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Rabat – During a four day visit to Morocco, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Rik Daems, noted the Morocco’s success in promoting human rights and upholding democracy.
The EU parliamentarian arrived in Morocco on July 11 and met with Morocco’s President of the House of Representatives, Habib al Malki, on July 12 to commemorate Morocco’s advances in human rights, democracy, and fundamental freedoms.
“It has been ten years that we have been together in the partnership for democracy,” said Daems before mentioning a PACE draft report that will outline the intricacies of Morocco’s relationship with the PACE.
Malki reiterated the importance of the decade-long partnership and noted that Morocco is committed to developing relations with the PACE further.
The parliamentary body launched a project in 2020 called “Support for the development of the role of parliament in the consolidation of democracy in Morocco 2020-2023.” The EU has funded the project while the Council of Europe has remained the primary responsible entity in charge of the project’s implementation.
In addition to meeting the President of the House of Representatives, Daems will meet with Morocco’s Head of Government, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Family and Solidarity, and the President of the National Council for Human Rights.
On Tuesday, the EU official will participate in a conference titled “Women in politics: how to progress towards equality?” The conference will underline Morocco’s progress in promoting women in politics since the adoption of a quota system in 2002.
According to a PACE press release, “the number of female deputies in the House of Representatives rose to 81 [in 2016] compared to 61 in 2011.” However, the conference will also discuss ways to further implement women into Moroccan politics as “access to parliament remains difficult for Moroccan women,” states the same document.
