Rabat- The Moroccan Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Younes Sekkouri, held talks on Monday with the UN Women representative in Morocco, Leila Rhioui, to discuss promoting programs aimed at furthering female empowerment.
These talks were “an opportunity for both sides to highlight the means to enhance cooperation between the ministry and UN Women on employment and women’s empowerment,” the ministry said in a statement.
During the meeting, the minister presented an overview of the various economic and social development projects Morocco has launched in recent years, stressing that these projects will have a positive impact in terms of employment and business creation.
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Sekkouri highlighted the various strategies of government programs related to his department, noting that the work of women, whether salaried or non-salaried, is among the priorities of the government. “The government placed a roadmap for structuring programs in the sector of employment and business creation,” he added.
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Leila Rhioui presented the main programs and axes of cooperation between the Moroccan government and the United Nations in terms of the institutionalization of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
She also explained the main measures adopted to implement these programs, saying:. “Morocco’s ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills is a fundamental axis in the work of the United Nations, especially women related programs, and we highly welcome the partnership between the two sides.”
Morocco’s unemployment rate currently stands at 12.8%, with rates especially high in rural areas among youth aged 15 to 24, degree holders, and women, according to the latest data compiled by the country’s High Commission for Planning (HCP).
Last year, the Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said she was impressed by Morocco’s efforts in the field of gender equality, emphasizing that the country can be considered as a “leading example” for many other countries.
Morocco’s efforts to adapt its legal framework to international standards on gender equality has contributed to consolidating gender-sensitive governance and promoting corporate female leadership in the country.
