FOM Newsletter January 2004
Morocco Week in Review 
January  23 2004

Access to AIDS treatment in being generalized in Morocco, doctor
Life expectancy rose from 48 in 60s to 70 years now in Morocco, Minister
Morocco-US FTA: negotiations to last until final agreement on all issues, Minister
Morocco approves new family code.
Morocco boosts women's rights Husbands told wives are equals
Morocco targets cannabis but production soars.
Morocco opens world futures market to operators Morocco acts to avert mosque collapse.
New Family Code, one of Morocco's Biggest Challenges, Minister
Morocco-US FTA to be submitted to Congress This Year, chief US negotiator
Morocco says 2003 CPI-pegged inflation at 1.2 pct
Morocco bread strike hits homes
Piracy shuts down fourteen Moroccan movie theaters in 2003
Islamic Bank contributed up to US$ 2 billion to development projects in Morocco (official)
Projects in Afghanistan, Egypt and Morocco Supported by Microsoft Unlimited Potential
MOROCCO UPDATE: HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

Access to AIDS treatment in being generalized in Morocco, doctor
Morocco, Health, 1/21/2004

Access to AIDS treatment is being generalized in Morocco where every patient is costing taxpayers 200 Euros per day while it should cost only 250 EUROS per year, should the price of the drugs fall worldwide, revealed Monday, Pr. Hakima Himmich, chairwoman of the Moroccan Asociation of Struggle Against AIDS. Doctor Himmich who was taking part in a meeting in Paris, ruled out the argument of some participants who said drugs prices have fallen in the past years.

She denounced the consequences of the globalization and the agreements reached in Doha (Qatar) by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the public health sector citing as example, the health issue in negotiations under way between Morocco and the United States for the conclusion of a free trade accord.

Official figures released last month showed that the number of Moroccans affected by the AIDs Virus had reached 1,295. These figures concern the period between 1986 and 2003, Moroccan health minister, Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah said adding that the number of HIV-positive individuals ranges from 13,000 to 16,000 cases.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040121/2004012126.html
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Life expectancy rose from 48 in 60s to 70 years now in Morocco, Minister
Morocco, Health, 1/22/2004

Moroccan Health Minister, Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah revealed Tuesday, that life expectancy in Morocco rose from 48 in the sixties to 70 years old now, due to the progress achieved by the Kingdom in the health sector. The minister also revealed that infant mortality diminished from 91 deaths for 1,000 births in 1978/1980 to 37 in 1997 and Maternal mortality from 359 for 100,000 births in 1978-84 to 228 in 1992-1997. Biadillah, speaking at a meeting with officials of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), said children and mothers are a "priority" in the policy carried out by Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI.

Biadillah, who is paying a two-day visit to Washington, said the monarch has given a new impetus to this policy by announcing the broad lines of the new Family Code which puts Women on an equal footing with men and protects the children. This code, termed "revolutionary" by the national and international media and welcomed by leaders around the world, has been adopted by the Moroccan House of Representatives (Parliament lower chamber) and is awaiting approval by the House of Advisers (Senate). The minister said the new Code will have an " important impact on the social coherence and in reducing poverty and family dislocation." He also recalled the monarch's particular interest granted to the struggle against AIDS and vaccination.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040122/2004012221.html
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Morocco-US FTA: negotiations to last until final agreement on all issues, Minister
Rabat, Jan. 22

Negotiations under way between Morocco and the United States for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), will last until both parties reach agreements on all sectors, including pharmaceutical drugs and farming, insisted, here Wednesday, Moroccan minister delegate to foreign affairs and cooperation, Taieb Fassi Fihri.

Morocco is eager to establish "balanced, adequate and preferential relations in its negotiations with the United States on the free Trade Agreement. (...) Negotiations on the sector of (pharmaceutical) drugs are still under way as well as on other sectors and will last only after reaching an agreement on all aspects," said the minister who is also Morocco's chief negotiator.

