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Morocco Week in Review
April
30 2005
First Morocco-USA
business forum meets in Fez next month
7,000 apple and cherry trees distributed to villages in Marrakech Province.
New UN program to help women in Morocco.
Food Poisoning Cases Concern Moroccan Health Officials.
Up to 16,000 HIV in Morocco, 'model country' in fighting AIDS.
Fatna Serhane Discusses Women's Rights in Morocco.
Vegetation of Morocco and
Essaouira.
Moroccan economic growth rate "insufficient".
Over half a million children work in Morocco.
Morocco to study child labour issue.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST VIOLENT METHODS BY TEACHERS.
A 700.000 euro Social Development Fund agreement signed by Morocco and
France.
Kelaat M'Gouna Rose Festival to open on May 6.
French fund grants Morocco Euro 25 million loan for railway.
Morocco's GDP 'under-evaluated', official.
Moroccan women right's activist awarded 'Vital Voices' prize.
Education : EU to increase aid by 50%.
Population: The Long-Term Aging of the Moroccan
Population
Government Finance : Morocco lowers expenditure as dwindling revenues
are on the horizon.
Morocco pledges $57 mln after orphanage scandal.
Hard times for Moroccan textile industry.
Development-Morocco:From Shantytowns to 'Cement-Ghettos'.
Over 200 Charities to be audited in Morocco in 2005, Minister.
HM King proved that political will decisive to advance democracy, woman
activist.
Over 500 female managers to take part in two international events in Fez.
'Maestro' grabs prize in Al Jazeera festival.
International giant staffing firm to enter
Morocco
Operation Smile restores smile to over 100 persons in
Settat.
Moroccan rights organizations launch campaign to abolish capital punishment.
Research and Markets: Review these Morocco Internet Access Services Forecasts
and Analysis for 2002 to 2007.
Begging : Impunity responsible for professional begging.
Fez popular festival of Halqa art.
Moroccan Identity between cohesion and diversity".
Moroccan Spring Song Festival in
Marrakech.
First festival of art of Dakka in Morocco.
Japanese TV film on life of
Malika.
First Morocco-USA
business forum meets in Fez next month
Fez, Apr.28
The first "Morocco-USA business forum" will be held here next May 2-6 by the friendship and cooperation caravan. The Morocco-USA Business Forum will bring together more than one hundred business entrepreneurs and professional leaders from both Morocco and the United States for a four-day event in Morocco's historical and cultural capital. The purpose of this gathering will be to learn more about doing business in both countries and to create relationships that lead to economic trade and other kinds of professional exchange. Organizers say the event is especially timely in light of the Free Trade Agreement between Morocco and the United States in June 2004, the only second treaty of its kind signed between America and an Arab nation. It is sponsored by the city of Fez together with other Moroccan and US partners. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/first_morocco-usa_bu/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
7,000 apple and cherry trees distributed to villages in Marrakech Province.
Last month, the High Atlas Foundation, working in partnership with USAID, Morocco's
Ministry of Waters and Forests, and the Marrakech 21 Foundation, distributed
7,000 apple and cherry trees to ten rural villages in the Marrakech Province.
US Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Riley provided the funding and critical leadership
to the project. <<...OLE_Obj...>> This initiative signifies American commitment
to support communities that are affected by the recent Free Trade Agreement
between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States. The outcomes of this activity
are expected to facilitate revenue and employment growth, strengthen civil society,
leverage new commitments and funding, and serve as a catalyst to mobilize the
rural community. Fruit trees will provide an alternative source of income for
small farmers, generating a more diverse income base, and conserving the natural
resources of the area. For generations, these villages have depended largely
on raising animals for food and income. The animals' grazing is destructive
to the environment because it decimates local flora and causes severe erosion.
In addition, the traditional crops of wheat and corn cannot meet the growing
demands of the population. Fruit trees provide substantially more income, which
will further integrate these communities into a cash economy, allowing them
to more successfully meet their basic needs. This project is the result of community
members coming together with government representatives to determine the priority
needs of the region. "It serves as a model for future cooperation between the
government and the people they serve," said Jason Ben-Meir, President of the
High Atlas Foundation. "Also, when the US supports fruit tree planting in Morocco
and other Islamic countries, it builds trust and goodwill, which is so important
at this critical time."
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182890
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New UN program to help women in Morocco.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has started the implementation of a new program aimed at reinforcing the economic capacity of Moroccan women by educating them on New Communication and Information Technologies (NTIC). The program, corresponding to the general E-Morocco plan, is supported by the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education and the Formation of Scientific Research and by the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, and funded by USAID and Cisco Systems Inc. EMarakkech reports that the main objectives of the new program are 'to reinforce the capacities and competences of women in the field of NTIC', 'to increase the possibilities for professional progression for women' and 'to promote the socio-economic status of woman through the development of the market of NTIC in Morocco'. http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182853 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Food Poisoning Cases Concern Moroccan Health Officials.
25/04/2005
According to Al-Alam, food safety is a major concern for Moroccans following a rash of reported food poisonings ranging from moderate to critical in severity. Most surprising is the cases are reported in upper-income areas of the country. Authorities are investigating the possible causes. Currently, food poisoning incidents constitute 44 per cent of overall poisoning incidents in Morocco. Approximately 31 per cent of food poisoning victims are children. Statistics also show that 74 per cent of the food poisoning cases occur in homes, while some 22 per cent are reported at restaurants. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/homepage/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------
Up to 16,000 HIV in Morocco, 'model country' in fighting AIDS.
Health,
4/26/2005
Between 13,000 and 16,000 people are HIV positive in Morocco where only 1587 AIDS cases were recorded between 1986 and 2004,according to experts of the "Commission africaine interactive de gouvernance" who met here Saturday. "Morocco is a model country in fighting AIDS," said African experts pointing out that only 1587 AIDS cases were recorded between 1986 and 2004, while AIDS treatment cost per HIV positive in a month dropped from MAD 13,000 (nearly US$ 1,500) to MAD 800 (less than US$ 100) in 2004. The 120 experts from 20 African countries that took part in the meeting, held for the first time in a North African country, called on South-South cooperation to alleviate the phenomenon hazards. The experts pointed out that priority should be given to the most vulnerable countries through supporting financial, Medicaid and prevention programmes particularly those targeting youth. The meeting called for reinforcing regional partnership in managing local and international funds and decentralising the sanitary system to cover the Sub-Saharan villages. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Moroccan minister of Health, Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah said that governments and NGOs should work hand in hand to fight this phenomenon through mobilising financial and human resources and improving competences. He also briefed the experts on the Moroccan experience in this field stressing the importance of civil society and NGOs to fight HIV. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050426/2005042633.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Fatna Serhane Discusses Women's Rights in Morocco.
