Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
November 26 , 2005

Over 17,000 HIV/AIDS cases up to August 2005 in Morocco.
Projects encouraging young entrepreneur private initiatives approved by Council of Ministers.
USTDA donates USD 322,000 to solve problem of discharging black liquor into Sebou river.
Morocco third democracy in Middle East, International study North Africa.
Where not to get caught short: world's worst toilets revealed.
EU grants Morocco EUR135 million aid.
Guillaume Benoît : Environmental damages threaten Mediterranean forestry ecosystems.
Roots of Amazigh assertion of identity.
Water treatment program to help cut down pollution and spare 600Mn m3 annually.
Princess Lalla Salma launches Association Against Cancer.

Over 17,000 HIV/AIDS cases up to August 2005 in Morocco.
Rabat, Nov. 23

17,719 people were recorded HIV positive, including 1,719 AIDS cases, up to August 2005 in Morocco, revealed President of the Pan-African Organization against AIDS, Nadia Bezad. In an interview published Wednesday by the French-speaking daily "Aujourd'hui le Maroc", Bezad said that "AIDS cases are increasing year after year," noting that the heterosexual relations are the most important transmission mode with over 70% of the cases. "Ignorance and non-use of condoms are other main causes of the disease development," she pointed out, underlining that "women are more and more stricken by AIDS." She said the number of people under treatment is estimated at 700 patients, and that the treatment cost has dropped from USD 1,100 to 88 per month thanks to the generics development and NGOs support.

Created in 1994, the Pan-African Organization against AIDS has worked out a comprehensive strategy including three four intervention fields, as the association provides prevention, community action and medical and psychological care to AIDS-stricken people.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/over_17000_hiv_aids/view 
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Projects encouraging young entrepreneur private initiatives approved by Council of Ministers.
Marrakech, Nov. 23

Encouraging investments and young entrepreneurs private initiatives and creating new integrated local and regional development centers among projects approved by the Council of Ministers chaired, here on Wednesday, by king Mohammed VI. To help young entrepreneurs establish their small-sized businesses, the Council adopted draft bills aimed at revising the legal framework of commercial partnerships. It also adopted reforms on the legal procedures to help create a climate that encourages investments. The Council approved draft bills that seek to harmonize the present legislation with the provisions of the labor code, to guarantee the equality of chances in accessing public positions, and to provide professional training for State servants. Other bills to govern certain liberal professions were also adopted. The Council also approved texts touching, inter alia, on agriculture, protecting the environment, rationalizing the use of water resources, and setting the application modalities of the provisions of the act concerning traditional education. A total of 13 draft bills and 30 decree projects were submitted to the approval of the sovereign.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/politics/projects_encouraging/view 
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USTDA donates USD 322,000 to solve problem of discharging black liquor into Sebou river.
Rabat, Nov. 22

The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will extend a local Moroccan association a donation of USD 322,000 to fund a feasibility study aimed to solve the problem of discharging black liquor into the basin of Sebou river. The feasibility study aims to examine a project to build a wastewater treatment plant for over 20 tons of wastes emanating everyday from olive oil production units in the region.
The study will also serve as a control plan to manage the wastewater discharged in the waters of all olive oil production regions.
USTDA is a governmental agency whose mission is to advance economic development in developing and middle-income countries. To this end, the agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. Sebou basin boasts huge hydraulic potentials estimated at 30% of national potential. The basin population is estimated at 6 million inhabitants, i.e. 20% of national population. Unfortunately, the basin suffers from domestic and industrial wastewater estimated at 80 million square meters, i.e. 28% of national wastewater, which makes of Sebou basin the most polluted basin in Morocco.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/ustda_donates_usd_32/view 
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Morocco third democracy in Middle East, International study North Africa.
11/20/2005

Morocco ranks third among the most democratic countries in North Africa and the Middle East, concluded a study carried out by the British Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The survey studied the political and civil freedoms in 20 countries from the Middle East and North Africa. The ranking was based on transparency in election laws, the right to form political parties, the opposition parties, transparency, minorities'
participation, freedom of assembly, independence of the judicial system, freedom of the press, the rule of law and freedom of belief.