Fassi Fihri was answering a question of MPs during the parliament's question time, amid concerns voiced by various sectors of the Moroccan society on the impact of an FTA on the society, in particular on issues considered as "very sensitive" such as agriculture. Although he shares those concerns, the minister insisted that these negotiations "offer promising perspectives for our products' exports towards American markets and will favor investments."

He added that the negotiation process has known, since its launch in January 2003 until the sixth round held on December in Washington, a tangible progress in the different sectors, including access to markets, customs cooperation, investments, intellectual property and social and environmental issues.  Concerning farming and textile, the minister said negotiations on these two issues have recently entered into a "crucial and advanced stage."

Last week, Assistant US representative for trade and chief negotiator for the Morocco-US free trade agreement, Catherine Novelli, said she was convinced that the FTA will be submitted to Congress this year for approval. Speaking at a meeting organized by the Washington International Trade Association, Novelli voiced hope that talks on the agreement will be over next month.

Talks with Morocco are at an advanced stage in several sectors and after the settlement of some minor details, I think negotiations will be over next month, she said. The FTA with Morocco, first announced in April 2002, will be the second of the kind that the US signs with an Arab country.

This issue was also brought up during the visit, early this month, of Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou to Washington. In a speech at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, Mr. Jettou said that Morocco and the United States were putting the finishing touches on this agreement that could be wrapped up later this month or in early February. He said conclusion of the accord would provide a strong signal of the vitality and permanence of relations between the two nations that extend back to a treaty signed in 1786. "We are in the final phase of negotiations"' Jettou said. "There is the will to reach a conclusion and find a solution to a few remaining difficulties."
© MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco approves new family code.
Saturday 24 January 2004

The Moroccan Senate on Friday unanimously adopted a new family code which puts women on a more equal footing with their husbands.
The code raises the age at which girls can legally marry from 15 to 18 and gives wives "joint responsibility" with their husbands in family matters.
Approval by the Senate means the bill -- which also says polygamy can only be practised under highly restrictive conditions and makes it more difficult for men to divorce their wives -- can now become law. The revised code, which its prime mover King Mohammed VI has stressed is in line with the tenets of Islam, replaces a family code that women's groups accused of making Moroccan women as perpetual minors, under the authority of men. The new code underlines the principle of "equality of rights and duties" within the married couple and abandons the principle of the "wife's obedience to her husband".

Polygamy.  While polygamy is not completely outlawed -- a man may take a second wife as soon as his first wife submits a request for divorce on grounds of "wrongs suffered" -- women will be able to draw up a pre-nuptial agreement that forbids husbands from taking another wife.
"Ruling out polygamy is the principle, its authorisation an exception," Justice Minister Mohammed Buzuba told senators. The code also outlines the concept of divorce by "mutual consent".  It offers a new guarantee for wives, giving them the possibility of drawing up a contract to share out goods acquired during marriage in the case of divorce.  It also offers new rights for the protection of children, notably the right of women's to have custody of their offspring and the right for children born out of wedlock to trace their fathers.
Specialised family courts will oversee the new code.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3565668D-2B39-4CC5-B1BF-EA90F0E81AEA.htm
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Morocco boosts women's rights
Giles Tremlett Wednesday January 21, 2004
The Guardian

Morocco has approved one of the most progressive laws on women's and family rights in the Arab world, which will see polygamy almost completely eradicated from the north African country. Last-ditch attempts by Islamist deputies in the Rabat parliament failed to derail a law which had the backing of King Mohammed VI.  "There are men who, for physical reasons, cannot satisfy themselves with only one wife," one Islamist deputy was reported as arguing during a month of parliamentary debate that ended at the weekend. "In that case they should seek treatment," the religious affairs minister, Ahmed Toufiq, reportedly replied.

The changes to the "mudawana" family code make polygamy acceptable only in rare circumstances, and only with the permission of a judge and a man's first wife. They also raise the age of marriage for girls from 15 to 18 and give wives "joint responsibility" with their husbands in family matters. "This is a crucial stage in the changes Morocco is experiencing at the constitutional, democratic, social and human rights level," the justice minister, Mohammed Bouzoubaa, said.