22/04/2005
Moroccan society has been divided since King Mohammed VI presented the reform draft of the family code in a 10 October 2003 speech. The legislation, particularly introducing the principle of equality between men and women, is somewhat unsettling to Moroccan traditionalists. After ratification of the draft in February 2004, many people are wondering how Moroccan society and the Moroccan judiciary have adapted to the new code. Fatna Serhane, a law professor at Hassan II University in Casablanca and a member of the Moroccan Human Rights Association, agreed to speak with Magharebia to shed some light on the issue. How would you qualify the changes made by King Mohammed VI to the Moudawana? The changes are very important and revealing! The new family code puts forward a new philosophy and new goals; it is a major reform in content and form. But given the composition of the committee that drafted the reform, it was difficult to exclude each and every discriminatory provision entailed in the previous Moudawana. If you read this new code carefully, you will notice that the committee members reached a consensus. On the one hand, they managed to suppress the unfairness that used to hang heavily on Moroccan women; on the other hand, traditional aspects of the family code were maintained. But taken as a whole, this new legislation has brought a lot of benefits to the Moroccan family. Your interpretation of the reforms, published in the 03/01/2004 Femmes du Maroc, was rather optimistic. Do you think that the application of the reform will be without obstacles in Morocco? It is hard to say. As I said, the text is innovative and as such, faces the risk of coming up against some difficulties. But society as a whole is mobilized! Since 6 February, a year after its enforcement, various meetings have been organized to evaluate the applicability of the new legislation and the results are proving positive. Nevertheless, some breaches as well as some resistance has been recorded. But basically, as I mentioned, the results are positive. A case that has recently been widely discussed concerns a man who divorced his wife without her consent and falsified papers in order to present another woman as his wife. When the case went to trial, the sentence was exemplary. Both defendants (the man and his false wife) were sentenced to eight years in prison. The case made clear that a fair implementation of the law requires awareness from administrative authorities and courts in order to inform people of their rights when they are affected by the family code. Basically, I feel very optimistic and think that things will evolve positively. How are women's rights progressing in Morocco and where do you see them in 5 and 10 years? I think that in years to come, the rights of women will become more equitable. When assessing the evolution of Moroccan society and legal status of women since 1993, the year of the first reform of the Moudawana, important changes have occurred. In 1993, only two women were in Parliament. Now, females account for more than ten per cent of the legislative bodies. We see women gaining access to positions once reserved for men. Let us take the example of Asmae Chaabi, who has been elected mayor of Essaouira, a job once exclusively reserved for men. If we stay at this pace, we surely will come to parity between men and women. In the case of Morocco, a significant aspect has to be pointed out: the whole process has been initiated thanks to the efforts of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the work of civil society, which is becoming more aware of its role. Future changes will certainly be positive and progress the status of Moroccan women. How many Fatna Serhane's are there in Morocco? And are you seeing more interest among young women to continue your work? I am a small part of the whole of women and men. There are also men who are much more involved in making Moroccan society evolve than me. Do I think they will take over from me? I hope the next generation, our daughters and granddaughters, will have other missions to carry out to improve the status of women. I hope we will manage to iron out the difficulties that now exist so that future women can dedicate themselves to other tasks and work in other fields, and not lose time as we had to do. What I mean by losing time is that future generations will target actions other than asserting who they are. I hope that in the next 10 to 20 years, women will have the possibility to put a lot of work into more positive tasks that contribute to the development of our country.
http://www.magharebia.com
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Vegetation of Morocco and Essaouira.
Rolland Douzet, a professor of botany in the Faculty of Science at the Grenoble University (France), will hold a conference concerning the main characteristics of the vegetation of Morocco in general and the characteristics of the vegetation of the Essaouira region in particular. EMarrakech reports that the conference, which is scheduled to take place on April 22, will be followed by an on the ground walking tour, scheduled for Sunday, April 24, in the region of Essaouira. The tour will start in Bab Sbaâ (transport is organized by the French-Moroccan Alliance of Essaouira) and will last for 6 hours. http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182713 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Moroccan economic growth rate "insufficient".
25-04-2005
The World Bank Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa Region, Mustapha Kamel Nabli, said in Washington that the economic growth rate in Morocco, which currently stands at 4% per year, and the structural reforms carried out by the country, are 'insufficient' in order to create new job opportunities. Yabiladi reports that Nabli also explained that in order for Morocco to be able to counter the problem of unemployment, the kingdom needs a growth rate of 6 or 7%, while 'forwarding and deepening' its reforms program and encouraging more private investments. http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182726 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
Over half a million children work in Morocco.
Rabat, Apr. 27
Some 600,000 children work in Morocco, which represents 11% of the Kingdom's 5.5 million children, according to a joint study carried out recently by the Moroccan Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour (Ipec) and the World Bank. In a seminar initiated, Tuesday, by the Employment ministry on "ways to better integrate the fight against child labor in social development", employment Minister Mustapha Mansouri underscored the importance that Morocco's government is committed to eliminating child labor, pointing out that, since the signing of relevant international conventions, efforts are being made to raise schooling rates, access to health services, adding amendments were introduced in the Family, penal and civil procedures codes to benefit children. The State Secretary in charge of Family, Child and the Disabled, Yasmina Baddou, highlighted the 2005-2015 action plan that her department has written to carry out the government 2002 commitment made in New York, during the UN Special Session on Children. Representatives of international bodies, mainly UNICEF, Ipec and the World Bank, lauded Morocco's efforts to protect children against all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse. For Ms. Maie Ayoub Von Kohl, representative of the UNICEF, eliminating child labor can only be fruitful through integrated actions at the political, economic, legal and social levels. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box4/over_half_a_million/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
Morocco to study child labour issue.
By Ahmad Amrawi . Tuesday 26
April 2005,
About 11% of Moroccan children are working. Morocco has organised
a national seminar to study the legal and socio-economic aspects associated
with battling child labour. The two-day event opened in the capital Rabat on
Tuesday with the slogan "for a better integration [of efforts] to combat child
labour in social development". A statement issued by the organising Ministry
of Employment said the gathering was part of the Moroccan authorities' campaign
to enforce existing labour laws, which prohibits children under the age of 15
from working. It describes the event as an opportunity to further develop and
strengthen technical cooperation on child protection with specialised international
organisations such as Unicef, the International Programme on the Elimination
of Child Labour (Ipec) and the World Bank. The Moroccan Ministry of Labour estimates
that there are about 600,000 chid labourers in the kingdom. Children exploitation
According to a recent joint study carried out by the ministry, Ipec, Unicef
and the World Bank, the 600,000 figure represents 11% of the kingdom's total
5.5 million children. About 600,000 children work in the country's labour force.
