FOM Newsletter June 2001
Morocco Week in Review
 June 23,  2001

The World Bank says it is focusing its country assistance strategy with Morocco on the struggle against poverty and unemployment that the Kingdom has firmly engaged but not completely won. General manager of the World Bank in Morocco, Olivier Gordon, explained in a press conference Tuesday in Casablanca the new strategy focuses on competitiveness, growth, making up for the rural world under-development and reforming the administration. It also seeks to generalize access to schooling, health services and basic facilities, especially in the rural world. Priority sectors of the strategy also include consolidating partnership with other fund donors, mainly the African Development Bank. 

The Bank also proposes to concentrate its activities on two scenarios: a basic program with immediate results and a program to support sectorial reforms. The first program focuses on social development, community participation, good governance and decentralization together with partnership with the emerging civil society. The bank also projects to increase its involvement in macro-economic and structural reforms through an analysis work and financial support the reforms proposed by the government, in accordance with progress in budget and sectorial fields. 

Regarding the loan volume, the bank would maintain the same amount of US$ 250 million, compared to US$ 300 million in the previous strategy. After it noted the recent Dirham devaluation, the World Bank expects the coming finance law to restore a greater budgetary discipline, carry on fiscal reforming and move forward in some structural reforms. The Bank says it is ready to bring its support to these fields when concrete measures are taken. However, in case these reforms are delayed, the bank would opt for a return to its basic program and re-allocate resources to analysis activities in order to promote the emergence of a consensus on the reforms program, in an increasingly pluralistic society. The Bank promises support to the government if deeper reforms are to be taken to stimulate growth, and accordingly its annual loaning program would stand at US$ 450 Million for actions directed toward specific programs, adjustment or protection of most vulnerable populations affected by reforms. The bank would carry on its efforts in support of the private sector and increase its collaboration with the EU in Morocco's economic competitiveness and financial backing to small and medium-sized enterprises. 

The World Bank document stresses that health services have not yet reached the results as Morocco has one of the lowest health insurance coverage in the region (15%) while schooling rate and the quality of education are not yet satisfactory despite substantial expenditures in these two sectors (6% of the GDP). Regarding poverty which regressed from 21 to 13% in the 1984-1991 period, the Bank notes that poverty stood in 1998 at 19% and affected 5.3 million people while vulnerable population increase from nine million to 12 million people.

CASABLANCA, June 19 (Reuters) - The World Bank said on Tuesday it would lend Morocco $750 million in the 2001-2004 period to help fight poverty and lead necessary structural reforms to ensure high economic growth.  Olivier Godron, head of the bank's mission in Morocco, told Reuters on the sidelines of a workshop on the bank's strategy plan for Morocco that the loans will be disbursed at an average $250 million per year. Projects to fight poverty will benefit from $150 million per year. The World Bank said in a report that poverty in Morocco rose 50 percent from 1991 to 1999 to affect 27 percent of the rural population and 12 percent of urban inhabitants.

Sector-related reforms by the government would draw $100 million per year from the bank's financing. "Releasing these (loans) would depend on the progress of...budget triggers guaranteeing a medium-term economic viability and sector-related triggers showing the commitment of the government to the reforms and their implementation," the report said. Godron said "The total annual sum can reach $450 million if reforms were progressing positively." Pedro Alba, the bank's chief for Middle East and North Africa Economic and Social Development, said economic growth in Morocco fell from an average 4.4 percent per year during 1986-1991 to an annual average of 1.9 percent in the 1991-1998 period. He said the drop was mainly due to drought, which has become increasingly harsh and frequent in the past decade. Agriculture in Morocco contributes between 17 and 20 percent of Gross Domestic Product and employs half the 10.6-million workforce.

(Souhail Karam, Rabat newsroom +212-37 720065 fax +212-37 722499, rabat.newsroom@reuters.com)

RABAT, June 19 (Reuters) - Morocco, facing a water shortage this summer after a third year of partial drought, will launch a nationwide campaign to save water, the state-run water agency ONEP said on Tuesday. Morocco has about 60 large- and medium-sized reservoirs with a total capacity of 16 billion cubic metres but they currently contain only about half, or 8.5 billion cubic metres. "We're going to launch soon a campaign in the local media, including television and radio networks, to urge the population for a solidarity action to save drinkable water," Ali Fassi Fihri, head of Office National de l'Eau Potable (ONEP), said. The launch will take place shortly after a meeting of the high council of water, Fassi Fihri told Reuters. Presided by King Mohammed, the council will meet in the southern city of Agadir on Thursday, he added. The key Moroccan agriculture sector absorbs up to 80 percent of the country's water resources with the remainder used as drinkable water by the urban population, the official said. Morocco is affected this season by drought for the third consecutive year.