Israel tops the list with 8.20 points, followed by Lebanon with 6.55 points, while Morocco comes third with 5.20. Despite occupation, Iraq and Palestine, share the fourth rank with 5.05 points, says the survey. The study places Tunisia seventh, Algeria thirteenth, Syria nineteenth, even though there has been a degree of liberalisation under President Bashar al-Assad, while Libya received the lowest rating, below Syria and Saudi Arabia, with only 2.05 points. The study pointed out that in general a certain progress has been made in terms of freedom and democratisation, adding that democracy will increasingly reign in the countries with less violence.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/News/article.asp?id=11087 
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Where not to get caught short: world's worst toilets revealed.
November 20, 2005b (The Sun Herald)

More than a third of the world's population lacks access to adequate sanitation, a survey by the British charity WaterAid has found. In a report marking World Toilet Day, the organisation has compiled an international "bog roll of dishonour" designed to shame countries into improving facilities. Among those listed as having more than 10 million people deprived of hygienic lavatories are Romania, Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Egypt and Morocco.

The report says about 2 million people a year - mainly children - die from diarrhoea, chiefly as a consequence of poor sanitation.
WaterAid says the Greater London Authority refused to let it place a toilet for publicity purposes in Parliament Square, with "RIP" written on the seat, because it was "inappropriate activity". "There needs to be a realisation in developing countries that sanitation should be given priority in the way that the Victorians dealt with the problem in 19th-century Britain," Paul Hetherington of WaterAid said. Overall, 2.6 billion people - or about 40 per cent of the world's population - are without hygienic toilets.

World Toilet Day was launched by lavatory makers about a decade ago, but now focuses more on the developing world. The World Toilet Organisation held its annual conference in Belfast this year.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/where-not-to-get-caught-short-worlds-worst-toilets-revealed/2005/11/19/1132017026072.html?oneclick=true  
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EU grants Morocco EUR135 million aid.

The European Commission has earmarked a EUR135 million aid to Morocco, as part of the MEDA, a programme designed to implement the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The aid granted to the EU's Mediterranean partners will exceed EUR850 million in 2005 "Nowhere in the world do we have a better record! Our assistance to our Mediterranean partners is very substantial, underlining the importance we attach to our relationship with these neighbours of the EU," said the Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

The aid is intended to help Morocco fight precarious housing (EUR90 million); improve the north provinces' rural roads (EUR15 million); support the implementation of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement (EUR15 million); support the professional associations (EUR5 million); and provide training in developing a national democracy and human rights strategy (EUR2 million), said the EU in a release published on their website on Thursday. Waldner added that "Around half [of the aid] goes to support crucial reform programmes promoting better governance and greater prosperity. We are now delivering this aid more efficiently than ever before, and more rapidly than in any other region."

Within the framework of the MEDA programme, the European Union has been providing assistance to Mediterranean countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and Palestine, since 1995.

In another release, issued on Tuesday after the fifth meeting of the EU-Morocco Association Council, the European Union said it valued Morocco as an important partner within the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. The EU voiced its support to the National Initiative for Human Development, launched by HM King Mohammed VI last May. It also encouraged the Moroccan Government "to use the Initiative as a framework for the reorientation of sectoral policies in key areas towards a coherent approach to realise the Millennium Development Goals and to alleviate poverty." On this basis, both parties have agreed on an ambitious European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan which was officially launched in 2005. In this respect, Morocco and the EU "have reiterated that common values, including democracy, the rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights, will guide relations," said the release.

It commended the work done at the economic level, especially in terms of maintaining macroeconomic stability, but still called on the government to bolster "economic policies in order to raise GDP growth above the level needed to combat poverty and reduce unemployment." It said that "the economy remains fragile with a narrow industrial base and a high dependence on the agricultural sector."

On political issues, the EU applauded Morocco's progress in terms of political reform, the modernisation programme of the administration, freedom of the press, and equality between men and women among other things. It also hailed the Justice and Reconciliation Commission (Instance Equité et Réconciliation) which "has performed unprecedented work to investigate the legacies of the past and has been successful in launching a public debate."

As to the Sahara issue, the EU said it supports the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's efforts to reach "a just, lasting and mutually accepted political solution of the conflict." It also urged the concerned parties to do their best to reach such a solution through working "constructively and flexibly" with Peter Van Walsum, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General.