The children are exploited by the labour market, the study says. The study,
which indicated that the age of working children varied between 7 and 14, was
part of a programme called Understanding Children's Work (UCW) to draw up strategies
to wipe out the child labour phenomenon. The study indicated that 13% of all
male children under the age of 15 were currently working. Nearly 79% are attending
school, while another 8% are neither attending school nor working. For female
children, the number of those in the labour force was slightly lower at 9.5%,
69% attending school while 21.5% were neither going to school nor working. Eighty-seven
per cent of working children come from rural areas, while only 13% are from
cities, confirms the study. The seminar aims at best using information available
on the practice, with the ultimate aim of timely up-dating and taking legal
measures against violators. It is also said to be an opportunity for ministries
and international organisations to explore the kingdom's achievements in child
protection. Arab children Children in many Arab countries are deterred from
attending school and forced to join the workforce due to imbalances rooted in
continued social, political and economic instability. Unicef says millions of
Arab children do not attend school A recent Unicef study found "the implications
of surrendering the contribution of the child in housekeeping, child rearing
and supplementary family income are still unaffordable for families below poverty
line against the provision of incentives such as midday meal, books, uniforms
etc." According to the report, children of primary school age belonging to the
poorest 20% of households in the Middle East and North Africa are 4.5 times
more likely to be denied primary school opportunities than those belonging to
the richest 20%. With millions of Arab children out of school, working, or affected
by armed conflict, Unicef said it was evident that much remained to be done.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5E1B24AF-44D4-4099-BB65-4B2DD6806936.
htm Child labour in Morocco falling but action needed <<...OLE_Obj...>> Tue
April 26, 2005 6:36 PM GMT+02:00 By Zakia Abdennebi and Souhail Karam RABAT
(Reuters) - The number of children at work in Morocco is falling but the kingdom
must do more to address the problem affecting 600,000 children, an official
report said on Tuesday. "Child labour is declining in Morocco," said a joint
report by the government, UNICEF and the International Labour Organisation released
at a seminar on child labour. The number of children at work fell 4 percent
from 1991 to 2001, the report said, because of efforts by the government to
increase schooling opportunities for them. The vast majority of the children
work in the agricultural sector, but also in the textile industry making carpets.
Morocco is ranked 125th in the latest U.N. human development index based on
education and public health and life expectancy. The North African country's
social indicators, such as illiteracy, are far worse in rural areas where a
little less than half of the country's 30 million people live. Fighting child
labour will require efforts from local aid groups and parents, and not only
the government, said Labour and Professional Training Minister Mustapha Mansouri.
"This is a major challenge for the Moroccan government. We have to get drinking
water, electricity, schools and hospitals in our rural areas," Mansouri told
Reuters on the sidelines of the seminar in the capital Rabat. In 1999, the government
launched a strategy to reduce child labour by raising the minimum schooling
age, he said. According to the report, 84 percent of working children are based
in rural areas. More than half have never been to school and neither have their
parents. Some of the children work up to 61 hours a week in dangerous conditions,
with a survey of 3,500 working children showing only 3 percent of them work
in a safe environment, the report said. Girls represent the majority of children
at work, especially as housemaids in cities. A study earlier this year revealed
that 36 percent of women who were raped in Morocco last year worked as maids. http://www.reuters.co.za/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp;:426e6e7e:35d7a6753d2a66d?type=topNews&localeKey=en_ZA&storyID=8300448
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CAMPAIGN AGAINST VIOLENT METHODS BY TEACHERS.
Rabat, 26 April (AKI)
The authorities in Morocco have launched a campaign aimed at stamping out physical violence by teachers against uncooperative students in schools. The initiative is being strongly endorsed by Morocco's education minister, al-Halib al-Maliki, who has ordered a series of measures to combat the phenomenon, which is reportedly widespread in various schools in the country. Government circulars now explicitly forbid the use of violence or coercive methods to force less obedient students to pay attention during their lessons. The ministry was forced to intervene on the matter after a series of violent episodes recently, where pupils had turned on their teachers in response to physical violence meted out in lessons. http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Trends&loid=8.0.157195866&par=0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
A 700.000 euro Social Development Fund agreement signed by Morocco and
France.
Rabat, Apr.27
France and Morocco signed here on Wednesday an agreement on the creation of a "social development fund" to support the civil society in Morocco. The 700.000 euros fund will finance local development projects initiated by various associations, particularly in rural areas, and aiming at developing basic infrastructure and income generating initiatives. The agreement was signed by the Moroccan ministries of social development and finance and the French embassy in Morocco. Moroccan social development minister Abderrahim Harouchi said the fund is a tool to support civil society projects meant to create sources of revenues. French ambassador to Morocco, Philippe Faure said assistance of the fund will go to associations that support vulnerable populations, women, children and the disabled, adding a dozen of projects could be financed every year with contributions from national and international money lenders. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/a_700.000_euro_socia/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Kelaat M'Gouna Rose Festival to open on May 6.
Ouarzazate
The 43rd edition of the Rose Festival of the Moroccan Southern town of Kelaat M'Gouna is to blossom on May 6 through 8. The event, that coincides with traditional rose-picking ritual and rose-distillation, offers a rich and varied menu to the 30,000 tourists expected to attend the floral event. In a grandiose setting, the festival will feature numerous events notably folk-dancing and singing, handicrafts exhibitions, banquets in tents, camel-rides and excursions from neighbour Ourzazate down to the valley of the Roses. Twenty folklore bands, Nass El-Giwane band and amazigh Raysa Tabaamrant will animate the festival besides the Lebanese singer Youri Markadi. The festival, famous for the coronation of Miss Rose, will end with a street procession in which the main role is allotted for the folklore bands. Morocco exported 2,132 tons of roses in 2000 of a value estimated at MAD 79,31 million (nearly US$ 11 million). http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box1/kelaat_m_gouna_rose/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
French fund grants Morocco Euro 25 million loan for railway.
Paris, Apr.22
The French Development Agency (AFD) has extended the Moroccan state-owned railway office (ONCF) a Euro 25 million loan destined to partially finance a railway between the northern city of Tangier and the new Tangier-Mediterranean port. The agency says the project seeks to endow the Kingdom with infrastructure with an international port, roads, railways and free trade zones. The Tangier Mediterranean port is scheduled to cost Euro 1.3 billion, including 330 millions for railways. The railway component of the project is financed by two Moroccan banks consortiums (Euro 255 million) and the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) with Euro 50 million. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/french_fund_grants_m/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------
Morocco's GDP 'under-evaluated', official.
