Conclusion of Cooperation Agreement between the Moroccan Parliament and the Forum of the Chairpersons of the Legislative Assemblies of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico (FOPREL)
On the sidelines of the 26th Extraordinary Session of the Forum of Chairpersons of the Legislative Assemblies of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, on Thursday, May 19, 2022, the Moroccan Parliament and the FOPREL concluded a cooperation agreement aimed at promoting the bilateral parliamentary ties to achieve the sustainable development goals.
The agreement was signed from the Moroccan side by the Speakers of the House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi El Alami, and the House of Councilors, Naam Miyara, and from the FOPREL by the President pro tempore, the Hon. Ernesto Alfredo Castro Aldana, and the Forum’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Santiago Ulises Rivas. It entails promoting the exchange and mutual development of research on legislation, supporting workshops, managing knowledge in the areas related to parliamentary action, and exchanging information on the questions inscribed on the legislative and parliamentary agenda.
The agreement also stipulates that cooperation should include the implementation of programs and procedures for the modernization and sustainability of institutions, the sharing and dissemination of successful experiences and best practices to ensure the development of the institutional work of the parties, the strengthening of dialogue spaces for the advancement of legislation in areas of common interest and priority issues for sustainable development, as well as the promotion of reflection spaces on the development of public policies and legal frameworks that would contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable 2030 Development Agenda.
Under the agreement, the parties commit to intensify their efforts to ensure effective management of migration and women's fundamental rights, promote e-commerce, and support sustainable productions, like access to drinkable water, ecological farming, and the use of treated water.
Areas of cooperation between the two sides shall also include sustainable food systems, governance, climate-related initiatives, such as renewable energies and mitigation and adaptation measures, and environmental and natural resource protection.
The 26th Extraordinary Session of the FOPREL, hosted by the Moroccan Parliament, was devoted to discussing various forms of South-South cooperation.
This Session was an occasion for the heads of the legislative institutions of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, representatives of the Moroccan Parliament, as well as government officials to discuss the prospects for cooperation and exchange between the African States, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico while presenting the Moroccan experience in the fields of migration and renewable energies.
The opening sitting, chaired by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador and the President pro tempore of the FOPREL, was marked by awarding the Esquipulas Peace Prize to His Majesty King Mohammed VI by the Forum. The award was granted to His Majesty the King by a resolution adopted in Rabat during the opening sitting of this Session.
It should be noted that the FOPREL was established in 1994. The Forum aims to assist the mechanisms of implementing and coordinating the laws between the member States, create consultative tools between the Speakers of legislative assemblies to address the various issues arising in the region and support the legislative studies on the regional level. The Moroccan Parliament has been an observer member in the Forum since 2014.