FOM Newsletter September 2002
Morocco Week in Review September 28 2002 

President Bush Considers Morocco Priority Country in free Trade Negotiations.
World Bank Lends Morocco US$ 4 Million to Support Adult Literacy  
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce on Official Visit to Morocco
Morocco, US Discuss Free Trade Zone
Japan grants Marrakesh opera $ 400,000
Morocco Begins to Work on New Public Health Policy.
Agriculture Doukkala Farmers Produce Highest Yields of Sugar Beet in Morocco, Surpass EU Standard
WOMEN NOT SATISFIED WITH EQUALITY DECISION.
Voters' Demographic, Social Profile
Morocco for making cinema a plus value sector
Japan's Isao Ykisada Wins "Gold Star" at Marrakesh Film Festival
Moroccan Finance Group Sets up US$ 100 million Fund to Support Motion Picture

President Bush Considers Morocco Priority Country in free Trade Negotiations.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 - U.S. President George W. Bush Considers Morocco a priority country in the negotiations the USA is conducting with other nations for the conclusion of free trade accords. This came in a document by Bush on his administration's new strategy in matters of security and commerce in the world, submitted to the Congress. The U.S. President renewed his determination to endeavor for the conclusion this year of the accords with Chile and Singapore, with whom negotiations are already under way.  Touching on his administration's objective to conclude similar accords with a number of developed and developing countries, Bush said "attention will be given in a first stage to central America, South Africa, Morocco and Australia."  The two chambers of the U.S. congress had adopted a law last August investing the President with growing powers in matters of international trade accords negotiations.  A new ad-hoc committee of the congress held a first meeting last week. Robert Zoellick, U.S. representative for external trade, had said after a first meeting with the committee members that he intends to inform shortly the congress on his department's intention to start negotiations with Morocco and the other countries concerned. Morocco and the USA had announced intention to launch discussions on a free trade accord last April during an official visit H.M. King Mohammed VI paid to the U.S. The project is backed by several American officials, including Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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World Bank Lends Morocco US$ 4 Million to Support Adult Literacy  

WASHINGTON, Sept.27 - The World Bank on Thursday approved a US$ 4 million Learning and Innovation loan to support the government's efforts in boosting adult literacy in communities and workplaces. The world Banks says in a release the new initiative will test new approaches to literacy learning and program management, which if proven effective will enable the government to implement nationwide programs that result in lasting literacy outcomes. The Moroccan government has set a target to halve adult illiteracy by 2010.  The government has been offering since 1995 four literacy programs which have enrolled more than one million adults aged 16 and above. Two of the programs are provided through government agencies, one in cooperation with the private sector and one in partnership with non-governmental organizations.  The new Learning and Innovation loan will concentrate support on the NGO program where enrollment is the highest and that addresses the needs of the poorest population, particularly women and girls in rural areas, the WB says. It falls in line with the World Bank's country assistance strategy for Morocco which focuses on alleviating poverty, especially in rural areas, through policies that support human development.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce on Official Visit to Morocco to Promote Trade, Economic Relations

Rabat, Sept.25 - U.S. Commerce Deputy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman will pay a visit to Morocco September 26-28, as part of a regional tour to Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, a press release by the US embassy in Rabat said.  This visit follows the passage of Trade Promotion Authority, and is in response to each country's expressed interest in stronger economic and commercial ties with the United States.  Bodman will meet with senior government officials, and U.S and local business communities, to learn about Morocco's economic reform programs, and to promote the creation of new bilateral trade and investment opportunities between U.S. and regional businesses. Deputy Secretary Bodman's visit demonstrates the commitment of the Bush Administration to a strong partnership in trade and investment with Morocco.  His visit recognizes the significant political and economic reforms undertaken, and reflects U.S. support for a successful partnership between the American and local business communities in Morocco, the release said.