Rabat, Apr.19
Morocco's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is "under-evaluated" because informal economy is not included in accounting, said the Vice President of the Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. In an interview with the Moroccan daily "Aujourd'hui le Maroc", Abdelmalek Kettani ascribed the weakness of Morocco's GDP, compared to other non-oil producing countries, to "the importance of different informal markets which generate huge monies that skip the national accounting system". According to Kettani, settling the problem requires the gradual dismantling of this economy, which will not only clear up the vision, but also encourage investment in some fields weakened by smuggling. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/morocco_s_gdp__under/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Moroccan women right's activist awarded 'Vital Voices' prize.
Washington,
Apr.26
Moroccan human rights activist, Latifa Jbabdi is expected to receive,
here Tuesday, the "Political Participation Prize" from the American NGO "Vital
Voices". Latifa Jbabdi, one of the founders of the Moroccan feminist movement
will be honoured at a forum sponsored by "Vital Voices""organisation for her
"35 years of struggle to promote Women's rights and gender equity". President
of l'Union de l'action féminine (UAF) and member of Justice and Reconciliation
Commission (IER), Latifa Jbabdi works for a more equitable integration of women
in development and in the decision-making process. She is also interested in
education, violence against women, income-generating projects and information
and training services. The Economic Opportunity prize will be awarded to Indian
Jaya Arunachalam, while Human Rights and Combating Human Trafficking Prize will
be awarded to Sochua Mu from Cambodia. The Fern Holland Prize (after the name
of an American lawyer dead in Iraq in March 2004) will be awarded to Ukrainian
civil society officers. Several political, diplomatic, cultural and art personalities
notably former US First Lady, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US Secretary
of State, Madeleine Albright and Republican Senator of Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison
will attend the prize-giving ceremony. The list of former "Vital Voices" prizes
winners musters Yemenite Amat Al-Aleem Ali Alsoswa, Iraqi Fatima Hassan Mohammed
Al-Migdadi, Jordanian Arije Al-Amad and South African Dawn Marole. "Vital Voices",
a non-profit bipartisan organization dedicated to increasing women's leadership
around the world, invests in women who are leading social, economic and political
progress in their countries through a global partnership. The organisation invests
in development and training initiatives and extensive global network. It connects
women around the world through knowledge-sharing, best practices, innovative
partnerships and professional support so that women achieve economic independence,
political rights and civic leadership and the full protection of their human
rights. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/general/moroccan_women_right/view
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Education : EU to increase aid by 50%.
The European commission announced yesterday in Brussels its plan to increase financial assistance to its Euro-Mediterranean partners in the field of education, with the aim of eradicating illiteracy by 2015. "With one third of the population of Mediterranean partners under 15, education is crucial [...] this will be my personal top priority," said External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. This statement came as the European Commission revealed its plan to increase its support to education and vocational training within the Barcelona Process countries: Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian authority, Syria, Turkey and Israel. This support should be applied through an increase in the proportion of financial assistance devoted to education by up to 50%, announced Ferrero-Waldner. Moroccan university students, for example, will be granted an opportunity to study in European universities, either through Erasmus Mundus or Tempus grants. As for women, in addition to benefiting from a pre-determined number of these grants, their situation should be discussed within a "Euro-Mediterranean Conference on gender equality" scheduled to take place next year in presence of a number of government representatives and civil society members. In exchange, the European Union's partners will have to commit themselves to eradicate illiteracy by 2015, reach full enrolment of both girls and boys in primary schools and eliminate gender disparities at all levels of education. This quite thrilling announcement is only part of a number of social, environmental as well as migration and security-related reforms. A mere bonus for these countries to go forward, as Ferrero-Waldner explained Monday to a group of journalists: the most important part of the project is that of an economic "road map" aimed at the establishment of a free trade area in the region by 2010. However, such educational changes can only benefit countries from the South of the Mediterranean region: by increasing the number of students in those countries, they should reduce the impact of the brain drain phenomenon generated by the ageing of the European Union's population. http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=5634 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Population: The Long-Term Aging of the Moroccan Population:
The size of
the Moroccan population is estimated at 30 million people, and growing at a
rate of 1.5% annually. Census experts and demographers say the profile of the
population is undergoing a transition period characterized by a break in the
traditional demographic regime, typified by high birth and mortality rates.
In the area of mortality, infant mortality was reduced by two thirds since the
1950s, while mother's mortality rate halved during that same period. These two
factors have partly led to increased life expectancy.
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Government Finance : Morocco lowers expenditure as dwindling revenues
are on the horizon.
