Participants in First Annual Parliamentary Forum on Equality and Parity Call for Anchoring Social Awareness and Strengthening Gains

Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, the House of Representatives organized on Friday, November 22, 2024, at the Seat of the House in Rabat, the First Annual Parliamentary Forum on Equality and Parity, under the theme: “The Parliament: An Essential Lever for Strengthening Equality and Parity.” The Forum featured the participation of the members of the Interim Thematic Working Group in Charge of Equality and Parity at the House of Representatives, Moroccan parliamentarians, representatives of concerned Ministries and national institutions, representatives of foreign friendly parliaments, the United Nations, international organizations, civil society bodies, experts, and researchers in the field. 

During the inaugural sitting, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, who chaired the proceedings of the Forum, noted that “Ensuring equality and equity, guaranteeing women's rights, and increasing their presence within representative and executive decision-making positions were some of the foundations of the 25-year reign of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him, who has been and remains keen to ensure that the protection of women's rights and the preservation of their dignity are at the center of the reforms conducted by the Kingdom during a quarter of a century.”

In the same respect, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shed light on the various reforms linked to empowering women achieved by the Kingdom of Morocco during this period. He also underscored the important role of the Parliament in implementing said reforms, expressing his hope that this Forum would contribute to elaborating ideas that would give birth to further propositions with a view to enhancing gains within the scope of the provisions of the Constitution and the directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Commander of the Faithful, may Allah assist him, who is trusted with the questions of the family and is committed to preserving its rights and sustainability.

For his part, Speaker of the House of Councilors, Hon. Mohamed Ould Errachid, stressed that our country has made important strides in the process of promoting equality and parity between men and women, and has even made it a fundamental pillar in the formulation and preparation of legislative policies, and public strategies programs, under the High Patronage of the Commander of the Faithful, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him

He also noted the role of the Moroccan Parliament in implementing the high Royal directives, international charters, universal values, and our national legislation that provide for gender equality without any discrimination, and in supporting the various efforts in the field of promoting equality and parity, in full harmony and respect for the tolerant principles and values brought by our true Islamic religion, the religion of moderation that has honored women  and made them equal partners of men in terms of judgments.

In her address, the Chairperson of the Interim Thematic Working Group in Charge of Equality and Parity, Rep. Najwa Koukouss, praised the achievements made by the Kingdom of Morocco in promoting women's rights, noting that the organization of this forum is part of the implementation of the work program of the Interim Thematic Working Group in Charge of Equality and Parity, adding that this parliamentary forum embodies the active involvement of the House of Representatives in the process of promoting women's rights in the exercise of its constitutional functions.

Besides, Rep. Najwa Koukouss stressed that achieving equality and parity requires horizontal and vertical intervention in all sectors and requires the broad involvement of all concerned parties, as well as openness to international experiences in the field of equality and parity, noting that this objective is at the crossroads of a set of challenges that stand in the way of women's full enjoyment of their rights, which requires joint action to overcome them.

For her part, the Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration, and Family, Ms. Naima Ben Yahia, highlighted the economic and social gains achieved by Moroccan women within the framework of the reform process to promote equality and parity, stressing the importance of women's economic empowerment as a key entry point for establishing equality between women and men and achieving the desired development.

The Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration, and Family also reviewed the efforts and initiatives undertaken to achieve equality and parity through the mobilization of actors, the adoption of direct impact programs, the development of tracking and monitoring indicators, and the strengthening of the capacities of all stakeholders. In the same respect, shed emphasized the need to adopt a holistic approach to combat discrimination, achieve equal opportunities and continue working to achieve the required equality and open up prospects for the advancement of Moroccan women.

In his intervention, the President of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council, Mr. Ahmed Reda Chami, stressed the importance of the organization of this forum by the House of Representatives, praising the gains made by our country and the positive accumulations to consolidate the status of women and promote gender equality, which is a human rights and development project that is of great importance in the strategic plan of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council.

On this occasion, Mr. Ahmed Reda Chami stressed the need for joint construction in order to promote equality, achieve the economic empowerment of women through a series of legal, institutional, and procedural transformations, and ensure that social and cultural transformations are taken into account.

During the same sitting, UN Women Regional Director for Arab Countries, Mr. Moez Doraid, stressed that UN Women in Arab Countries worked with the Moroccan House of Representatives to promote discussion within the Thematic Group in Charge of Equality and Parity. He added that the Moroccan Parliament has made important strides in aligning legislative frameworks with Morocco's international commitments in the field of women's rights and women's empowerment.

He also pointed out that the Kingdom of Morocco has also made significant strides in allocating a gender-sensitive budget, and has become a global model to follow and a proof of commitment to empower legislators and civil society to support and allocate resources to empower women in all sectors. Besides, he underscored that the Royal initiative to reform the Family Code is a testimony to the Kingdom's leadership in promoting women's rights within the family, in addition to the pioneering initiative embodied in the new development model that seeks to achieve women's economic empowerment.

The first sitting of this Forum was dedicated to presenting comparative experiences in the field of equality and parity in some African countries, such as Malawi, Zambia, and Benin. The participants in the sitting called for trying to work to implement laws that serve women's issues in these countries and to institutionalize the parliamentary debate on equality and parity.

Participants in this sitting also called for broadening the debate beyond the slogans of empowering women, adopting the principle of entitlement and eligibility for women so that they can access important positions, implementing the culture of equality, and reducing gender wage gaps.

In the second sitting, the speakers addressed the topic of empowering women and enhancing their participation in public life. In this context, they emphasized the importance of women’s political and economic empowerment by reviewing legislative requirements, institutionalizing the gender principle in sectorial policies and strategies according to an integrated approach that promotes the full participation of women, taking into consideration the need to increase their share in the labor market.

In the same context, they stressed the imperative of giving importance to the economic rehabilitation of women in order to achieve their economic empowerment as an entry point to establish the principle of equality and parity, which derives its importance from the constitutional provisions that give great importance women’s economic, social, and political empowerment.

During same sitting, the speakers highlighted the measures taken to enhance women's political representation at the local level to consolidate the principle of parity and equal opportunities.

Within the framework of the third sitting, which covered social public policies and the objective of achieving equality and parity, the interventions recorded the evolution of the most important educational indicators related to equality and parity, especially the access of women and girls to education at various levels during the last five years.

In the field of higher education and scientific research, indicators show that women are at the forefront in terms of graduation rates and access to scientific and technical disciplines, which would help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to equal opportunities and gender equality, and work to raise awareness and sensitize about the phenomenon of violence against women in all its forms.

As for the field of health and social protection, the speakers focused on the challenges and stakes of universal health coverage, improving sexual and reproductive health, achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, expanding social protection systems and measures for all, and increasing access to basic health services for people in vulnerable situations.

The participants also discussed the data provided by social protection programs, where women's presence in the labor market has declined over the last five years: 19% in 2023 versus 21.5% in 2019.

During the concluding sitting, participants called for the transformation of the Interim Thematic Working Group in Charge of Equality and Parity at the House of Representatives into a standing committee in order to monitor all imbalances affecting women, form a volunteer committee to work permanently with the said Group within the House of Representatives, and develop proposals to be issued within the Thematic Group's reports.

The participants also called for taking tangible measures in the future to ensure that there are no deviations from parity and to anchor a societal awareness of equality and parity.

At the end of the First Annual Parliamentary Forum on Equality and Parity, a message of fidelity and loyalty was read to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist him.