Friends of Morocco News in review 031205

Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review
March 12 2005

Women's rights : Morocco, a model in the Arab world.
Further reforms needed to promote women's situation in Morocco, media.
Better aware of their rights, women are more apt to enjoy them.
Hillary Clinton lauds Morocco's achievements in women's rights.
Condition of Moroccan women exposed at forum hosted by US first lady.
Morocco: A model of women rights in the Arab world, meeting.
FTA with Morocco promoted in business conferences in U.S.
Poor competitiveness, major factor of Morocco's trade deficit, exporters.
Only technical problems hinder generalization of Berber teaching, institute chairman.
Amazigh culture, source of national pride, festival.
Some 714 fires in Morocco in 2004.
Sensitizing campaign against rubber checks.
408,484 tourists visited Morocco in January.

Women's rights : Morocco, a model in the Arab world.

The promotion of women's rights through the adoption of a new Family Code in Morocco was discussed at a round table organized by the American Council on Foreign Relations on "Morocco as a model for the Arab world." Fouzia Rhissassi, holder of the UNESCO chair on Women's Rights in Morocco, and Abdeslam Maghraoui, specialist of the Islamic world in the United States Institute of Peace conducted this meeting. They shed light on the achievements of Morocco in promoting equity between the two sexes and enhancing democracy.

Rhissassi, for whom the adoption of the New Family Code is a "revolution at many a level", pointed out that, at this stage, the government and the civil society are exploring means to better implement the new law, particularly through rising the awareness of the youth on equity and training judges. Maghraoui argued that the new family code is a token of positive change, just like the experience of the Justice and Reconciliation Commission (IER), and the open debate on Amazigh culture issue.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=4564
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Further reforms needed to promote women's situation in Morocco, media.
RABAT, Mar. 08

The Moroccan press underlined Tuesday, on the occasion of the International Women's Day, that despite the important strides made in Morocco, further reforms are needed to give women their due status. "Al Mounaataf" daily deems that "March 8 cannot be qualified as a holiday because women in Morocco have not yet reached the status they deserve." The author of the article rather sees International Women's Day as an occasion to asses and reflect on the achievements accomplished to promote the situation of women.

March 8 is celebrated throughout the world "while the situation of women, particularly in developing countries, remains precarious because of marginalization, exploitation and the systematic violation of laws that guarantee equality between men and women, and ban discrimination between sexes," wrote "L'Opinion." While calling for more reforms in favor of women, the press highlighted the latest achievements for women with Aujourd'hui le Maroc" daily noting that the celebration of International Women's Day "coincides this year with the first anniversary of the implementation of the Family Law (Moudawana), a law that put an end to nearly fifty years of discrimination against women who, under the former Moudawana, was a family member under the tutorship of man."

The Family law, which promotes equality between men and women, is an important legal asset in human rights, pointed out "Al Ittihad Al Ichtiraki" in an article titled "a rose and a bouquet of rights." The paper believes, on the other hand, that the feminist struggle has contributed to the development of militancy in Morocco, insisting that this process can only persevere through the promotion of further rights in the country.

Thanks to their persevering struggle, Moroccan women have set an example in the Arab and Islamic world, underlined "Al Bayane" newspaper, which also highlighted the crucial role of HM King Mohammed VI to push for reforms in favor of women. Several newspapers agree that the Moroccan sovereign has played a key role in the progress of women rights in the country, noting that without the royal resolve this issue would be still lingering.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box3/further_reforms_need/view
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Better aware of their rights, women are more apt to enjoy them.
Politics, 3/7/2005

If the rights of Moroccan women have experienced significant evolutions, it remains nevertheless true that better awareness of these rights make women more apt to exercise them. The new family code enacted by Morocco one year ago comes to mirror the values of justice in the Moroccan society model. As the world is marking the women's day, Morocco is celebrating one year of the enactment of the new family code which is a crucial tool in achieving the bold democratic choice that Morocco has opted for and meeting the aspirations of women and also of men who believe in gender equality both in rights and duties.

These reforms are all the more made necessary by the socio-economic evolution in Morocco and the Moroccan civil society is geared to having the role of women fully recognized as central in the country's development. It was at the initiative of King Mohammed VI that major reforms where introduced to the old law. Indeed, the sovereign had made it clear that a society cannot move forward when half of its members is lagging behind and denied the most basic rights guaranteed by Islam and the Koran. Actually, the new text puts the family under the joint responsibility of the two spouses, raises the minimum marriage age to 18 for both men and women, sets stringent conditions that make polygamy almost impossible and also provides for other key provisions that cater for the rights of children after the parents divorce.