Talking about the flow of sub-Saharan migrants, the EU recognised the "substantial efforts" Morocco has exerted to deal with illegal migration, which led to dismantling of a number of trafficking gangs.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=5&id=11171 
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Guillaume Benoît : Environmental damages threaten Mediterranean forestry ecosystems.
By Morad Aziz | 11/25/2005 |

The annual cost of the environmental damages is estimated at 3 to 5.5 % of the GDP of several countries of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean basin, said, on Thursday, the General Manager of the Plan Bleu, Guillaume Benoît, at the regional forum on the Mediterranean forestry in Rabat. Under the theme "Forestry Sector and Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean: challenges, policies, and governance", a regional forum is being held from Nov. 24-26, 2005, under the supervision of the FAO Silva Mediterrnea committee. It is organized by Plan Bleu http://www.wca-infonet.org/servlet/CDSServlet?status=ND0xMDMxLjEzNTkmNj1lbiYzMz13ZWItc2l0ZXMmMzc9aW5mbw~~    and the Moroccan High Commission of Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification, with the support of France and the Mediterranean Action Plan.

Speaking at the opening of this Forum, Benoît noted that the consequences of the environmental damages in terms of losses of biodiversity and the silting up of dams are irreversible. He warned against increasing vulnerability to natural risks, generated mainly by the climatic change and the lack of management of the rural and natural space. Benoît underlined that the Mediterranean foresters were precursors of the cooperation in this field, having created the Silva Mediterrnea in 1922. He said that these foresters can contribute today to introducing new policies to reconcile economic development, reduction of risks and conservation of vital resources.

The Committee of the Mediterranean forestry issues, Silva Mediterranea http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=//docrep/x1880e/x1880e0a.htm , is a statutory organ of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). It aims at studying all forestry issues relevant to the Mediterranean basin and disseminating information with the aim of modifying in a positive way the concept of forests for local populations, etc.

The High Commissioner of Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification (HCEFLD), Abdeladim Lhafi, indicated in a message read on his behalf by the Secretary General of the HCEFLD, that the first regional Forum on the Mediterranean forestry is held in a context recognizing the challenges and the impact of the forestry issue in the sustainable development at the global level. "Authorities and organizations working on the development of forestry research activities in the Mediterranean basin must combine their efforts to establish an operational framework that responds to the true challenges that the Mediterranean forestry face," said Lhafi.

"The implementation of such a structure will enable the countries of the region to present a common position at international instances, such as the Forum of the United Nations on Forests and the Forest Committee of the FAO. It will evaluate and take into account the particularities of the Mediterranean forestry," he further added. Lhafi noted that the degradation of forest resources and the fragility of the ecosystems at the Mediterranean region are reflected by the socio-economic imbalances, the consequences of which harm the whole region.

The high commissioner considered that only by carrying out a regional strategy that takes into account the challenges of the regional development and integrate the economic, social and environmental constituents can guarantee a sustainable development assuring peace and stability in the region. Lhafi highlighted the necessity to develop tools of evaluation of the economic impacts of the degradation of natural resources taking into consideration, not only the loss of productivity, but also the intrinsic ecological value of these resources.

For his part, Jean Prosper Koyo, representative of the FAO, indicated that "we expect from this Forum fruitful exchanges and enriching contributions that will enable the Mediterranean countries to manage more sustainably their forestry ecosystems". He also hoped that this meeting will establish an opportunity to benefit from the experiences, reiterate the commitments and strengthen the forestry dialogue in the Mediterranean basin.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/Paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=11184 
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Roots of Amazigh assertion of identity.
23/11/2005

A presentation of the Middle East Studies Association of North America focused on the rise of Amaizgh identify in North Africa, with presenters arguing that it mostly came about in recent times. At the 39th Middle East Studies Association of North America conference in Washington DC, the Amazigh question was tackled by Oxford University's Michael J. Willis in his presentation "A Berber Spring in Morocco?:
Political Dimensions of Berber (Amazigh) Identity in Morocco and Algeria".

He is author of "Islamist Challenge in Algeria" and is currently working on a book called "Comparative Politics in the Maghreb". While the recent push among the Amazigh for identity and recognition is often painted as the culmination of a long struggle, Willis feels the phenomena has more recent roots. He specifically points to the 1980 "Kabylia Spring" in Algeria, when Amazigh protests led to the cancellation of an election.