The change to the family code came nine months after a resurgence of radical Islamist violence, with suicide attacks claiming the lives of 41 people in Casablanca. King Mohammed delayed instituting the reform after Islamists brought hundreds of thousands of people out on to the streets to protest at any change to the mudawana.

Islamists have now accused the king of bowing to pressure from Europe and the US. "These reforms have been elaborated in response to the desires of foreigners and the feminist movement, but not to produce any real change in women's lives," said Nadia Yassin, spokeswoman for Morocco's popular, but illegal, Justice and Charity Islamist movement. Moroccan traditionalists had claimed that, without polygamy, some men might find it difficult to stay with an elderly wife. Critics from the other side pointed out that, with 85% illiteracy among women in rural areas, many would never find out about their new rights.  Observers said that within the Arab world only Tunisian women now enjoyed equal or better rights than their Moroccan counterparts. King Mohammed, whose titles include that of "commander of the faithful", is considered to have religious, as well as political, authority over his subjects.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gender/story/0,11812,1127629,00.html
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Husbands told wives are equals
From correspondents in Rabat January 24, 2004

THE Moroccan Senate today unanimously adopted a new family code which puts women on a more equal footing with their husbands, notably raising the age at which girls can legally marry from 15 to 18 and giving wives "joint responsibility" with their husbands in family matters.

Approval by the Senate means the Bill - which also says polygamy can only be practiced under highly restrictive conditions and makes it more difficult for men to divorce their wives - can now become law. The revised code, which its prime mover King Mohammed VI has stressed is in line with the tenets of Islam, replaces a family code that women's groups said treated Moroccan women as perpetual minors, under the authority of men.

The new code underlines the principle of "equality of rights and duties" within the married couple and abandons the principle of the "wife's obedience to her husband". While polygamy is not completely outlawed - a man may take a second wife as soon as his first wife submits a request for divorce on grounds of "wrongs suffered" - women will be able to draw up a pre-nuptial agreement that forbids husbands from taking another wife. "Ruling out polygamy is the principle, its authorisation an exception," Justice Minister Mohammed Buzuba told senators.

The code also outlines the concept of divorce by "mutual consent". It offers a new guarantee for wives, giving them the possibility of drawing up a contract to share out goods acquired during marriage in the case of divorce. It also offers new rights for the protection of children, notably the right of women to have custody of their offspring and the right for children born out of wedlock to trace their fathers. Specialised family courts will oversee the new code.

King Mohammed VI, 39, has forged a reputation as a moderniser of the monarchy since coming to the throne on July 23, 1999, following the death of his father King Hassan II. He has often come out publicly in favour of giving women an enhanced status in Moroccan society.
His decision to give Selma Bennani, whom he married in March 2002, the title of "royal highness" for the first time in the country's history was, while not "queen", seen as a sign of his desire to grant her a more official role as wife of the head of state. The move was also interpreted as a message of support for Moroccan women in general. All of Morocco's political parties, including the Islamic Justice and Development Party (PJD), welcomed the king's proposals to revise the family code, with some calling it a "revolution".  Morocco's leading Islamist association, Al Adl Wal Ihssane, said the changes to the code brought it closer "to a certain idea of justice within the family".
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8480365%255E1702,00.html
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Morocco targets cannabis but production soars.

The waiter spread the word quickly around the Cafe de la Plage: "Stop rolling, cops are coming!" As the manager switched off the reggae music, customers hurriedly threw cannabis and rolling paper onto the beach in front of the psychedelically painted haunt in the Moroccan capital Rabat.

The plainclothes police who arrived took 30 people with them when they left. All are likely to be charged with possessing drugs.

"They should not be jailing smokers but those who plant cannabis. How can you jail someone for consuming a national product?" said Rachid Moudni, a debt collector visiting the cafe on the day of the raid. Moudni's skepticism mirrors that of many other Moroccans, angry with government targeting users in a country that produces most of Europe's cannabis.