RABAT, Sep.27 - US commerce deputy-secretary, Samuel Bodman, held here on Thursday talks with Moroccan officials over the projected free trade zone between the two countries. Bodman met Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi and economy, finance, privatization and tourism, Fathallah Oulaalou.  Talks covered the Morocco-US FTZ and efforts made to foster trade and cooperation ties between the two countries, the Prime Minister's office said in a release.  Bodman hailed the important economic reforms undertaken in Morocco, as a good impetus to investments. Oulaalou and Bodman said the free trade agreement between Morocco and the US will offer "important opportunities" to the two countries' peoples. The American official said his country's government "encourages" the economic reforms adopted in Morocco, which has become a major destination of foreign investors. "We are grateful to Morocco for its genuine friendship and we want to pay homage to its officials for the courage to strike this free trade deal with the US, he said, adding that the two countries are working to make it succeed."

WASHINGTON, Sept.27 - The World Bank on Thursday approved a US$ 4 million Learning and Innovation loan to support the government's efforts in boosting adult literacy in communities and workplaces. The world Banks says in a release the new initiative will test new approaches to literacy learning and program management, which if proven effective will enable the government to implement nationwide programs that result in lasting literacy outcomes. The Moroccan government has set a target to halve adult illiteracy by 2010. The government has been offering since 1995 four literacy programs which have enrolled more than one million adults aged 16 and above. Two of the programs are provided through government agencies, one in cooperation with the private sector and one in partnership with non-governmental organizations. The new Learning and Innovation loan will concentrate support on the NGO program where enrollment is the highest and that addresses the needs of the poorest population, particularly women and girls in rural areas, the WB says. It falls in line with the World Bank's country assistance strategy for Morocco which focuses on alleviating poverty, especially in rural areas, through policies that support human development.

Japan granted the Opera of Marrakesh a 4 million Dirham (US$ 400,000) donation for equipment including sound and light, the Japanese embassy in Morocco said in a release Friday. The donation, part of the Morocco-Japan cooperation, will be handed Monday by the Japanese ambassador to the local authorities in Marrakesh. The Arab-Roman styled opera has an outdoor theatre with a 1200-seat accommodation.

Some 300,000 Moroccans suffer from Hepatitis C. According to WebMD, hepatitis C is a blood-borne infection from which as many as 70% of the patients can develop liver disease. "Hepatitis C is one of five currently identified viruses --hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E -- all of which can attack and damage the liver. Widely viewed as one of the most serious of the five hepatitis (A, B, C, D, and E), hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread primarily through contact with infected blood and can cause cirrhosis (irreversible and potentially fatal liver scarring), liver cancer, or liver failure." In Morocco, the disease is less efficiently treated than in many other regions throughout the world since only 15% of the population enjoy some medical coverage that provides them with proper diagnosis and treatment. But for the overwhelming population, the cost of treating hepatitis C is considerable and way above the average income. The actual cost varies from DH 80,000 and DH 220,000. But things are changing and a transformation in Morocco public health policy is in progress. Aware of the consequences of hepatitis C as a major social and economic problem, the Moroccan government has been working to refine its response to the issue and to improve its policy. Increased govern ent awareness has led to the State Epidemiology division (Direction de l'Epidémilologie) to design a program that will function as the nation's policy response to the disease. The division is working with Basel, Switzerland-based Roche, one of the world largest pharmaceutical and healthcare groups. Essentially, the program calls for more government involvement since patients will be treated by a Roche-designed treatment program.

The program does not focus only on treatment of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, but more importantly it incorporates early tracking mechanisms needed to prevent more cases. An improvement of Morocco's epidemiological monitoring system is considered by the profession as a critical step and specialists say such step can be successful if the treatment of hospital waste is performed efficiently. Practitioners say the utilization of single use items and material, the strengthening of Hepatitis C inoculation programs, and making the reporting of Hepatitis C cases to the epidemiology division as mandatory are all necessary steps to a successful program. To begin implementing its program, the epidemiology division is counting on the collaboration of the medical community. The division has begun a process of obtaining input from epidemiologists across the country on issues of prevention and treatment and to steer them toward including early tracking in a more systemic manner. The division is currently working on establishing guidelines and an information brochure focusing on hygiene. The division is also stepping up its efforts to educate the health care community on topics such as the proper handling of drug addicts and on issues of HIV prevention. To assure the success of its program, the Moroccan government enlisted the help of the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche. Roche and the Moroccan health ministry signed an agreement on May 31, 2002 to that end, and the company quickly equipped 5 laboratories with the necessary diagnosis systems. The labs are based in Rabat, Casablanca, Fez, Tangiers and Marrakech. The program could expand to other regions, if required but for now, the existing five labs are expected to run diagnoses on one million Moroccans by 2003. The tests are free of charge to the patients.