By Tarek Halim
The state budget of the Moroccan government during the last three years has been posting consistently increasing deficits, and analysts believe the unsustainable rate of expenditure could jeopardize economic fundamentals. To lower the risk, the government has introduced some corrective measures, but rating agencies expect more. Budget Law adopted by parliament in November 2004 calls for MAD 185.92 billion revenues and MAD 186.63 expenditures. The forecasted budget deficit for 2005 stands at 3.9% of Gross Domestic Product, up from the 3.2% posted in 2004. The government budgeted for 2005 MAD 12 billion privatization revenues. Since the 1993 reform of the local capital market, Morocco has privatized 66 companies which generated MAD 75.5 billion according to Abdelaziz Talbi, director of state-owned enterprises at the Ministry of Finance. In 2004, an additional MAD 12 billion was cashed in and split between the government budget and the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development. But these non-recurring revenues are drying up fast and the 17 companies on the privatization list are expected to bring in a mere MAD 2 billion. Luc Marchand, associate director at Standard and Poor's Sovereign Ratings, told Morocco Times that the government needs to take corrective measures. "We expect net borrowing requirement of the central government to increase from 1.4% in 2004 to 3.6% in 2005 and 2006," said the London-based economist who has a BB rating (positive outlook) on the Moroccan debt denominated in foreign currency. The general government debt topped MAD 339.1 billion by Dec. 2004, according to the Ministry of Finance, of which MAD 224.1 billion is domestic debt and MAD 115 billion external debt. The public sector debt load amounts to 76.8% of GDP, slightly down from the 80.6% of 2003 but still above the internationally accepted norm of 60%. But the government can be credited for engaging in an active debt-management strategy as well as its continued efforts to swap external debt into direct investments. Mehdi Lahlou, professor of economy at Mohammed V University in Rabat, said that an increased deficit combined with increasing debt load could weigh on macroeconomic fundamentals. "At a time when economic growth is very much sought after to reduce the unemployment rate, an increasing deficit combined with heavy debt undermine the competitiveness of the Moroccan economy and drag down growth." Economic growth in Morocco has been running out of steam lately. From a fair 5.2% recorded in 2003, GDP grew at 3.5% in 2004 and the government forecasts a mere 2.6% for 2005. Mustapha Kamal Nabli, chief economist at the World Bank who covers the MENA region, told the Moroccan news agency MAP last week: "The Moroccan economy needs to grow by 6 to 7% to create enough jobs and reduce the unemployment rate," which stood at 10.9% in 2004 according to official figures. It was at 12.3% a year earlier. Public Sector wage bill weighs on the Budget. To avoid spiraling deficits, the Moroccan government has devised an ambitious plan to curtail its increasing expenditure. A cornerstone of this strategy is the voluntary early retirement program launched early this year which is expected to axe 60,000 jobs from the 700,000 civil servants in the public sector. It should ease the public sector wage bill which amounts for 2005 to a stunning MAD 60 billion (12.5% of GDP). In the short term, though, the program is expected to weigh on the budget as its benefits are expected in the medium term. Minister of Public Sector Modernization Mohamed Boussaid, said early this month that MAD 162 million have already been paid out by end of March to 889 early-retirees. Whether the government move to lower expenditure is proactive enough is the subject of debate, but it will certainly help the country weather the prospective storm of dwindling fiscal revenues. "Association and free trade agreements signed by Morocco are expected to lower future custom receipts," said Lahlou, although 2004 figures do not show a clear decline. Tariffs cashed in 2004 totaled MAD 44.36 billion, up 6.1% year-on-year. "In contrast with Tunisia which started the process of tying up its economy to that of its partners much more earlier, losses of tax revenues are still down the road for Morocco," said Marchand. To make matters worse, crude oil prices have reached early this year an all-time high of USD 58.28 and look set to persist. They are expected to weigh on the fiscal deficit as prices of petrol in Morocco are regulated through a subsidy system. The 3.9% budget deficit forecasted by the 2005 Budget Law is based on the premise of an average USD 35 barrel. Orthodox economic policy should be combined with a more enterprising strategy to hike fiscal revenues, according to Marchand, who's inclined to the view that reform should include both expenditure and revenues. "The government needs to take the bold political decision of broadening the tax base by incorporating more of the informal sector," said Marchand adding that Moroccan rating could be upgraded if reforms significantly increase growth prospects. http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=5&id=6029 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
Morocco pledges $57 mln after orphanage scandal.
27 Apr 2005 Source:
Reuters By Souhail Karam BOUZNIKA, Morocco, April 27 (Reuters)
Morocco has pledged $57 million to improve living conditions for those in need of charity care after a scandal at an orphanage in Casablanca caused a nationwide outcry. The pledge at a government-sponsored conference came a few weeks after King Mohammed visited the Islamic Charity of Ain Chok orphanage, that cares for hundreds of children, and was shocked to find squalid living conditions. Millions of Moroccans saw footage of the monarch walking through strewn garbage in a building with filthy walls, water taps and showers that didn't work, broken windows, ripped bedding and a squalid canteen with legless chairs. The king ordered a criminal investigation into the handling of funds at the orphanage, managers have been arrested and the authorities ordered an audit of some 250 charities. Social Development Minister Abderrahim Harouchi told charity staff and representatives in Bouznika, 30 km (20 miles) north of Casablanca, late on Tuesday that the conference had been long planned but had become particularly important after the Ain Chok scandal. Critics say the vast majority of Moroccan charities lack transparency and Ain Chok's case was even more shocking as the charity is considered one of the wealthiest in Africa. "Ain Chok should not hide the great work being done by several charities under difficult circumstances," Harouchi said. The U.N. children's organisation, UNICEF, representative in Morocco, Maie Ayoub, said the conference had made solid recommendations, but said: "This has to be the beginning." The state will double to two dollars a day its average daily care budget for each of 47,000 people in need of charity care, including young people and the elderly. It will also spend millions of dollars on improving charity buildings. "Overall it will be 489 million dirhams ($57 million) that will be spent from this year to 2008," a social development ministry spokesman said. The conference agreed a new code of conduct and established a federation grouping all charities to act as a fundraising and policy-making structure. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2760811.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Hard times for Moroccan textile industry.
The ongoing elimination of the "Multi Fiber Agreement" agreement (created in 1974, and renewed several times since) at the end of 2004 and the surge in imports of cheap clothing coming from China were fatal for the Moroccan textile industry. The industry, which currently employs about 200,000 Moroccans, is facing the threat of wide-scale layoffs, all around the country. EMarrakech reports that amongst the strongest signs of this profound crisis is the fact that textile factories that are being closed are not only being locked or evacuated but completely demolished. The latest example for this situation came from the Maarif industrial park, in Casablanca, where two hosiery factories SIB (Industrial Company of Hosiery) and Iboma (Hosiery Industry of the Maghreb), where the factories located, were simply 'shaved' http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182815 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
Development-Morocco:From Shantytowns to 'Cement-Ghettos'.
Inter Press
Service April 27, 2005 . Abderrahim El Ouali.