"Police are doing little to break the supply chain that starts with the farmer," said a bank employee also at the cafe, who asked to be identified only as Mohammed.

Not far from the shores of southern Europe, Morocco's Rif area is the world's leading producer of cannabis. Two thirds of the drug circulating in Europe is said to originate from the mountainous northern area, where thousands of hectares are planted almost in the open.

A recent UN-sponsored report said cannabis cultivation in the Rif, which dates back to the 15th century, has spread rapidly over the past two decades from small patches in only two provinces to 134,000 hectares in six provinces. But efforts to target the producers have failed in the face of corruption, poverty and the Rif's isolation from the rest of the country.

In the village of Zoumi, a five-hour bumpy ride 220 km north of Rabat, many farmers have started growing cannabis. "A hundred kilos yield 10,000-20,000 Moroccan dirhams while 100 kilos of wheat will give you only 250 to 300 dirhams," said one farmer, who asked to be identified only as Mustafa. These profit margins have made the drug an attractive investment.

"A link can be established between cannabis production and the relatively weak level of social and economic development of the production region,"
said the UN-backed report. In addition to farmers, the cannabis supply chain employs thousands, from drivers to dealers, in a country where urban unemployment runs to 20 percent and one in five people live below the poverty line. And farmers in Zoumi say authorities also take a cut of the drug cultivation windfall.  "From planting, irrigation, harvest to commercialisation, the farmer pays money to buy their (authorities) silence, otherwise he faces the law," said farmer Ahmed. "Authorities take more than half of the revenues," added Saadia, a farmer in her early 70s. -Reuters
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_20-1-2004_pg10_6
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Morocco opens world futures market to operators
Fri January 16, 2004 10:54 AM ET RABAT, Jan 16 (Reuters)

Morocco's foreign trade regulatory body will allow local operators to hedge on the world futures markets to help them control risks linked to fluctuations of commodity prices and exchange rates. "Economic operators are authorised to hedge on the international market against risks linked to price fluctuation of some agricultural, mining or energy commodities," Office des Changes said in a statement published on its official Web site.
Morocco imports around 35 billion dirhams ($3.96 billion) worth of crude oil, cereals, oilseeds, metals and sugar each year. Private banks will act as intermediaries for local operators, the statement said. "The total amount of hedging operations must not exceed the average import or export turnover of the commodity over the past three years," it added.

A local futures commodities trader said the announcement crowned years of pressure exerted mainly by cereal importers. Some firms, such as gold-and-silver miner Managem , flagship carrier Royal Air Maroc and edible oil firm Lesieur "have been operating in world futures markets in dispensation from the office rules," the trader said.

The manager of a leading private cereals importer welcomed the move. "When we talk of globalisation we have to be armed with the same weapons as our rivals, otherwise foreign competition will crush us," he said. Several foreign commodities importers are based in Morocco. They include U.S. giant Cargill and Swiss-based Glencore. The trader saw great potential for hedging by local firms. "A huge volume of trade is involved and hedging will boost competitiveness mainly among cereal importers," he said. The manager said hedging by Moroccan firms would boom in the medium term.
"It will be slow at the beginning, before operators get accustomed to this tool," he said. ($1=8.842 Moroccan dirhams)
© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.reuters.com/financeArticle.jhtml?storyID=4140945&newsType=usGoldRpt&menuType=markets
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Morocco acts to avert mosque collapse.
Monday 19 January 2004,
French engineering giant Bouygues has started work to strengthen the Hassan II grand mosque in the Moroccan port city of Casablanca, which threatens to collapse. Part of the mosque, built by Bouygues and inaugurated in 1993, overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, was reported in 2002 to have "pillars threatening to collapse, cracked concrete and ruptured steel".

