Women's International Day, UNFM Launches Development Programs to Benefit Women & Young Girls

In execution of the High Instructions of HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, President of the National Union of Moroccan Women (UNFM), aiming at improving women’s situation and the protection of their rights, the UNFM celebrates this year’s International Women’s Day by launching a set of programs to benefit women and girls.

On this occasion, the National Union of Moroccan Women, launched the “UNFM Market” of Khouribga, a space dedicated to marketing production of local and regional cooperatives, in partnership with the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) and the OCP Foundation, in order to encourage women’s pioneering initiatives.

The first of its kind in the Beni Mellal-Khénifra region, the space aims to facilitate the marketing of cooperative products for the benefit of women living in rural and semi-urban areas and to improve the economic conditions of social categories with limited income.

In parallel and to mark Women’s International Day, a three-year partnership agreement was signed between UNFM and the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) in order to improve the quality of health services provided to mothers and newborns and directing efforts towards rural and semi-urban areas through actions to reduce maternal mortality during childbirth as well as that of newborns.

The agreement also intends to combat violence against women and young girls by using artificial intelligence to improve the functions of the first conversational software robot (ChatBot), called “NajatBot” launched in December 2020 via “Messenger” Facebook’s social network in an effort to reinforce the access of women and girls victims of violence to several support services at the national level.

The UNFM Market will be an open and permanent space for marketing cooperatives’ products and promoting income-generating activities, President of the UNFM regional branch in Khouribga, Zahra Mesfioui Zniber, told MAP, highlighting the constant solicitude of HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, President of the National Union of Women of Morocco, with regard to rural women.

Through this promising partnership in the province of Khouribga, UNFM intends to meet the challenge of rural women’s empowerment and economic inclusion in the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region.