Casablanca Tragedies have served as reminders of the problems associated with Morocco's slums, but planning remains inadequate, say experts. Moving impoverished families en masse from shanties to new but poorly constructed buildings won't resolve the tensions. Some six months after the May 16, 2003 suicide bombings in the financial district of Casablanca, in which terrorists believed to have ties to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network killed more than 40 people and injured a hundred more, Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou said the government aimed to build 100,000 homes each year for low-income families. At the same time, Toufiq Hjira, minister-delegate of Housing and Urbanism, said the state would give financing priority to cities with feasible plans for eradicating shantytowns, widely seen as hotbeds for unrest -- and in the case of Casablanca, the launchpads for the suicide bombers. The May 16 attacks likely served as a reminder to the Moroccan government that around 1.5 million people were living in slums. But that did not necessarily lead to planning. Moving families from precarious shacks into apartment buildings has not led to social integration, nor has it fomented a social development process. Azdine Nekmouche, former president of the Architects Order in Casablanca, and member of the scientific committee of the International Union of Architects, says, "There is a real problem" with the slum eradication programmes. "Residents are moved from shantytowns to cement- towns." The buildings constructed for the former slum inhabitants are "vertical ghettos", says Nekmouche, because they do not incorporate the concept of "urban mixture". When citizens of a similar socioeconomic level are packed in to a small area, "we are creating ghettos because there is no one with a higher level who can lead and serve as an example. There is nobody who would motivate the others," explains the expert. One would never guess that behind the modern buildings standing along Casablanca's Boulevard Idriss el Harti is hidden a low-income apartment complex built just 22 years ago. The Moulay Rachid district was built for the former residents of Ben M'sik shantytown. The families were moved during the winter of 1984. Their new "homes" were not yet finished: a nine-square-metre room, with a sink serving as the "kitchen", and exposed walls and floors. It was up to the new tenants to complete the construction. Mohamed K. was 15 years old when his family was moved. Twenty-one years later, he recalls that he had to walk more than 10 km every day to reach his school. "There was not even a bus stop in Moulay Rachid area at that time," he said, and remembers that each block of the area was surrounded by chain-link fencing. "I felt that we were far from being treated like human beings. When they removed the fencing one of my friends commented, 'now they are convinced that we have been domesticated'," Mohamed said. Three years before the move from Ben M'sik, on June 20, 1981, dozens of soldiers and police invaded the shantytown to put down angry demonstrators who were demanding one thing: bread. That popular revolt was a protest against the price hike on basic products, but it degenerated into acts of sabotage and bloody clashes in Casablanca's poorest districts. The army and police forces used real bullets were and thousands of atrocities were reported. Victims were buried in mass graves. In the aftermath, the Moroccan government had to deal with "tension zones", among them the Ben M'sik slum. Like the May 2003 bombings, the popular revolt should have been a reminder to the Moroccan government that the shantytowns were a pending problem. Casablanca, the largest city and economic capital of the kingdom of Morocco, is home to 50 percent of the nation's slums. After clearing most of the Ben M'sik slum, authorities found that the new Moulay Rachid district was near another huge slum, Almassira. The Almassira shantytown was created in 1976 when the authorities had to relocate hundreds from the Ben M'sik slum to build the Casablanca-Rabat toll motorway. As there had been no history of social tensions, inhabitants were simply moved to another shantytown instead of apartment structures. On May 16, 2003, the suicide bombers emerged from the Almassira area to attack the Casablanca financial district. Extremist movements, like those associated with Al-Qaeda, find a fertile environment in both Moulay Rachid and Almassira, say experts, because of the frustrations arising from high demographic density, unemployment, illiteracy, and cost of living. "Moulay Rachid and Almassira are the main suppliers of criminals to the Moroccan courts," Mohamed Chemsy, a member of the Casablanca Bar, told IPS. "Because of their despair at ever improving their living conditions, adolescents turn to crime," he explained. And the desperate easily become the targets for recruitment by extremist movements. Despite the Moroccan government's effort over a decade ago to give Moulay Rachid the status of a "municipality", it has not improved the district's social and cultural infrastructure. Instead, it seems the municipality's leaders are abusing their authority. Stadiums are completely abandoned and provide convenient refuge to criminals. The tennis club "La Raquette D'or" has been illegally changed into a sort of town hall, which residents say a parliament member, a relative of the municipality president, is exploiting. "Development in the municipality of Moulay Rachid is only a fantasy," commented attorney Chemsy. The Moulay Rachid Municipality has an extensive industrial park, but "it is more like a graveyard where working women and girls bury their youth," says Chemsy. "They enter young and motivated, and they come out with hunched backs." Most of firms in the industrial park are facing bankruptcy, and may have to close shop, he said, due to "illegal competition of smuggled goods invading the Moroccan market from Spain, Algeria and China, higher taxes and the lack of (government) support." Residents of Moulay Rachid and Almassira do not have enough development opportunities. Private initiative must be encouraged, he said, but that brings its own complications. Paradoxically, "attempting a private initiative in Moulay Rachid Municipality is like exploring a cavern of an unknown depth. The first obstacle you run into is the complicated administrative procedures," Chemsy said in an IPS interview. "A simple authorisation to open a new shop requires a long bureaucratic journey. You only know the date of beginning. Only God knows the end date." Corruption is rampant in Moulay Rachid, yet another hindrance to private initiative. Chemsy says that future investors soon fall to "the whims of venal civil servants and local authority officials and agents." Moroccan government policy on slum eradication has been mostly sporadic and reactive, responding to events like the 1981 popular revolt and the May 2003 suicide bombings. Nevertheless, some Moroccan cities will be declared "slum free" in 2007, and others are to achieve that status in 2010. However, observers seem to agree that a programme aiming for "ghetto-free" cities would be more profitable. http://allafrica.com/stories/200504270728.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Over 200 Charities to be audited in Morocco in 2005, Minister.
Bouznika
(South of Rabat)
250 state-subsidized charities will be audited in Morocco in 2005 part of a campaign that will include around 250 other charities in 2006, announced, here Tuesday, Moroccan minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity, Abderrahim Harouchi. Speaking at a meeting on charities, the minister said this campaign aims at reforming their structures, improving their management, establishing transparency and comforting benefactors and volunteers. This campaign was triggered following the investigation ordered by HM King Mohammed VI after a visit, April 2, to the first Islamic charity house in Casablanca during which the sovereign "deplored the poor conditions" of its residents and noted the "bad management of the institution and its calamitous repercussions on life conditions and education of the children." Several managers of the institution were arrested on charges of embezzlement and corruption. HM the king gave also his instructions to the state Secretariat General to work with concerned parties on amending the law governing charities to prevent such cases and to assure that the institutions hosting children, youngsters, women and old people will play their humanitarian role. Harouchi underlined that the rehabilitation of the charities demands MAD 230 million (nearly US$ 27 million) and will last 3 to 4 years stressing the need to double the operating expenditure which is estimated at MAD 9 (one dollar) per person and per day. On his part, Director of l'Entraide nationale, Mohamed Talbi said the number of charities flared up 75% and the number of benefactors increased from 85,000 in 1999 to 171,000 in 2005. He pointed out that 97% of his department action is concerned with providing poor youngsters with a professional training, after which 80% of beneficiaries integrate the job market. L'Entraide nationale boasts 1,515 charities including 500 orphanages (46,500 beneficiaries), 720 training centers for girls (65,196 beneficiaries), 5 centers for special needs people (858 beneficiaries) and 50 professional training centers for school drop outs. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box2/over_200_charities_t/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
HM King proved that political will decisive to advance democracy, woman
activist.