The mosque is the biggest in the world after the one in the Muslim holy city of Makka in Saudi Arabia. "The work will consist of reinforcing beams in the part of the Hasan II mosque that is exposed to the sea and has undergone a few structural changes," the city's urban planning department was quoted by L'Economiste as saying on Monday. The work is expected to take three months. The threat to the mosque, which took six years to build, was first reported in 2000.

Two years later, the city council dismissed "alarmist" media stories, stating that the only section of the building at risk was "part of the esplanade overhanging the sea". Signs of damage were "typical of all constructions subject to the physical and chemical aggression of the maritime environment and are the object of appropriate and permanent maintenance," said the city council. The enormous cost of building the sumptuous mosque during the reign of King Muhammad VI's late father has never been disclosed but is estimated at between $500-800 million. It was in part paid for by a national subscription scheme which led to a lot of criticism in the impoverished nation. The structure can accommodate some 25000 people in its prayer hall and is also a major tourist attraction.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/83EB687A-6F14-4C53-B752-7D426744F731.htm
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New Family Code, one of Morocco's Biggest Challenges, Minister
RABAT, Jan.17

The draft family code unanimously adopted on Friday by the House of Representatives is one of Morocco's big challenges, said, here Friday, the Minister of Justice. Mohammed Bouzoubaa who was speaking before the vote took place, described the draft Code as a "crucial stage in the mutations Morocco is going through at the constitutional, democratic, social and human rights level."

The new family code which still has to go to the House of Advisors (Senate), puts wives on a more equal footing with their husbands, raises the marriage age for girls from 15 to 18, and provides wives with a "joint responsibility" with their husbands in family matters.

Under this new law, polygamy will be permitted only under highly restrictive conditions and the new code also makes it more difficult for men to divorce their wives without their consent.

A parliamentary commission debated the new code for one month, studying 110 amendments before submitting it to the House's vote.

Announcing this new Code in his speech October 10 at the opening of the parliament's fall session, H.M. King Mohammed VI of Morocco had urged a revision of the old code, under which Moroccan women were seen as perpetual minors, under the authority of men, according to women's groups.
The Monarch outlined the main principles of the proposed revised code, insisting the suggested amendments were in line with the tenets of Islam.

In his statement Friday at the Parliament, the justice minister said that H.M. King Mohammed VI has wanted to make of this new draft Code "one of the biggest challenges" of Morocco's policy. He said H.M. the king has seen to it that this law meets "the aspirations of the Moroccan society," and promotes women's role and their integration in the socio-economic development process.

Several MPs described as "historic" and "revolutionary" the unanimous vote on this Code which "will play a major role in the construction of the Rule of Law."  © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco-US FTA to be submitted to Congress This Year, chief US negotiator
WASHINGTON, Jan.16

Assistant US trade representative and chief negotiator for the Morocco-US free trade agreement, Catherine Novelli, said Thursday she is convinced that the FTA, currently being negotiated, will be submitted to Congress this year for approval. Speaking at a meeting organized here by the Washington International Trade Association, Novelli voiced hope that talks on the agreement will be over next month. Talks with Morocco are at an advanced stage in several sectors and after the settlement of some minor details, I think negotiations will be over next month, she said.

The FTA with Morocco, which was first announced in April 2002, will be the second of the kind that the US signs with an Arab country. According to spokesman for the US trade representative, Richard Mills, discussions made it possible to carry on the important progress achieved. The accord aims at mutually advantageous and global agreement, Mills said, adding that the two parties are conducting the negotiations in a constructive manner. MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco says 2003 CPI-pegged inflation at 1.2 pct
RABAT, Jan 20 (Reuters)

Morocco's inflation, as shown by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), stood at 1.2 percent in 2003, below government forecast, the official MAP news agency said on Tuesday.  Inflation stood at 2.8 percent in 2002 and the government had forecast it would reach 2.0 percent in 2003.
CPI's month on month performance in December slid 0.8 percent while it rose 1.8 percent on year to year basis, the Superior Planning Auditorship said in a statement carried by MAP.  The government has set a 2.0 percent consumer price inflation for 2004.
((Reporting by Souhail Karam; editing by Jerry Kearney; Reuters Messaging: souhail.karam.reuters.com@reuters.net; tel +212-37 720065)) Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited.
http://www.borsaitalia.it/fwa-cgi-bin/news.pl?id=1074626652nL20232160&tit=Morocco%20says%202003%20CPI-pegged%20inflation%20at%201.2%20pct&type=indicator&ling=IT
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Morocco bread strike hits homes

Bakers in Morocco have gone on strike to protest at the government's refusal to allow bread prices to rise. On the strike's second day there are already bread shortages in the capital.

