House of Representatives Holds an Interactive Meeting with Civil Society Organizations under “Open Government Partnership Initiative”

Under the chairmanship of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, the House held on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, an interactive meeting on “The House’s Commitments underOpen Government Partnership Initiative”. The meeting featured the presence of the Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament and the Government Spokesman, Hon. Mustapha Baitas, in addition to representatives of civil society organizations, members of the House of Representatives, and several partners from international cooperation programs.

The meeting was devoted to presenting the outcome of the House of Representatives' partnership plan for the Open Government Partnership Initiative for the period 2012 – 2019, followed by a presentation of the House's draft plan for the period 2022 – 2023.

In his address before the civil society organizations, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami reviewed the commitments of the House of Representatives to the initiative known as "OGP", which made civil society organizations "an essential partner for parliaments, governments and territorial collectivities in the implementation of their plans and commitments within the framework of this initiative, taking into account their roles in the field of civil advocacy, due diligence and social support".

In this respect, Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami stated that "the House of Representativesconsiders civil society organizations as partners in the implementation of participatory democracy and citizenship in accordance with the provisions set forth in the Constitution of the Kingdom," adding that "the sixcommitments of the House of Representatives under the First Plan are categorized under three main axes, including 1) Citizen Participation, 2)Access to Information, 3) Linking Responsibility to Accountability."

As for the draft plan of the House for the next period, the Speaker of the House suggests that "the House of Representatives proposes seven major commitments that will be implemented in the form of measures and decisions…to disseminate and consolidate the democratic and parliamentary culture; the incarnation of the principle of proximity Parliament, and more openness to the public, through the invitation of more citizens to take part in the parliamentary work, including government control, legislation process, evaluation of public policies, and participation in thematic summer camps to disseminate the values of democracy and culture of political participation."

For his part, H.E. Mustapha Baitas said that "the initiative of the House reflects the conviction and belief in the key roles played by civil society in the process of civic participation, as called for by His Majesty King Mohamed VI, May Allah Assist Him, in many of his royal speeches; embodied in the Kingdom's Constitution, and recognized by the Territorial Communities’organic laws, especially through the formulation of clear and explicit measures and procedures to embark on the country's new development path."

The Minister further added that "The importance of the national associative fabric, its key roles within society, and its contribution in various vital social fields were firmly embedded in His Majesty’sMessage to the participants in the 2002 colloquium on associativeaction.”

In this vein, Mr. Baitas recalled the efforts of the Delegated Ministry to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform in laying the foundations for the open government program, through support, coordination, and accompaniment. He added that the Delegated Ministry to the Head of Government in charge of Relations with the Parliament contributed, for its part, to the success of these ambitious workshops through an effective commitment to the implementation of the axes related to the work of the Ministry.

During the same meeting, the Regional Coordinator of the "Open Government Partnership Initiative”, Mr. Tariq Nachnach gave a presentation in which he touched on the Moroccan leadership in this field at the regional level, through the implementation of commitments to "open government", "open parliament", and “open territorial collectivities”. He also shed light on the election of the Kingdom of Morocco as a member of the Open Government Partnership Initiative Leadership Committee for the period 2021 – 2024.

This meeting featured also the interventions of representatives of civil society organizations, which commended the efforts made by the House of Representatives in terms of its openness to its external environment and proximity to the public. In this respect, these organizations presented some proposals to enrich and develop the House’s draft plan.

It should be noted that the Draft Plan of the House for the period 2022-2023 will be made available on the House of Representatives' official website to receive the feedback of civil society organizations before the adoption of its final version.