Washington, Apr. 28
HM King Mohammed VI gave evidence that political will is decisive to advance democracy and human rights, and to ensure a better future to all the Moroccan people, said Latifa Jbabdi, chairwoman of Feminine Action Union (UAF). Jbabdi, who was handed here on Tuesday the "Political Participation Award" of the American "Vital Voices" NGO, paid tribute, in the name of all Moroccan women, to HM King Mohammed VI whose political will was crucial in the breakthrough made in the promotion of women rights in Morocco. The Vital Voice honour is a tribute "not only to me, but also to all Moroccan women who engaged in a long and hard fight, and who are reaping the fruits of the struggle with the passage of the family code which upholds equality between women and men". The honour also acknowledges Moroccan efforts to build democracy and ensure freedom in the process of the protection of human and women rights, she said, stressing that in Morocco investment in women is seen as investment in the future. She recalled that the number of women sitting in Parliament has jumped to 35 instead of two, which is a "giant step" regarding equality between men and women. Jbabdi said the Moroccan experience is evidence that democracy is possible in Arab and Moslem countries and that "Islam is by no means in contradiction with the promotion of women rights and the universal values of human rights". Elizabeth Cheney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, who handed the honour to Jbabdi, said Morocco is at the vanguard of the region countries in democratic reforms and freedom matters. The Human Rights and Anti-Trafficking Award went to Mu Sochua, Cambodia, the Economic Opportunity Award to Jaya Arunachalam, India, while the Fern Holland Award went to the Women of Ukraine. More than 500 "Vital Voices" supporters gathered at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday to celebrate Vital Voices Global Partnership's fifth anniversary and to honour the 2005 Global Leadership Award recipients, extraordinary women who are pioneers of political, social, and economic advancement in their countries. Several political, diplomatic, cultural and art personalities notably former US First Lady, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright and Republican Senator of Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison attended the prize-giving ceremony. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_politics/hm_king_proved_that/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Over 500 female managers to take part in two international events in Fez.
Fez, Apr. 26
Some five hundred women will take part in the world committee of the World Association of Women entrepreneurs (FCEM) and the 2nd international forum-expo, due to take place in Fez (central Morocco) on April 28-30. Fez was selected as the venue for this meeting by the FCEM 52nd held in Glasgow in October 2004. A press release of the Moroccan association of female managers (AMEC), initiator of the events, says the meeting is very important as it will elect the international president of the committee. The 2nd international forum-expo, which will be organized around the topic "Roots and Wings: is cultural specificity a hindrance or a booster for entrepreneurship development?", says the press release, will offer women the opportunity to display their multi-faceted potentials and exchange know-how. AFEM endeavours to encourage feminine entrepreneurship and partnership between women of the world. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/over_500_female_mana/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
'Maestro' grabs prize in Al Jazeera festival.
Apr 28, 2005 (Al-Bawaba
via COMTEX)
The Moroccan documentary film titled, "Moha Oulhoucine Achibane", also known as the 'Maestro', received a prize by the jury of "Al Jazeera" festival in the category of television production. The documentary, 50 minutes in length, tracks the significant stages in the life of one of the most celebrated and popular artists in Morocco, Moha Oulhoucine (now 88 years old), who was able to bring glamour and international fame to the musical art of Ahidous. The nickname, Maestro, reports EMarrakech, was given to this unique artist by the late American president, Ronald Reagan, who was deeply impressed by Moha's choreographic jesters. http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=118w5354§ion=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
International giant staffing firm to enter Morocco.
The Dutch giant Vedior, one of the leading staffing firms in the world, is planning to enter the Moroccan market, starting from September of this year. The company, reports Yabiladi, which offers a wide range of human resources services all over the world and is considered the third largest staffing company in the world, decided to enter the Moroccan market following the impressive growth of this field over the last few years. Vedior operates in 37 countries worldwide including Europe, North America, Australasia, South Africa, South America and Asia and employs 15.000 workers. On an annual basis, Vedior offers long or short term work to approximately 1 million people. The company's sales turnover in 2003 was 6 billion euros. http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182886 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Operation Smile restores smile to over 100 persons in
Settat.
Settat,
Apr.29
150 children and young adults ravaged by deformities benefited from free surgical operations held in Hassan II hospital in Settat (157 south of Rabat) by Operation Smile volunteers, according to medical sources. Under the auspices of HRH princess Lalla Meriem, the "Operation Smile Morocco" will carry out 220 surgical operations in Hassan II hospital marking the first Operation Smile mission in this region. Operation Smile team of medical and non-medical volunteers conduct a medical mission at Hassan II hospital to change the lives of Settat population April 28 through 30. The team consists of plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, a pediatrician, a dentist, speech pathologist and child life therapist from the USA, Canada, France, Brazil, the Philippines and Morocco. They provide free medical evaluations and reconstructive surgery. They work together to change the lives of local population suffering with cleft lips, cleft palates, tumors, burns and other facial deformities. Through the team's efforts, people from throughout Morocco will have the chance to lead a normal life. US ambassador to Morocco, Thomas Riley, who paid a visit to Hassan II hospital, noted the importance of this operation to restore smile to children and young adults who suffer from facial deformities stressing the importance of NGOs and public authorities cooperation to achieve such initiatives. Founded in 1999, "Operation Smile Morocco", which is a branch of Operation Smile International, headquartered in Virginia (USA), carried out over 3,000 surgical operations throughout the kingdom notably Agadir, Casablanca, Laayoune, Marrakech, Meknes, Rabat and Tangier. Founded in 1982, Operation Smile International has provided free reconstructive surgery to tens of thousands of children and young adults in 25 developing countries and the United States, bringing them new hope and new lives. As a recognition to its efforts, Operation Smile was awarded the first Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in 1996 and the Kellog's Hannah Neil World of Children Award in 1999. In 1999, Operation Smile conducted World Journey of Hope 99, the largest-ever surgical mission dedicated to correcting cleft lips and cleft palates, bringing care to more than 5,000 children in 18 countries and the United States during nine weeks. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box3/operation_smile_rest/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Moroccan rights organizations launch campaign to abolish capital punishment.