The issue is extremely sensitive, with the government worried at any negative public reactions to what would be a first price rise for 14 years.
During a bakers' strike in 1983 public riots occurred in the major cities. But the BBC's Pascale Harter in Rabat says this is unlikely to happen this time.

She says that unlike in many other parts of the world, bread is a key component of Moroccan meals and some people on the streets do support the government's decision. "The government is right, in protecting the Moroccan people. If they want to put the price of bread up they better put salaries up too," a woman told the BBC in the capital, Rabat. Another woman outside a Rabat patisserie said: "I don't think they should put prices up. It's already expensive, it's something everyone buys and people just can't afford it."

However, for strikers like El Mamar El Arbi, who has been a baker for more than 50 years, they have had enough. "The price of flour keeps going up but that of bread does not change neither does the situation of us bakers who make it," he said. He says that they have managed a complete shut down and this strengthens their arm in any negotiations.

The strikers do have some support. One Rabat woman said she hoped they were successful. "If they put the price up they'll only put it up by a few centimes, they won't put it up a lot, because the population would never accept that. It's good to put up the price," she said. The right to strike is enshrined in the Moroccan constitution, for all citizens but an article on the penal code forbids workers from striking. Human rights groups and the labour movement in Morocco have long been lobbying for the article to be changed. But in the meantime, bakers are saying "let them eat cake".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3399911.stm
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Piracy shuts down fourteen Moroccan movie theaters in 2003
Morocco, Economics, 1/22/2004

Fourteen movie theaters were forced to shut down in 2003 because of piracy of films that are subsequently sold at cheap prices, the Moroccan TV channel "2M" reported Tuesday. No practical measures were taken to fight the illegal copying of films, the same source added. "A copy of a pirated new film is sold at between 5 and 20 Dhs (US $1 = 8.7 Dhs). It is a flourishing trade for the people who are specialist in downloading films from the internet," the TV channel pointed out.

Answering a question on this phenomenon, communication minister, Nabil Benabdellah, said the crackdown on film piracy is chiefly led by the Moroccan Office for authors rights. "We are trying to have the support of the concerned parties, particularly local authorities and the interior ministry" to cut film piracy, he went on. Benabdellah deplored, nonetheless, that "thousands of families currently make a living through piracy" which leads to hesitations over the way to deal with this issue.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040122/2004012222.html
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Islamic Bank contributed up to US$ 2 billion to development projects in Morocco (official)
Agadir (Southern Morocco), Jan. 20

The Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has, since its creation in 1974, contributed up to US$ 2 billion to socio-economic and development projects in Morocco, revealed, here Monday, Ahmed Benali, from the IDB regional Bureau. He told a briefing that the bank's interventions in Morocco focused on drinking-water supply, rural electrification and construction of dams. IDB also intervenes in road infrastructure, food industry, struggle against drought and flooding, he added.

Established in 1974 by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the 53 member-state Bank aims at pushing forward development projects in Islamic states and encouraging inter-Islamic trade. With a capital of $9 billion, the IDB succeeded in upgrading trade among member states to 10% from 4%, and is targeting a rate of 13%. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/politics/pol_019.htm
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Projects in Afghanistan, Egypt and Morocco Supported by Microsoft Unlimited Potential
REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 23, 2004

The following is background on Microsoft Unlimited Potential projects in developing nations. The first project described, in Afghanistan, will be conducted in partnership between Microsoft and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as part of joint agreement announced today in Davos, Switzerland by UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown and Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates:
Morocco:
Since 2000, Microsoft has contributed more than US$350,000 in cash and software to non-governmental organizations in Morocco to support a wide variety of programs and projects. Examples of Microsoft's funding: North Africa Diplomes Chomeurs is a program that provides IT skills training to unemployed graduates to assist them in finding better job opportunities.

