Speaker of House of Representatives and President of National Human Rights Council Conclude Updated Memorandum of Cooperation

Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki and President of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) Amina Bouayach concluded on Thursday, June 10, 2021, at the House an updated memorandum of cooperation between the House and the Council to implement the contractual instruments ratified and acceded to by the Kingdom in the area of human rights. The MoC also aims to consolidate and reinforce the contribution of the House of Representatives in the UN Human Rights Council and to exchange expertise between the two institutions in this area.

In his statement on this occasion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives stressed the full engagement of the legislative institution in the initiatives aimed at promoting human rights in the Kingdom, in application of the provisions of the Constitution and the international commitments of the Kingdom, and under the high Royal directives that give particular attention to protecting and promoting human rights and freedoms to ensure the dignity of citizens on the one hand and to entrench the rule of law and develop democracy on the other.

Mr. EL Malki noted the qualitative advance in the area of human rights in the Kingdom of Morocco under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, recalling the experience of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER), followed by in-depth reforms that included the creation of the National Human Rights Council and the Mediator Institution (Al-Wassit).

The Speaker of the House also lauded the process of promoting and protecting human rights in our country, which culminated in the 2011 Constitution, as the latter included the recommendations of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission and reinforced civic, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights and freedoms. The Constitution also included provisions that cover equality and parity, set the establishment bodies for the promotion and protection of human rights, and prohibit the revision of the constitutional provisions covering human rights and freedoms.

Mr. El Malki also noted that the Constitution conferred to the Parliament the exclusive power of legislation in the area of fundamental rights and freedoms set out in the preamble and articles of the Constitution, in accordance with the provisions of Article 71 of the Constitution. In the same respect, he added, “the Parliament, through its constitutional functions in legislation, Government control, and evaluation of public policies, is in charge of protecting, preserving, and promoting human rights.”

Mr. El Malki stressed that the promotion of human rights is an irreversible choice. At the same time, he lauded “the persistent efforts of the National Human Rights Council in implementing the constitutional prerogatives conferred to it regarding all the questions relating to defending, protecting, promoting, and guaranteeing the exercise of human rights and freedoms, and its active contribution and continuous engagement in the path towards constructing and entrenching the rule of law.”

For her part, President of the National Human Rights Council Amina Bouayach noted that the cooperation between the two institutions is “vital to the Council's action," which, despite its independence, still interacts with the other institutions, particularly the Parliament. Ms. Bouayach also highlighted the role of the legislative institution in adapting the national laws to the international conventions ratified by the Kingdom.

The President of the National Human Rights Council shed light on the areas of cooperation between the two parties as included in the updated MoC. The areas include reinforcing qualifications in the human rights area, mobilizing the consultative efforts of the National Human Rights Council with regard to legislation, adapting the relevant laws to the agreements on human rights and international humanitarian law ratified and acceded to by the Kingdom, consulting the National Human Rights Council in examining the impact of the draft conventions and agreements on human rights and the international humanitarian law.

Ms. Bouayach stressed the important role of the Parliament in protecting and promoting Human Rights, highlighting the importance of its contribution to the action of the UN Human Rights Council and the mutual keenness to elaborating a strategy to follow-up the recommendations given by the regional and international human rights bodies.

The two parties concluded their meeting by agreeing to create a joint committee to follow up the execution of this MoC. The said committee will hold regular meetings to set its agenda and take practical steps to implement it.