Rabat, Apr.28
A group of Moroccan human rights organizations launched Thursday a nationwide campaign to abolish capital punishment in Morocco that is among 21 African countries where death penalty is still in effect. The campaign aims at encouraging the State to officially announce the freezing of death penalty implementation, to approve the facultative protocol related to capital punishment abrogation and to prepare a draft law on the cancellation of death penalty in the Moroccan penal code, the "together against death penalty" committee, grouping several Moroccan and foreign organizations, announced Thursday at a press conference. Even though several people have been condemned to death penalty in Morocco, the sentence hasn't been carried out since 1993. In the latest years, dozens of people were sentenced to capital punishment, particularly in relation with the terrorist attacks that hit the country in May 2003 (killing 45 people). Several NGOs are teaming up in this lobbying efforts, including the Moroccan human rights advocacy associations, AMDH and AMDH, the Moroccan Prison Observatory (OMP), Penal Reform International, International Federation of Human Rights League, Amnesty International Morocco, and Together Against the Death Penalty (End to Capital Punishment Movement (ECPM). According to the committee, the campaign is also meant to guarantee mobilization so as to establish partnerships with the media to publish studies and opinion polls on this issue, and to improve the situation of persons who are condemned to death penalty. The Committee said a memo will be submitted to political parties, parliamentary groups and trade unions so that they take part in this campaign. During the press conference, President of the World Coalition against Death Penalty, Michel Taube, said the celebration this year of the World Day Against the Death Penalty (October 10) will focus on the efforts of African countries and NGOs to abolish the capital punishment. The abrogation of death penalty by the Moroccan government will be a new step toward enhancing democracy in the country, he said. He recalled that 11 African countries have abolished capital punishment but it is still in force in 21 other countries. Some 20 other countries, he pointed out, have not implemented the capital punishment for over 10 years. Created in Rome in May 2002, the World Coalition against Death Penalty gathers 38 organizations world-wide, NGOs, Bar associations, trade unions, local governments, all kinds of organizations that are committed to the struggle against the death penalty and want to coordinate their efforts of lobbying on an international level. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box4/moroccan_rights_orga/view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Research and Markets: Review these Morocco Internet Access Services Forecasts
and Analysis for 2002 to 2007.
DUBLIN, Ireland, April 28 /PRNewswire/
Research
and Markets (
Begging : Impunity responsible for professional begging.
Morocco TIMES
4/29/2005
Begging proliferation is partly due to the non-application of the law and insufficient prevention, said Harouchi to "Aujourd'hui Le Maroc." In an interview published today with the French language daily "Aujourd'hui Le Maroc," Abderrahim Harouchi, the Moroccan Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity, pointed out that the non-application of the law on begging is among the chief reasons for its proliferation. "Among the main causes of the proliferation of this phenomenon, you have the non application of the law against begging, especially concerning children and babies, insufficient prevention measures, [...]the lack - until now - of an integrated strategy for [...] the social reinsertion of people who beg to survive, the repression of exploitation and the lack of structures," he said. Harouchi also stressed that a programme has been elaborated in order to fight the proliferation of begging, insisting that the priority should be given to women and children since they are the main victims of this phenomenon. The Moroccan law includes two to six-month prison sentences for beggars over 18. However, the fact that it is seldom applied and that charity is deeply embedded in the Moroccan mentality has led many to live out of begging. With daily incomes varying between MAD 50 and MAD 200 a day -depending on estimations - it is considered that up to 500,000 people could be living as professional beggars in Morocco - i.e. more "employees" than in the textile and tourism sectors together. Children and disabled people are considered as the main victims of this form of trade, since they are often forced, either by relatives or people who "rent" them, to spend whole days in busy avenues. In addition, according to the Moroccan League for the Protection of Childhood, most of the begging children suffer from a number of chronic diseases such as diabetes or asthma. It is also noted that most of these children are little boys seeing that the little girls tend to be employed in homes, and that 25% of these children have never been to school. According to official figures, an estimated 4.2 million people (14% of Morocco's population) leave below the poverty line. http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=6105 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Fez popular festival of Halqa art.
23-04-2005
The first edition of the popular festival of Halqa art ('popular story telling') and oral literature, is being held in Fez from April 22 to April 24, under the theme of "Halqa, a tool for sustaining the popular oral inheritance". The festival was initiated by the commune of Fez, in collaboration with the district of Fez-medina and the "Bonate" association. This event is held in the renowned historical site of Bab Boujnoud and is meant to assist in the safeguarding popular culture and authentic inheritance, while encouraging tourism in the city. EMarrakech reports that the festival's program also includes various spectacles, performed by the "Issaoua", "Jilala", "Gnaouas", and "Hmadcha" brotherhoods, and acrobatics shows by "Oulad Ahmed et Moussa" group. http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182724 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Moroccan Identity between cohesion and diversity".
The Executive Committee for Moroccan Cohesion in Culture and Arts has organized recently a conference titled "Moroccan Identity between cohesion and diversity". The conference was chaired by Abedenbi Dachine, secretary-general of the Executive Committee for Moroccan Cohesion, and by the journalist-poet Hassan Najmi. One of the key speakers in this event was Hassan Aourid, president of Tarik Ibnou Ziyad Research center. EMarrakech reports that in his speech Aourid stressed that Amazighite culture and cultural diversity in general are essential components of Moroccan identity. According to him, one of the key elements in safeguarding Moroccan identity is to respect to the cultural diversity that has always characterized it. http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182682 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Moroccan Spring Song Festival in
Marrakech.
28/04/2005
The traditional Moroccan Spring Song Festival will be held from 27-28 May in Marrakech, on the initiative of the Union of the Moroccan Musicians. The festival will feature the latest works of famous Moroccan musicians such as Ismail Ahmed. The 2005 "Golden Lute" prize will be given to Mohamed Ali. The contest for young artists aims at selecting the three best voices, which will represent the country at the upcoming Arab song festival in Casablanca and international music events. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/homepage/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
First festival of art of Dakka in Morocco.
28-04-2005
The city of Taroudant will hold its first festival of the art of Dakka (traditional drumming) and other rhythms of Souss from 11 to 14 of May. During this festival the city of Taroudant will host a number of musical groups coming from all over Morocco including Marrakech, Essaouira, Demnate and of course Taroudant. EMarrakech reports that apart from the music performances that will be presented during the event, the public will also be invited to take part in various exhibitions of local arts and crafts and in conferences dealing with the art of Dakka, as well as in performance of 'popular story telling' (the popular art of Halqua). http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182883 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----
Japanese TV film on life of Malika.
A team of Japanese television production
is currently completing in Tozeur a film on the life of Malika, the elder girl
of General Mohamed Oufkir, the former Moroccan Minister of Interior. Yabiladi
reports that the film is a television adaptation of The Prisoner, an autobiography
published in 1999 by Malika Oufkir, in collaboration with Michele Fitoussi.
In the book, Malika shortly tells her childhood story and then her imprisonment
story following the entanglement of her father in an attempted murder conspiracy
against King Hassan II. Dorra Zarrouk, a 26 years old star of Tunisian television,
plays the role of Malika. http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/182931
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