Efforts have been made by the Moroccan society for this landmark gain that places a harmonious and strong family at the core of a developed society. Today, 33% of Moroccan women are active, 22% are supporting their families and increasingly high number are having access to top positions. Their strong presence is also noticed in education, and health (24%), as attorneys and dentists (30%) as well as in private enterprises where 6,000 women are managers and in the public service where one third of employees are women. While the Moroccan government includes only two women and the parliament three women, political parties have agreed that 30 women will sit in the coming legislature. However, despite this impressive headway, there is still the need for a considerable effort of education, particularly as regards girls schooling and as regards innovative curricula that disseminate new principles since law, alone, cannot trigger the changes that the new family law seeks to introduce http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050307/2005030728.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Better aware of their rights, women are more apt to enjoy them.
Rabat, Mar.07

Actually, the new text puts the family under the joint responsibility of the two spouses, raises the minimum marriage age to 18 for both men and women, sets stringent conditions that make polygamy almost impossible and also provides for other key provisions that cater for the rights of children after the parents divorce. Efforts have been made by the Moroccan society for this landmark gain that places a harmonious and strong family at the core of a developed society.

Today, 33% of Moroccan women are active, 22% are supporting their families and increasingly high number are having access to top positions. Their strong presence is also noticed in education, and health (24%), as attorneys and dentists (30%) as well as in private enterprises where 6,000 women are managers and in the public service where one third of employees are women. While the Moroccan government includes only two women and the parliament three women, political parties have agreed that 30 women will sit in the coming legislature. However, despite this impressive headway, there is still the need for a considerable effort of education, particularly as regards girls schooling and as regards innovative curricula that disseminate new principles since law, alone, cannot trigger the changes that the new family law seeks to introduce.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/better_aware_of_thei_1/view
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hillary Clinton lauds Morocco's achievements in women's rights.
WASHINGTON, Mar. 11

US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton praised the new family code enacted in Morocco last year saying "Morocco recently instituted new family law that gives women equal rights to make decisions about marriage, divorce, custody and alimony". The new law stipulates that both spouses are responsible for the family and lift the requirement for wives to obey their husband. It also raises legal minimum age for women to marry from 15 to 18 and enables women to seek divorce in the same manner as husbands, institutes divorce by mutual consent, whereas the former Mudawana allowed men to divorce by uttering a repudiation formula, without any court intervention. Likewise, polygamy was not outlawed but subjected to stringent conditions that makes it almost impossible.

Speaking at a public forum held in New York in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, New York Democrat senator said freedom and prosperity of nations are closely linked to the "legal protections and rights for women", asserting, by the same token, that "a nation cannot advance into the 21st century, into the Information Age, without educated, literate women." "Women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights" said America's former first lady, calling for governments to promote and protect women's rights unequivocally. Stronger, healthier and productive women, she concluded, are the key to building stronger, more peaceful societies.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/hillary_clinton_laud/view
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Condition of Moroccan women exposed at forum hosted by US first lady.
WASHINGTON, Mar. 10

The Moroccan experience in the promotion of women's rights was exposed Wednesday in a State Department forum hosted by America's first lady, Laura Bush. Women from 15 countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa were in Washington for the forum to discuss women's rights in the Muslim world and evoke their countries' experiences. The forum, that was marking Women's International Day, was attended by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and women political leaders.

Asmaa Chaâbi, president of the Municipal Council of Essaouira (southern Atlantic city), highlighted at the forum the different steps made by Moroccan women to become an active actor in Morocco's development process. She said efforts are still ongoing to further promote women's role as a main partner in building a modern and democratic society. Chaâbi also highlighted Moroccan women's participation in the country's economic, political and social development, as well as their contribution in the peace-making process and politics.