Morocco and the USA have amended a bilateral understanding protocol, signed in June 2000, on promotion of internal and external investments. The amendment brings the US contribution to US$ 7.21 million, an increase by US$ 1.31 million of the amount previously agreed upon. The agreement provides for a set of actions to improve the administrative and legal framework and consolidate the institutional capacity of some associations and micro-finance institutions.

Morocco, UNICEF launch 4-million signature petition for children.

The Moroccan observatory of children rights (ONDE) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) are expecting to collect four million signatures in a petition circulated to promote children rights. The operation, chaired by Princess Lalla Meryem who heads the observatory, will be conducted in various institutions, the parliament, administrations, private companies, associations and non-governmental organizations. The joint UNICEF-ONDE form titled "Say Yes to Children" invites signatories to select three priorities among a set of issues: not to exclude any child, give priority to children, take care of children, fight HIV/AIDS, end children exploitation, listen to children, educate all children, protect children against war, protect land for children, fight poverty and invest in children. The "say yes for children" operation will be presented before the departure of the Moroccan delegation to the UN general assembly extraordinary session on children next September in New York.

Morocco's premier, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, launched on Tuesday the 3rd batch of the government's program to alleviate drought effects. The 15 month-long program is worth 6.5 billion Dirhams (US$ 590.9 million). It comprises a set of measures to develop the rural world facing a third consecutive dry season. Youssoufi, who chaired a meeting of the standing rural development commission, said the two first phases of the project were successful and a long-term program needs to be carried out to promote the rural world development.

Some 10,000 women aged between 15 and 75 will participate in the 10-KM long run-for-fun race on road next Sunday in Casablanca. Former Olympic champ and chairwoman of the organizing committee, Nawal Moutawakel, said participants will share moments of joy, courage and perseverance in this race destined to foster women's awareness to the beneficial effects of sports.

The race, the third of the kind, will be supervised by some 200 referees and will end by a prize awarding ceremony as the three first winners who will get prizes worth respectively 15,000 DH (about $1,300), 10,000 DH ($870) and 5000 DH ($ 435). A cup will be awarded to the first oldest runner. Member of the International Olympic Committee Prince Albert of Monaco will attend the race and minister in charge of women condition, Nouzha Chekrouni, women mps and executives of ngos will participate in the race. The first edition of the race was held in 1993 with the participation of some 2,000 runners while the second edition in 1994 gathered 5,000 participants.

Moroccan secretary of state in charge of scientific research, Omar Fassi Fihri, announced Tuesday that 37 percent of scientific research projects to be financed by his department will deal with the protection and assessment of natural resources and biological diversity. The official who was addressing the first congress of the Moroccan biological diversity association in Rabat Tuesday warned that the country's natural resources are threatened by pollution, human behavior, drought and desert encroachment. The secretary of state said scientific research that is oriented towards biological diversity protection is a scientific and environmental stake and added his department is projecting to institute partnership between Moroccan and foreign scientific research institutions. Chairman of the Moroccan biological diversity association, Mohamed Fannane, deplored the lack of a thorough assessment of biological diversity in Morocco and said foreign searchers devote much more time to biological diversity than Moroccan searchers.

Casablanca University, UNESCO agree to create chair on migration and human rights

The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) and the Casablanca Hassan II-Ain Chock university signed on Monday an agreement for the creation of a UNESCO university chair on migration and human rights. The new university chair will bring political, legal and social answers to the issue of migrations and will be a reference to handle the phenomenon, said Morocco's minister of higher education, executive training and scientific research, Najib Zerouali. Chairwoman of the chair, Khadija Madmad, explained that the program is part of a network set up by UNESCO to encourage exchanges between northern and southern universities. The network comprises universities from England, Palestine, Jordan, South Africa, Canada, Egypt and Morocco, the only non-English speaking country. The major goal of the academic program is to promote an integrated system of research, training and archives activities in the field of migration, viewed from its relations with human rights, says the agreement.

The World's Rarest and Most Expensive Edible Oil is Being Introduced from France - Argania Brand.

NEW YORK, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- MPM announced today that it is introducing a new type of edible oil to the American market. Hand made in Morocco and bottled in France by Argania, this virgin argan oil has charmed many great chefs all around the world. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010620/NYWFNS1 )

In France chefs such as Michel del Burgo -- Taillevent -- Paris, Pierre Gagnaire -- Pierre Gagnaire -- Paris, Guy Martin -- Le Grand Vefour -- Paris, Frederic Anton -- Le Pre Catelan -- Paris. In Japan, Shuhei Maeda -- Hankyu International -- Osaka. In the U.S., Phillipe Schmit -- Orsay -- NYC, Paul Liebrandt -- Atlas -- NYC, Christian Touche -- Clio -- Boston.