The main impetus to the demonstrations was an Algerian effort to make Arabic the sole language for education. A reason for the Amazigh starting to support their identity has roots in France's "Berber Myth". The French felt that Amazigh may be more "European" than other North Africans and the population was given more access to French education, with the learning informing them of their own identity.

The natural outgrowth of Amazigh identity moved it to Morocco. The movement likely moved to Morocco later because the Amazigh population tends to be more geographically spread out than in Algeria. Another factor is that the Amazigh had long before infiltrated the military and royalist parties. The Amazigh movement in Morocco seems to be more the concern of educated urbanites and expatriates than the actual population. The people themselves tend to want to see the nation made more democratic as a whole, without any special emphasis paid to them. Factors that could lead to Moroccan Amazigh asserting themselves more are if they start to see themselves as a poor segment of society and if more radical ideas are spread via the Internet.

While Jonathan Wyrtzen of Georgetown University notes the slow destruction of indigenous Maghreb culture to an Arab one over the past 1,000 years, he sees the roots of Amazigh identity in the period 1930 to 1939. A noted French historian saw Morocco as a place populated by urban Arabs and rural Amazigh. The conclusion led to France issuing the "Berber Decrees".

The heart of the decrees was a quasi-partition of Morocco into Amazigh and Arabic spheres. The French spread the idea that Amazigh may be subversive, while many Morccans actually saw them as heroes of earlier struggles. Nationalist Moroccans were disheartened by the splitting of the country, especially by the idea that the Aamzigh may not answer to the sultan. A special Latif prayer was said in mosques throughout the country asking for unity. While the outbreak of the Second World War ended the momentum of the nationalist movements, the French-manufactured identity split may have set the stage for the Amazigh identity emergence of today.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2005/11/23/feature-01 
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Water treatment program to help cut down pollution and spare 600Mn m3 annually.
Rabat, Nov. 23

The Moroccan program on the treatment of used water, to cost MAD 43Bn, around 4bn euros, is meant to reduce water pollution by 60% by 2010 and by 80% by 2015, said Mohamed EL yazghi, Minister of Territory Development, Water and Environment. At a question period at the Parliament Upper House, El yazghi said the program will also help provide annually some 600 million cubic meters that will be used in irrigation, which is equal to six folds of the water stored in the Lalla Takarkoust dam, in the Marrakech region.

The Minister also said water distribution networks are being revamped to prevent water leakage and loss by 10 to 20% in the short run, adding farmers are encouraged to use irrigation techniques that allow greater water preservation. El Yazghi said sea water desalination could be used to meet drinking water demand in coastal towns owing to the shortage of water and climate changes in the world.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/water_treatment_prog/view 
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Princess Lalla Salma launches Association Against Cancer.
Rabat, Nov. 22

Princess Lalla Salma, spouse of King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Tuesday launched an association to fight cancer bearing her name. The "Lalla Salma Association Against Cancer" is a non-profit association whose general strategy is defined by the Board of Directors, chaired by the Princess. It musters 15 members maximum, elected by the General Assembly. The association will fight cancer in Morocco through four intervention fields, as the association will bring assistance to patients and relatives, and in particular improving the living condition of cancer-stricken citizens, and of their parents. It will also be a source of information and prevention, in addition to providing support to the medical staff and clinical and operational research. The association will also provide help and assistance for the creation of oncology centers and their equipment.

In Morocco, the association works in partnership with several bodies, institutions of the private and public sectors, and the Ministry of public health, while abroad, it has partners including international oncology centers and several bodies and associations against cancer. Princess Lalla Salma also launched the construction of an assessment and anti-pain center at the national oncology Institute in Rabat. Built on 1,000 square meters, the center will require USD 1 million. It will include hospitalization, technical and consultations units, in addition to a conference room.
The center is meant to alleviate the pain of cancer-stricken patients and train the medical staff in this domain.

Anti-pain treatment, recommended by the World Health Organization, contributes to alleviate the pain of 85% of cancer-stricken patients in less that a week. According to the assessments of the International Center for Research on Cancer (CIRC), there are from 35,000 to 50,000 new cases of cancer per year in Morocco, including from 1,000 to 1,500 among children. The most frequent cancers among men are those affecting the lungs, cavum and prostate, among women breast and cervix; among children, leukaemia and lymphoma.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/princess_lalla_salma5991/view 
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