Rabat – 35 years ago, Morocco took a bold step. Long before global standards emerged, the country established its first national human rights institution on May 8, 1990, laying the groundwork for what would become a key pillar in its governance landscape.
This week, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) marks that turning point. The anniversary speaks not only to the passage of time, but to the country’s steady shift toward greater accountability, justice, and rights protection.
The Council’s president, Amina Bouayach, sees this moment as more than symbolic. “We are looking back on a path of transformation, but also of construction. Morocco changes constantly, so must we,” she said.
What began as a modest advisory body has grown into a constitutional institution with regional branches and a far-reaching mandate.
Since 2018, the Council has operated with expanded powers to address violations, support victims, and defend freedoms.
Morocco had already taken this path in the early 1990s, three years before the UN adopted the Paris Principles that define how human rights institutions should function.
That early move, Bouayach said, reflected a national decision to address past abuses and build a system based on truth, justice, and reconciliation. The country marked the 20th anniversary of that process earlier this year.
Over the years, the Council has played a role in major reforms: from restructuring the justice system and revising the Constitution to observing elections and launching discussions around Morocco’s Family Code. “We are not outside of national dynamics, we stand in the middle of them,” Bouayach explained.
Under the slogan “35 Years: Rights. Freedoms. Effectiveness”, the Council plans to mark the anniversary throughout 2025. The goal is to reinforce the rule of law, support victims where needed, and ensure that rights do not remain theoretical but become real and enforceable.
Morocco’s human rights body asserts that it stands on principles of independence and accountability. But it also carries a story, one of political will, institutional learning, and the belief that no reform holds weight unless it protects human dignity.
