House of Representatives Takes Part in Sixth Meeting of FOPREL Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Women

The House of Representatives took part in the sixth meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Women under the Forum of Chairpersons of Legislative Assemblies of Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico (FOPREL), held on March 23, 2021, via videoconference.

The meeting focused on parliaments' role in protecting the rights of migrant women in Central America, the Caribbean basin, and Mexico. On this occasion, experts on migration from the International Organization for Migration gave presentations on the integration and protection of women's rights in the context of migration and enhancing the capacities for protection from gender-based violence in Central America.

The House of Representatives was represented in this event by the Chairperson of the Thematic Working Group on Equality and Parity Fatima Zahra Nazih, Deputy Souad Laamari from the Group of Justice and Development, and Deputy Hayat Boufarrachen from the Group of Authenticity and Modernity. The meeting was also marked by the participation of the Ambassador of Morocco to Chile, Kenza El Ghali, being the Honorary Chairperson of the FOPREL Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Women.

The meeting was an occasion to highlight the particular attention given by Morocco to migration and to advancing the participation of women in our country's political life. It was also an opportunity to recall the first meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Women, held in Rabat in 2015, which tackled the situation of women held captives in Tindouf and the importance of making their voices heard to the world.

It should be noted that the House of Representatives has been partaking in FOPREL’s sessions and committee meetings since it joined the regional inter-parliamentary body as an observer member in 2014. The Forum, based in the Nicaraguan capital Managua, brings together the chairpersons of the legislative assemblies of the ten member States, namely Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.