The Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion, and Family, Aawatif Hayar, emphasized, on November 20 in Baku, Morocco’s commitment to promoting women’s rights and empowerment.
Intervening at an international conference on “Advancing the Rights and Empowerment of Women”, organized at the initiative of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Hayar stated that “Morocco is fully committed to fulfilling its international and regional obligations related to the promotion of women’s rights and their empowerment and strengthening cooperation to explore promising new prospects, enabling women to contribute fully to sustainable development.”
During this symposium, co-organized by Azerbaijan, which currently holds NAM’s presidency, along with Uganda and Uzbekistan, NAM’s next presidents, the Moroccan minister recalled the Kingdom’s achievements under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI particularly in terms of promoting women’s rights and empowerment.
Minister Hayar cited, in this regard, the different reforms that contributed to enshrining the cross-cutting dimension of women’s issues in legislation and strategic and financial planning in addition to “the development of programs and action plans to address priorities linked to the economic empowerment of women and girls, countering violence, and the promotion of a culture of equality within the family, the public sphere, and the workplace”.
The Moroccan official also shed light on His Majesty the King’s special interest in the promotion of the situation of women, as illustrated by the prominence attached to this subject in the Royal Speech addressed by the Sovereign on July 30, 2022, on the occasion of Throne Day.
“Building the kind of country we yearn for, one that is committed to progress and dignity, is possible only with the participation of all Moroccans, men and women alike, in the development process,” emphasized the Sovereign in His speech.
Hayar also recalled that His Majesty the King instructed, last September, the Head of Government to establish an entity to revise the Family Code.
Minister Hayar also indicated that the 2021-2026 government program has developed several measures and procedures aimed at promoting the status of Moroccan women and strengthening the social foundations of the State, noting that the government has included gender equality, enshrined in Article 19 of the Constitution, among the fundamental priorities of this program.
The Moroccan minister also mentioned the establishment, in June 2022, of the National Committee for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, which had adopted, during its first meeting, the strategic framework for equality and parity by 2035, as well as the 3rd Government Plan for Equality 2023-2026.
Hayar cited several other programs, namely the “Awrach” program, which aims to generate 250,000 jobs, the “Forsa” program, which supports entrepreneurs, and the “Jisr for Empowerment and Leadership 2022-2026” program aimed at supporting 36,000 women in creating economic activities that guarantee financial inclusion.
The international conference on “Advancing the Rights and Empowerment of Women” (November 20-21) focused on the promotion of women’s rights and their empowerment within the NAM, the role of women in sustainable development and economic growth, and peace and security issues are all topics on the agenda of this meeting, which continues on Tuesday.
Approximately 60 delegations attended this conference, including representatives of NAM member states, observer states, and international organizations.