Rabat – The Prometheus Institute for Democracy and Human Rights has urged Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP) to update the data and metadata on its platform related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This call follows the announcement of Morocco’s 2024 General Population and Housing Census results, released earlier this month. The census is key in supporting the country’s strategic planning and evaluating public policies.
In a letter addressed to the High Commissioner of Planning Chakib Benmoussa, the Prometheus Institute said that much of the data currently available on the HCP platform is outdated, with most indicators dating back to 2014 or 2017, and only a few updated to 2022.
While these older datasets were relevant at the time, they no longer reflect Morocco’s current realities or the progress made toward achieving the SDGs, the institute said in a press release.
It added that the new census data offers a valuable opportunity to refresh the platform’s information and incorporate recent demographic and socio-economic changes to align better with the SDG indicators.
The institute cited several key legal and international frameworks supporting its appeal, including Article 12 of the constitution which details the role of civil society in contributing to public policy and governance.
In the statement, they recalled UN Resolution 70/1, which introduced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs, as well as the 2019 National Sustainable Development Commission Decree, which assigns the HCP responsibility for preparing national and regional SDG reports.
They also pointed out Law No. on access to information, specifically bringing attention to Article 10 that requires proactive publication of public data.
The institute gave an example of the SDG indicator 1.5.1, which tracks the number of people affected by disasters per 100,000 individuals. The most recent data for this indicator is from 2020. However, recent natural disasters, such as the Al Haouz earthquake and floods in Tata, have significantly impacted Moroccan communities, the statement said.
In this context, the institute said that updated data is crucial to accurately assess the damage, understand the scale of the impacts, and plan effective responses.
“This information is crucial for accurately assessing progress, identifying gaps, and planning future interventions effectively. It therefore recommends considering a priority update of the data and metadata on the HCP platform,” concluded the statement.
