During her visit to Sidi Kacem, Ivanka attended a signing ceremony for two new agreements that will provide over $6 million to local female Moroccan farmers.
Rabat – Ivanka Trump, White House advisor and daughter of US President Donald Trump, is in Sidi Kacem today, November 7, to meet with local women farmers and learn about collective land access.
Today I am traveling to the rural Gharb region of Morocco to meet with women beneficiaries that will be impacted by implementation of recent land titling reforms.
Women’s ability to own + manage property is critical to gender equality and economic empowerment. #WGDP
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) November 7, 2019
Ivanka traveled from Rabat to the Gharb region with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) CEO Sean Cairncross to assess the development of the White House’s Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative.
Included in the W-GDP initiative is the MCC Compact, a $450 million agreement with Morocco that launched in June 2017 to improve land productivity and education.
While touring local olive groves, Ivanka and Cairncross spoke with female Moroccan beneficiaries about women’s access to collective land, a key priority for the W-GDP initiative.
The MCC Compact is currently working to improve access to collective land, viewing it as an important component of strengthening women’s economic empowerment in Morocco
The MCC Compact aims to benefit 56,000 women in the Gharb region by tilting approximately 165,000 acres (67,000 hectares) of collective land.
The visit to Sidi Kacem also included a signing ceremony for two new agreements with partner organizations. These agreements will provide Moroccan beneficiaries with over $6 million to support additional training on farming practices, financial management, and literacy.
In accordance with W-GDP’s 2nd and 3rd pillars, the agreements made in Sidi Kacem promote women’s economic livelihood activities related to agriculture and enable women to have land and property rights.
The MCC Morocco Employability and Land Compact is MCC’s second compact in Morocco.
The project seeks to contribute to poverty reduction through economic growth by increasing land productivity and the employability of Moroccans. The MCC Compact additionally aims to support women in accessing high-quality education, workforce development programs, and land rights.
Rabat roundtable
Later today, Ivanka and Cairncross will return to Rabat for a roundtable discussion with female community leaders and MCC Compact beneficiaries.
Attendees will discuss ways to increase economic opportunities for women in Morocco. Local women leaders will discuss the current efforts in Morocco to increase economic participation.
Ikrame El Houdali, a recent participant in the inaugural W-GDP International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), will speak about her involvement with the W-GDP program.
El Houdali will also discuss her work with the Moroccan government on identifying sectors where economic growth projects are possible.
The US Delegation is expected to reiterate the US government’s strong commitment to further support their work through W-GDP and the MCC Compact.