A special focus was made on the Family Law (Moudawana) approved by the Moroccan parliament in January 2004 to promote the rights of women in the society. The Law was considered an important breakthrough in the democratic process in Morocco as it granted more rights to women and made them equals in rights and duties to men. Many participants considered that Morocco should serve as example to other Arab and Moslem countries in the promotion of women's rights, Chaâbi told MAP. On the fringes of the forum, the Moroccan official informed the first lady and the Secretary of State, during private talks, on the rights advances achieved in favor of Moroccan women.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/condition_of_morocca/view
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco: A model of women rights in the Arab world, meeting.
NEW YORK, Mar. 8

The promotion of women rights through the adoption of a new Family Code in Morocco was discussed at a round table organized by the American Council on Foreign Relations, on "Morocco as a model for the Arab world." Fouzia Rhissassi, holder of the UNESCO chair on Women's Rights in Morocco, and Abdeslam Maghraoui, specialist of the Islamic world in the United States Institute of Peace, who conducted this meeting, shed light on the achievements of Morocco in promoting equity between the two sexes and enhancing democracy.

Rhissassi, for whom the adoption of the New Family Code is a "revolution at many a level", pointed out that, at this stage, the government explores with the civil society means to better implement the new law, particularly through rising the awareness of the youth on equity and training judges. Maghraoui argued that the new family code is a token of a positive change, just like the experience of the Justice and Reconciliation Commission (IER), and the open debate on the issue of the Amazigh culture.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco__a_model_of/view
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FTA with Morocco promoted in business conferences in U.S.
MCLEAN, Va., March 8

The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the Government of Morocco announced on Monday they are conducting a series of business conferences during the week of April 4, 2005 promoting the benefits of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries, which was ratified by the U.S. Congress and signed by President George W. Bush last year. The business conferences, which will be held in Chicago (April 4), Austin (April 6), and Atlanta (April 8), will provide detailed information about the FTA, as well as, the business climate in Morocco for increased business ties between the U.S. and Moroccan economies, according to Advanse International.

Session speakers include officials from the U.S. Trade Representative, Location Management Services, and a number of U.S. companies already conducting trading activities in Morocco. In addition, the Government of Morocco, which negotiated a FTA with the European Union, will describe the advantages of this agreement for U.S. companies. Morocco is only one of four countries having an FTA with both the U.S. and European Union (Mexico, Israel, and Jordan are the other three). "The U.S. and Morocco have had a relationship for over 200 years when Morocco was among the first foreign governments to officially recognize our country's existence. It's only fitting that we aggressively promote the business opportunities that exist for U.S. companies as a result of this FTA between our two countries, especially when you consider that Morocco is not only a potential market, but a gateway to the entire region," stated Carl Kress, Regional Director and Senior Advisor to the Director of the USTDA.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_politics/fta_with_morocco_pro6799/view
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Poor competitiveness, major factor of Morocco's trade deficit, exporters.
Economics, 3/11/2005

Poor competitiveness of the Moroccan enterprises, low offer of exportable goods, competition of international markets, and absence of outreaching are among the factors behind Morocco's trade deficit, said chairman of the Moroccan exports association (ASMEX), Abdellatif Bel Madani. The ASMEX chairman proposed to adopt a new exports promotion strategy and diversify exportable offer and outlets, in order to boost exports which hardly progressed by 2% in 2004, compared to a 14% growth of imports.

Bel Madani further called in an interview with "Le Reporter" weekly for promoting exports and levelling down all production factors costs, and urged the government to put an end to unfair competition practiced by some mass imports, lift all excessive costs associated with monopolies, support export-companies and improve incentives extended to exports consortiums. Morocco's trade deficit worsened in 2004 by 34% as a result of an increase in imports (14%) and a slow progression of exports (2%).
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050311/2005031129.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Only technical problems hinder generalization of Berber teaching, institute chairman.
RABAT, Mar.10

Only technical difficulties are hindering the Berber language teaching in all Moroccan schools, said chairman of the Royal Institute for the Amazigh culture, Ahmed Boukous, brushing aside allegation on poor will from the education department. Boukous stressed in an interview published Thursday by "Liberation" daily that only technical problems related to school manuals and the training teachers and inspectors, dismissing allegations that the national education department is showing poor will. He explained that poor coordination with the company in charge of printing the material and with various regional academies are behind the problems encountered in the two last years.

