Speaker of House of Representatives and Director of Archives of Morocco Conclude Bilateral Partnership and Cooperation Agreement

Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki and Director of Archives of Morocco Jamaâ Baida concluded on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the House's headquarters, a bilateral partnership and cooperation agreement to facilitate and promote cooperation in the area of preserving the parliamentary memory, documentation, archiving and exchanging expertise and knowledge.

In his statement on the occasion, Speaker of the House of Representatives Habib El Malki noted that the creation of Archives of Morocco following the recommendation of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission and giving it a strategic dimension is an important indicator of the deep transformations that have been marking our country during the latest years. He added, "Archives are a pillar to defending the country as it teaches us lessons. People without memory cannot step up to the present and future challenges."

Mr. El Malki highlighted that the conclusion of partnership and cooperation agreement between the House of Representatives and Archives of Morocco honors years parliamentary action since the first legislature opened in 1963. This reflects the constitutional and institutional advancement of our country. In the same respect, the Speaker lauded the contribution of former parliamentarians to laying the grounds for the parliamentary action in the Kingdom.

For his part, the Director of Archives of Morocco commended the conclusion of the partnership and cooperation agreement with the legislative institution, stating, “The agreement is special and has noteworthy connotations." The Director also noted that the first post-independence law regulating archives in Morocco was adopted by the Parliament in 2007, and the institution Archives of Morocco was established under it.

Mr. Baida presented the functions of Archives of Morocco, noting that it has become, in addition to an institution that preserves identity, culture, and heritage, a center of expertise and follow-up that accompanies all public sectors in organizing their archives in a way that contributes to the progress towards modernism and democracy in our country.

The agreement above entails consolidating the exchange of expertise and consultation between the two institutions, providing the necessary technical assistance in managing and arranging the archives of the House of Representatives, organizing joint seminars and awareness-raising conferences on parliamentary action and archives. It also sets out to provide regular training in preserving and managing the archives, organizing joint exhibitions on the parliamentary memory and history, exchanging documents and publications, and jointly issuing publications that contribute to preserving the parliamentary memory.