 The program allows each medical doctor to dispatch patients to the nearest lab. Individuals could also deal directly with the labs for a general check-up without doctor intervention. To handle patients found carrying hepatitis C, Roche would supply its drug treatment known Rabivarine.  Rabivarine can be used as a single drug or in combination with Interferon, which, according to practitioners has a better outcome. Roche is said to be prepared to supply Rabivarine to 12 health centers spread across the country.

This change of strategy is indeed an improvement of Morocco's overall public healthcare policy. The first beneficiaries will be the 1.5% of the population who suffers from the disease. But this program will also be used as a benchmark to a broader policy review and in an effort to address other areas in the sector. Indeed Morocco needs to catch up with the world on human development issues and healthcare. The country's human development indicators are often behind those of many of its neighbors and as the country links its economy to that of the EU, social improvements are required. It is, therefore, important that this program leads to a positive outcome. For the corporate sector, the Roche case is also being monitored and will ultimately lead to similar agreements where the public and private sectors work hand-in-hand to solve important public health problems.

Agriculture Doukkala Farmers Produce Highest Yields of Sugar Beet in Morocco, Surpass EU Standard

Agricultural specialists involved in the sugar beat sector in the Doukkala region in Morocco say the yield from the introduction of this product in the region in the 1970s to the 2000-2001 harvest season has more than doubled. Output reached 65 tons per hectare in 2000-20001 against 30 tons in the 1970s.In the Doukkala region, output per hectare is 30% above all other producing regions in Morocco and 20% above the average 15 members of the European Union.Production of pure sugar in Doukkala amounts to 11.1 tons per hectare versus 8.7 tons in the EU. Doukkala generates 38% of Morocco's production of sugar beat and 33% of domestic pure sugar production.

decision to promote women's representation in the future parliament as a "poisonous present." Ayouch says the move is aimed at attempting to falsely present Morocco to the world as a country respecting human rights and particularly women's rights. "If it proves that the authorities are only seeking to use women as a facade, this would be fatal for the democratic transition Morocco is going through," says Rhioui.  According to Akherbach, increasing the number of parliamentary seats for women "is not and should not be the end of the path of struggle women have been staging to gain full citizenship." She says the move does not fulfill all women's expectations, adding that other gender issues such as women's social emancipation and economic and educational rights remain pending." Nezha Chekrouni, the sole woman sitting in the outgoing 40-member coalition government, blames the low representation of females in the Moroccan decision-making centers to economic and cultural problems, which she says hinder the entry of women into the political arena. She cites in this connection rampant illiteracy, poverty and unemployment amongst women. Nearly 70 percent of Moroccan women are illiterate against 30 per cent of males. Unemployment among females is high. Less than one percent of working women head an enterprise. Although females account for 33 percent of the working population, only five percent of them are employers. Many activists fear the talk about women's conditions is being used for mere electioneering purposes. "As this week's elections are presented by the authorities as a decisive turning point in Morocco's transition, these same authorities have to mark a new start to end an unfair situation and give women reason to hope for a better tomorrow," says one activist.