After recalling the convention signed by the institute and the communication ministry, he insisted that the Institute is granting utmost importance to the audio-visual sector which, he contended, reaches a large portion of the population and allows to bring awareness to the Amazigh culture. The media should allocate a decent place to the Amazigh language, we will no longer accept folklore broadcasts, he went on. The Amazigh language is presently taught in 350 schools at a pace of three hours per week by 800 teachers to some 25,000 children, said Boukous who argued that cultural rights claims are a global phenomenon resulting from the tide of uniform, single and standardizing model.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_culture/only_technical_probl/view
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Amazigh culture, source of national pride, festival.
FEZ (central Morocco), Mar. 11

The culture of Amazigh, a Berber language spoken by some 60 per cent of the nearly 30 million population in Morocco, is a "source of national pride", according to participants in the opening, here Thursday, of a three-day festival devoted to this culture. Participants were unanimous to say that this cultural event, held under the high patronage of HM King Mohammed VI, is an opportunity to assert that the Amazigh culture is part and parcel of the Moroccan culture, and a source of national pride, affirming that diversity has always been the token of Morocco's identity. Government members, who attended the opening session, described as a "historic turning point" this festival as it evidences the Moroccan cultural diversity and will certainly give a new impetus to the country's efforts to further promote the Amazigh culture and language.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/amazigh_culture_sou/view
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some 714 fires in Morocco in 2004.
RABAT, Mar.10

There were in 2004 some 714 fires in Morocco that destroyed 8,660 hectares, said, on Wednesday, the High Commissioner for water and forests and desertification control, Abdeladim Lhafi. The areas affected by fires account for only 0.09pc of the total area of forests, that is this the lowest percentage in the Mediterranean basin where 2pc of forests in Portugal, for example, are destroyed annually because of fires, he explained in a statement to MAP following an exposé he made before a committee of the House of Representatives. According to Lhafi, 163 million Dhs (around US $19.1 million) will be allocated for fighting fires in Morocco in 2005, that is three times more than the budget of 2004. He said his department will undertake new measures to reinforce the fight against fires. Forests in Morocco extend in an area of 9 million hectares, that is 8 percent of the national territory.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/general/some_714_fires_in_mo/view
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sensitizing campaign against rubber checks.
RABAT, Mar.07

A campaign was launched, here Monday, to promote awareness about the negative impact of rubber checks on the national economy, and their undermining effect on confidence between economic operators. Participants in a meeting held by banking, trade and justice high ranking officers were unanimous on the need to restore credibility to check payments, especially that the use of checks, according to the governor of Bank Al Maghrib, Abdellatif Jouahri, reached a global amount of MAD 509.3 billion (MAD 1 = Euro 0.1) in 2004.

Justice minister, Mohamed Bouzoubaa, said it is necessary "to find adequate mechanisms to prevent this crime without affecting trade exchanges", stating that law alone cannot ward off this phenomenon, hence the necessity to set stringent criteria for granting check books. Since the implementation of the Commerce Code in 1997, warned president of the professional grouping of Moroccan banks (GPBM), Othman Benjelloun, 2 million rubber checks were issued, representing a value of MAD 27 billion.

Benjelloun suggested to introduce in the law the possibility of banning offenders from bank services, not only from the use of check books. Speaking on behalf of the Trade ministry, Hilia Bousselham, pleaded for the organization of campaigns among traders and economic operators to promote awareness about the adequate use of checks. This meeting will be followed by similar events scheduled up to June 18, in several Moroccan cities.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/sensitizing_campaign4717/view
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

408,484 tourists visited Morocco in January.
RABAT, Mar.11

Number of foreign tourists who visited Morocco in January 2005 increased 13pc to 408,484 compared to January 2004, Tourism Ministry statistics showed. The ministry said that Guest nights totalled 989,077 in January 2005, i.e an increase of 18pc compared to January 2004. This variation was due to an increase of the number of tourists emanating from traditional markets notably Occidental Europe. France topped the list of countries sending the highest number of tourists to the kingdom (85,613 or an increase of 28pc) followed by Spain (49,225 or +136 pc), Germany (10.948 or +8pc), Britain (9.782 or +13 pc), Italia (9,470 or +31pc) and Belgium (8,927 or +60 pc). American and domestic guests decreased in January 2005 respectively by -9pc and 5pc. Visitors from Middle-East and Maghreb recorded respectively 6,403 visitors (+11 pc) and 5,693 visitors (+24 pc). According to Tourism ministry, guest nights increase is part of the continuous progress posted in 2004 which ended up with an increase of 16pc, i.e 5.5 million tourists.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/408484_tourists_vis/view
#########################################################

These postings are provided without permission of the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the identified copyright owner. The poster does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the message, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Return to Friends of Morocco Home Page