national struggle against occupants, and in building national institutions since independence, Morocco was keen during the reign of the late His Majesty King Mohammed V and the late His Majesty King Hassan II, may God bless their souls, and during the era of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify him, to grant youth the necessary attention and esteem.

        To entrench this attention, and based on accumulating the rights and achievements, Morocco was keen to constitutionalize the rights of youth as the Constitution of the Kingdom provides for the participation of youth in social, economic, cultural, and political development and dictates assisting them in participating in public life and facilitating their access to culture, sciences, technologies, sports, and entertainment, in a way that is commensurate with their needs, as provided for in Article 33 of the Constitution that stipulates the creation of a Consultative Council for Youth and Associative Action.

        Invoking this constitutionalization, public authorities and executive and representative institutions ensure the implementation of public programs and policies that serve youth.

        Undoubtedly, this constitutionalization will not be efficient and productive unless the youth are engaged in political action and empowered to participate willingly in citizen civil action. To achieve this goal, Morocco was keen to engage youth in national, regional, and local elected bodies, and consultative ones. However, regardless of the earned gains, the challenge of rejuvenating institutions remains an essential concern and shared goal of political and institutional actors.

        The contribution of youth to society building will surely not have an impact without their engagement in the political and civil action and without the embodiment of civil action by this vital social category. Such an impact would be impossible without arming the youth with knowledge and modern culture, including the political and democratic culture.

        On the basis of this concern, and as part of implementing the principle of proximity Parliament and promoting parliamentary culture, we have put this Program in place, in cooperation with our partner, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, invoking several challenges and goals. The first challenge is bringing youth closer to parliamentary action on the ground and through experts and practitioners in order to enable the participants in the Training to gain further knowledge on parliamentary action in terms of content and procedures so that they can explore the Parliament closely and appreciate the importance, role, and constitutional and institutional position of the Institution.

        The second challenge is the consolidation of trust in institutions and their imperative and importance to public life, particularly in the light of the campaigns that undermine institutions and spread misinformation whose goals, backgrounds, and beneficiaries are known to us all. As you all know, trust is an essential and indispensable value for development, stability, and civilized relations between civil and political actors.

        The third challenge is to facilitate the participation of youth and mobilize them for it, as it is the entry point for accountability and it reflects modern citizenship, and given that the use of the power of electoral votes and the practice of this universal right is the way to convey our demands to institutions by choosing the qualified persons for that task. As His Majesty the King, may God glorify him, noted previously in his speech to the nation: “Make a conscientious, responsible choice, for tomorrow you will have no right to complain of mismanagement or poor services.” Thus end the excerpt of the Royal Speech.

        The fourth challenge is related to training, and I mean here the training of elites and sharpening of their skills in order to contribute to winning the challenge of their renewal and rotation in a way that mirrors the society of citizenship and democracy, and the tenor of the Constitution about the obligation of citizens in exercising rights and freedoms with a spirit of liability and responsible citizenship "where the exercise of rights and the performance of duties go hand-in-hand," as the Constitution stipulates.

        Ladies and gentlemen,

        By implementing this Training Program we are launching today, we, once again, reflect the keenness of the House of Representatives, as Speakership, Board, and political components, to openness to society, particularly its categories that aspire most towards knowledge, namely adolescents and youth. It also embodies our compliance with the engagements of our country and our House under the Open Government Partnership Initiative.

        Besides, the Program also reflects our keenness to choose a methodology of direct interaction, exchange, and dialogue, and facilitate direct access to parliamentary action and the exchange of ideas within the framework of workshops in order to make this openness successful, and out of the conviction that parliamentary, political, and civil action can be learned on the ground and by practice within institutions, as some techniques, procedures, solutions, outcomes, and skills, cannot be learned in political institutes, but within institutions and through practice.

        Ahead of providing you with the details of the annual Program, you will have the chance, after this opening sitting, to attend an extensive presentation given by Mr. Najib El Khadi, the Secretary-General of the House of Representatives, on the competencies, functions, and composition of the Moroccan Parliament, as a general introduction that covers the history, competencies, and composition of the Moroccan Parliament throughout its evolution and adaptation to the Constitutions of the Kingdom as they were amended and ameliorated.

        Tomorrow, you will have the opportunity to hear detailed presentations and lectures by directors and general advisors of the House, who will share with you their contents in the next months, taking into account that they are only a chunk of the many axes included in the Training. You will also be able to attend the lectures of researchers and experts from various specializations related to the competencies of the Parliament.

        The Speakership of the House, in cooperation with our international partner, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, was keen to provide all the logistical and pedagogical conditions to implement this Program in a way commensurate with the most advanced training criteria, to make learning efficient and deeper and to achieve its desired outcome in terms of familiarizing the participants with parliamentary and institutional action.

        Ladies and gentlemen,

        I invite you to seize this opportunity presented to you to attend the Seat of the House for two days per month to enrich your knowledge, interact with parliamentary action, and share your potential and energies, mainly your will and your choice of citizen and civil political engagement. There is no doubt that such a choice will enable you to share your knowledge with society, and particularly with your political and civil frameworks, with a view to contributing to reinforcing the awareness of people of the challenges of participation and the importance of shaping citizens that are independent in their decisions and free in their choices.

        You are a part of the citizens whom our country relies on to address the present and future challenges, including ameliorating institutional and democratic action and granting it the necessary impetus so that our Kingdom pursues its surge as an ascending democratic power and a pole of regional and international stability, just like His Majesty the King, may God glorify him, wants it and leads it to be.

        I welcome you once again, and thank you for your keen listening. I also welcome the participants via videoconference, particularly the ones from our beloved city of Dakhla.

                                                                              Thank you