RABAT, Sept. 27 - Over a total of 14,023,604 people officially registered on polling rolls valid for this Friday's elections, 40 percent are women (6,877,900) and the remaining 51 percent are males (7,145,703). By age break-down, 25 percent of the voters are aged 20 to 30, 27 percent are aged 31 to 40, 21 percent are are aged 41 to 50 years and 27 percent are over 50 year old.  According to academic qualification, 61 percent of voters have no academic training, 16 percent have primary level, 15 percent secondary level and only 7 percent have a high diploma. Some 6,052,519 of voters are jobless, 1,758,598 are farmers, 1,050,783 work in handicraft, 594,878 are private sector wage-earners and 510,474 are tradesmen, 69,933 have liberal jobs, 3,370,511 have different jobs. A total of 5,865 candidates, grouped in 1,774 lists presented by 26 political parties and five lists of independent candidates, are vying for the 325 seats in the House of Representatives. Out of this number, 266 female candidates are running for 30 seats reserved to women in the future house.

There is a real political will in Morocco to make of cinema a plus value sector, said adviser to king Mohammed VI, Andre Azoulay, at a colloquy held on the sidelines of the Marrakesh Film Festival (FIFM) under the theme "cinema between creation and industry." Azoulay, assistant vice-president of the FIFM foundation, said "there is in Morocco a great cinema project, initiated by the state's highest authority," which is evidenced, he said, by the set up by King Mohammed VI of the FIFM foundation, and naming at its head Prince Moulay Rachid.  Morocco is currently liberalizing the audiovisual sector and image-related enterprises in the framework of a partnership between the public and private sectors, Azoulay said, adding that constant efforts are made to reach a partnership between the different parties involved in cinema industry. Participants in the colloquy said the lack of funding and structures hampers the development of a genuine film-making production in developing countries. They stressed the need to set up an audiovisual strategy that takes into consideration the stakes of the cinema industry and contributes to its development. The meeting also touched on film piracy, an obstacle to the development of cinema, agreeing that eradicating it should be part of the reform.

MARRAKESH, Sep.23 - Japan's Isao Ykisada won the "Gold Star" of the Marrakesh Film Festival for his movie "Go". The Marrakesh international Film Festival which downed curtains Sunday evening by the prize awarding ceremony that was chaired by French actress Jeanne Moreau awarded the Jury's Special Prize to Gurinder Chadha (Britain) for "Bent it like Beckham". Palestinian Clara Khoury received the best actress prize for her role in "Mariage de Rana". Yusikhe Kebozuka was made best male actor for his role in "Go".  Brazil's Fernando Mereilles obtained the festival's staging prize for his "Cité des Dieux" The script prize went to Bangladesh's Tareque Masud for "L'Oiseau d'Argile" In the short movies contest, "Chiffons" of Philippine's Romon Mes De Guzman won the Gold Star and "Malkom" of Baker Karim (Sweden), bagged the Jury's Special Prize.  Head of the festival's jury, French actress Jeanne Moreau said with deep emotion how she appreciated being in Marrakesh and how she had been "conquered" by the event.  "The star of Marrakesh will always guide our steps to where we should head... on the right path," said the French charismatic star. Among the so many festivals she attended throughout her career, Jeanne Moreau said Marrakesh will remain a unique and unforgettable experience. For Palestine's film-maker, Hany Abu Assad, the festival was a space of dialogue and overture onto the other. Abu Assad, who received the best actress prize on behalf of Clara Khoury, deplored that fifty years after the death of six million Jews in Nazi camps in Europe, Palestinians are today forced to pay the price of a crime they never committed." The festival paid homage to cinema icons, US Francis Ford Coppola and David Lynch, who were decorated by H.M. King Mohammed VI.

Chairman of Moroccan Finance.Com and BMCE Bank, Othmane Benjelloune, announced the creation of a US$ 100 million fund to support the cinema industry in Morocco.  The fund, meant to promote cinema and audio-visual production in Morocco, will be created in partnership with Moroccan and foreign investors, says a statement of BMCE bank.  The decision was announced in Marrakesh on the sidelines of a conference on problems of financing cinema and audio-visual projects in Morocco, held part of events featured during the international film festival of Marrakesh (Sept18-Sept.22). "As a member of the economic and financial community, I should bring my contribution to the edifice and raise national and international financial resources for a quality cinema and audio-visual creation in our country," said Benjelloun.

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