The argan oil introduction in the US market comes at a time when interest for authentic natural food products skillfully crafted by artisans following age-old techniques is growing rapidly among American consumers. Soon, every top chef in the U.S. will request Argania's Argan oil, in their search of new flavors. "What makes this oil unique is a thousand year old artisanal method perpetuated by Berber women in Morocco. Add to that a tree literally unknown to the rest of the planet, declared a protected specie by UNESCO. One tree yields seasonally 220 pounds of nuts, after 12 hours of processing by the Berber women only yields one liter of this fine oil. Combine all of the above with an inimitable flavor and you get argan oil," says Vincent Lampariello president of Marco Polo Marketing. Other brands of argan oil claim authenticity but fall short.  Argania offers the only artisannally made argan oil produced entirely by hand. This is why the top gourmet stores have chosen to feature it. To name a few in NYC Dean & Deluca, Garden of Eden, Amish Market and newly opened Turquacino on Bleecker street. Argan oil from Argania is imported to the U.S. from France by Marco Polo Marketing part of Molae Food Group Ltd., based in North Bergen, New Jersey. For more information visit: http://www.argania.org. Or to purchase online http://www.earthy.com. Source: Marco Polo Marketing./ Contact: Emile Boustani of Marco Polo Marketing, 888-676-3663, sales.mpm@verizon.net

RABAT, June 22 (Reuters) - Morocco said on Friday it will allocate 2.8 billion dirhams ($236 million) to reschedule farmers' debts because of a new drought this year. The state-run farmers fund CNCA said in a statement it would contribute to 1.6 billion dirhams of the amount, while the government would inject the remaining 1.2 billion. Total outstanding debts are currently at 9.0 billion dirhams and some 120,000 farmers stand to benefit from the measure, it added. The government spent some 6.5 billion dirhams last year to help farmers hit by two consecutive dry years which have caused a major shortfall in cereals production. A government official said earlier this week that this year's drought had not been as harsh as in the past two years. However, Morocco has cut its forecast for economic growth this year by two percentage points to 6.0 percent, due mainly to the effects of drought on its agriculture-based economy. Around half of Morocco's 10.6-million workforce is employed in the agricultural sector, which accounts for 17 to 20 percent of Gross Domestic Product. (Rabat newsroom, +212-37 720065 fax +212-37 722499, rabat.newsroom@reuters.com)

PARIS- An association of Moroccan students in France has launched an operation to support the schooling of 3,000 children in Morocco, through a fund-raising event, featuring Moroccan cuisine, a fashion show and music. The operation called "3,000 children at school" consists of supplying to most remote rural schools and pupils the needed equipment, stationery and manuals.

A newly set up non-governmental association "the national body for the protection of public funds" presented to the press on Tuesday a charter for the protection of public funds, awaiting the defining of a work framework. The charter insists that the construction of a democratic society depends on the laying down of solid and balanced foundations of public funds management and organization of the state and administration's relations with the tax payers. Protecting public funds is at the same time a duty and a right for citizens, says the charter, and the rule of law has to guarantee this, in conformity with the international covenants on human rights and economic, cultural and social rights which stress the citizens' rights to information, to participation in the management and control of public life and their rights to ask for accounts. The document also urges for the creation of efficient mechanisms for the protection and control and to end economic and financial offenses.

LOS ANGELES (April 8, 2001 12:55 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Researchers have discovered meteorites from the moon and Mars, two new examples of the rarest space rocks found on Earth. The two rocks are the 15th and 17th meteorites to be found from the moon and Mars, respectively, making them the least common among the estimated 22,000 meteorites discovered on this planet. News of the discoveries was announced this month and will be reported in the July 2001 bulletin of the Meteoritical Society, an international organization devoted to the study of extraterrestrial material. The Mars meteorite, dubbed Northwest Africa 480, was found in November in Morocco. The tiny stone weighed a single ounce. The far heftier lunar example is the second largest moon meteorite ever found, weighing in at 2.2 pounds. The meteorite, known as Northwest Africa 482, was bought in January in Morocco but is thought to have been found last year in neighboring Algeria. Of all Martian meteorites, the most famous is a potato-shaped rock known as ALH84001. Researchers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston announced in 1996 that the meteorite contained microscopic evidence of life - an assertion that has since been debated.  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration hopes to robotically retrieve more samples from Mars, possibly by 2011, for return to Earth. The American Apollo and Soviet Luna missions returned hundreds of pounds of moon rocks to Earth between 1969 and 1976.

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