Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
February 18 , 2006

NY: American NGO presents Moroccan culture.
Princess Lalla Hasnaa chairs signing ceremony of convention to protect Marrakech palm grove.
Two thirds of Moroccan poor are from rural areas.
WB set to back INDH project.
Environment protection foundation strives to cut down car polluting emissions, Princess.
Morocco's newspapers circulation rate is 13 copies per 1,000 inhabitants.

NY: American NGO presents Moroccan culture.

The event, held Thursday in New York, aimed at celebrating peace and fraternity. It was attended by eminent personalities from different fields, including members of the Moroccan consulate in New York. The Moroccan stand presented traditional plates, in addition to a model wedding party. The stand was decorated by Moroccan traditional crafts. An auction sale was organised during the activity to collect funds for the NGO. It concerned a package offered by the Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc and a travel agency. The package consisted of a return ticket New York-Casablanca, with a six-night stay in one of the best hotels of Fes.

Seeds of Peace was founded in 1993. It aims at empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence. It is active in many areas in the world, including the Middle East, where it brings together Arab and Israeli young people to promote mutual understanding and respect. The Moroccan culture has been the host of a cultural activity entitled "A Journey Through the Peace Market", organised by the American NGO "Seeds of Peace", MAP news agency reported.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/News/article.asp?id=12957 
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Princess Lalla Hasnaa chairs signing ceremony of convention to protect Marrakech palm grove.
Rabat, Feb. 18 

Princess Lalla Hasnaa (younger sister of king Mohammed VI) chaired, here Friday, the signing ceremony of a partnership convention to protect the palm grove of Marrakech (321km south of Rabat). Signed between the "Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment" and several partners, the convention aims to extend the city's palm grove and reinforce its density through planting 300,000 new palm trees and developing the existing palm trees by modern agricultural techniques.

Classified historical patrimony in the early 20th century, Marrakech palm grove, which extends on 3,000ha, is subjected to degradation due to drought, demographic growth and urbanization. To sensitize the youth on the importance of palm groves and related environmental issues, princess Lalla Hasnaa called for the creation of an oases eco-museum.

The convention was signed at the 2006 administrative council of the "Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment", which looked into the foundation's current programs, namely "Clean Beaches", "Environmental Education", "Qualitair" and "Marrakech Palm Grove Protection and Development" programs, said a communiqué of the Foundation. After inquiring about the ongoing programs, the princess suggested to launch two new programs in 2006, namely "Eco-Schools" and "green Key" programs.
The first program will grant a label to primary schools, students, teachers or local associations working on a project about water, energy and trash themes, while the second supports the government's tourism vision through granting a label to the tourism hosting units that meet the specific criteria.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_social/princess_lalla_hasna/view 
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Two thirds of Moroccan poor are from rural areas.
Rabat, Feb. 15 

"Two thirds of the poor in Morocco are from the rural area," revealed, here Wednesday, Moroccan Secretary of State in charge of Rural Development, Mohamed Mohattane. Speaking at a meeting on "sustainable development, environment and poverty in Morocco," Mohattane noted that "one out of four persons is poor in urban areas." Rural poverty is due to natural and structural problems that hinder the development of this area.

For his part, Mohamed Douidich from the High Commissioner of Planning said poverty rate in Morocco is estimated at 14.2% at the national level according to the population census of 2004. He said poverty rate in rural areas is estimated at 22%, while it is 7.9% in urban areas, pointing out that rural poverty shows through social conditions and human development indicators.
To fight social poverty in rural areas, Douidich stressed the importance of providing the necessary infrastructures and equipments.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/two_thirds_of_morocc/view 
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WB set to back INDH project.
Rabat, Feb. 14 

A World bank (WB) delegation is currently in Morocco to inquire about means to back the Moroccan National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), launched past May by king Mohammed VI to fight poverty and social exclusion. Cécile Fruman, in charge of INDH program in the World Bank, said in a meeting held, here Tuesday, with INDH steering committee, that WB has committed to facilitating the implementation of INDH through financial and technical assistance. The large-scale, social initiative is designed to provide basic infrastructure to millions, from adequate housing and drinking water to health care and education.

The meeting, initiated by WB Rabat office, aims to identify INDH projects which can benefit from World bank assistance. The workshop, chaired by Moroccan secretary of state in charge of Rural development, Mohamed Mohattane, was an occasion to "assess the present situation and the advancement" of the royal move launched past may. It also aimed, Mohattane went on to say, to define collaboration modalities with WB 
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/wb_set_to_back_indh/view 
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Environment protection foundation strives to cut down car polluting emissions, Princess.
Mohammedia, Feb. 15 

Princess Lalla Hasna, chairwoman of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, said the organisation took several actions, since its establishment in 2002, to fight pollution, notably car gas emissions. The Princess, who chaired on Tuesday in the town of Mohammedia, 60 km south of Rabat, the kicking off of the second stage of the Qualit'Air program, said studies found most of the air pollution is caused by old cars' emissions that in turn cause respiratory health hazards. To remedy this problem, the Foundation has made several actions, including the improvement of fuel quality, the training of control personnel and gas stations staff, the control of vehicles and the raising of awareness among the population to use new types of fuel, she said.

The Qualit'Air program, said Princesse Lalla Hasna, aims at introducing clean energy in the Moroccan market, equipping car technical checking centers with pollution measuring material and banning the purchase of old buses by urban transport companies.
The program also provides for training of pollution control staff of relevant departments, writing documents to raise the awareness of pollution dangers among vehicle drivers, pumping stations and civil society associations. The Moroccan program has been implemented in line with the World Bank "Clean Air Initiative" and part of the move to cut down urban transport pollutants emissions in the Maghreb region.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/general/environment_protecti/view 
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Morocco's newspapers circulation rate is 13 copies per 1,000 inhabitants.
Casablanca, Feb. 16

Morocco's newspapers circulation rate is 13 copies per 1,000 inhabitants, revealed, here Wednesday, Latifa Akherbach, Director of the Rabat-based Higher Institute of Information and Communication (ISIC). Speaking at a round table on the Maghreb Arab media, she noted that the circulation of newspapers in Morocco decreased from 300,000 to 250,000 in 2005, stressing that the Moroccan newspapers circulation is "weak" compared to some Maghreb countries. Arab-speaking newspapers represent 60% of the sales, but benefit only of 30% of the advertisements ran through the media, she pointed out. The average newspapers circulation rate is 55 copies per 1,000 inhabitants in Arab countries and 285 copies per 1,000 inhabitants in France.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box3/morocco_s_newspapers/view 
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