Marrakech – French Minister for Equality Aurore Bergé arrives in Morocco today for a three-day official visit focused on bilateral cooperation in women’s rights and gender equality.
The visit, taking place from June 23-25, builds on the strategic partnership King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron launched in October 2024.
In Rabat, Bergé will meet with Economy and Finance Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui and her counterpart Naïma Ben Yahia, Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration, and Family.
The ministers are expected to sign a joint declaration to strengthen Franco-Moroccan cooperation in preventing violence against women.
Bergé’s agenda includes discussions with key Moroccan officials, including Amina Bouayach, president of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), Mbarka Bouaida, president of the Association of Moroccan Regions, Ahmed Abbadi, secretary general of the Rabita of Ulema, and royal advisor André Azoulay.
Women’s economic empowerment stands as a central focus of the visit. Bergé will tour the Safran Nacelles industrial site in Nouaceur near Casablanca and visit the Aeronautics Trades Institute to discuss women’s training and their role in Morocco’s economy.
In Marrakech, the minister will explore social structures, including the Lalla Amina center for children without families, and visit facilities dedicated to women’s economic empowerment.
She will also evaluate field projects supported by the French Development Agency (AFD), including the “Ajyal Equality” program, which works to support women victims of violence.
A key diplomatic development expected during the visit is Morocco’s planned inclusion among the group of states promoting feminist diplomacy. This move precedes an international conference on feminist diplomacy scheduled for October in Paris.
Throughout her trip, Bergé will meet with the French community in Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech, which represents the largest foreign community in Morocco with over 50,000 citizens.
The visit marks another layer in the Rabat-Paris bilateral relations, elevating gender equality from symbolic intentions to a foundation for strategic cooperation across economic, social, and diplomatic spheres.
It follows France’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara in July 2024, and subsequent visits by French officials to Morocco’s southern provinces, including Culture Minister Rachida Dati, French Senate President Gérard Larcher, AFD Director General Remy Rioux, among many others.
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