This project was recognized through the U.S. Secretary of State Award for Corporate Excellence for exemplary workplace practices, efforts to bridge the digital divide through the implementation of an innovative program to prepare the Moroccan workforce for the global economy. Through this program, more than 200 students have been prepared with new skills to search for jobs with 100 percent placement in 2002 and 70 percent in 2003. Microsoft funding supported IT skills training for students to enable them to secure employment.

Secrétariat d'Etat à la Jeunesse: The Moroccan Ministry of Youth provides young people with athletic, cultural, and educational experiences that are complementary to school offerings and distinct from what is available to children at home. Within existing community centers, the Ministry of Youth will establish four IT training centers. Experienced community-based technology trainers in Tangier and Marrakech will train the new centers'
leaders on how to manage, run and maintain the centers. Microsoft funding will be used to support IT skills training programs in the centers.

Microsoft Unlimited Potential is a global program that focuses on improving lifelong learning for underserved young people and adults by providing technology skills through community-based organizations around the world. Microsoft provides community centers with funding to launch or sustain IT skills training programs, including hiring and training technology instructors, and expanding course offerings in order to reach a broader base of underserved community members. Microsoft has developed curricula that emphasize real-world technology applications and will initially be available in English, French, Spanish and German. In the near future, Microsoft will work with partners to launch a global support network to deliver technology research, tools and services to training centers worldwide.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2004/Jan04/01-23UNDPProjects.asp
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MOROCCO UPDATE: HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
January 20, 2004

On January 7, 2004, Morocco's King Mohammed VI inaugurated the Equity and Reconciliation Commission to ensure human rights for all Moroccans and to make amends for any past human rights violations. The Commission will determine appropriate reparations for past human rights violations and will help Morocco continue its progress toward democracy and modernization. Moreover, the Commission has at its core mandate the resolute protection of human rights - by reconciling the past through truth and just compensation, and by advocating tolerance and forgiveness in the future.
Democracy and Modernization Initiative
* "Our people, who are dedicated to democracy, neither turn their backs on their past, nor remain prisoners of its shortcomings. Instead, they derive strength and dynamism from it to build a modern, democratic society, wherein all citizens may exercise their rights and carry out their duties freely and responsibly." --King Mohammed VI
* Demonstrating Morocco's dedication to honoring human rights, King Mohammed VI released 33 political prisoners yesterday, including the journalist Ali Lmrabet.
* This human rights initiative is the latest example of King Mohammed VI's effort to transform Morocco into a model, modern Arab state - one that is just, free, tolerant and democratic.
* The King's creation of this Commission is an essential step in Morocco's efforts to address and reconcile some of the difficult issues it has faced in the past. These reforms and reconciliation will enable Morocco to dedicate its focus and efforts to social, political and economic modernization, to integrate further into the global community and to build a society of hope and prosperity for its people.
What Others are Saying...
* "Morocco continues to make extraordinary and commendable progress toward full democracy," Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) stated in a press release issued Monday, January 12. "King Mohammed VI has taken another admirable step in that direction with the creation of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission. Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Morocco serves as a model for the entire region of Northern Africa and the Middle East."
* "Morocco has gained attention as one of the most forward-leaning Arab countries in terms of economic and political reform," said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The country continues to face serious challenges, but there is a sense of dynamism and openness in Morocco that stands out."
* From an Amnesty International press release: "Amnesty International welcomes the royal pardon given today to around 25 political prisoners, including prisoners of conscience, and several others who were being tried on political charges. 'The pardon is a significant step in the right direction,' said Amnesty International."

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