UN: Minister Hayar Highlights in New York Morocco's Efforts to Promote Women's Rights

The Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family, Aawatif Hayar, highlighted in New York the efforts undertaken by Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI to promote women’s rights.

Speaking on behalf of the Moroccan delegation participating in the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), Hayar stressed that Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of the King, attaches paramount importance to the strengthening of women rights.

She recalled, in this context, a passage from the 2022 Throne Speech in which the Sovereign affirms “Building the kind of country we yearn for – one that is committed to progress and dignity – is possible only with the participation of all Moroccans – men and women alike – in the development process. Therefore, I insist, once again, on the need to ensure the full participation of Moroccan women in all sectors”.

The minister said that in 2023, the King launched the process of revising the Family Code, entrusting supervision of the development of this major reform to judicial, legal, religious and governmental institutions.

This process, which is carried out in a collective and participatory manner, is open to civil society bodies and researchers, with the aim of strengthening the balance within the family in accordance with the Constitution and the international conventions ratified by the Morocco, she indicated during the CSW68 opening session which took place on Monday in the presence of Morocco’s Ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale.

Referring to the project for the generalization of social protection launched by the King, the speaker pointed out that this initiative aims mainly to generalize compulsory health insurance, to reduce poverty and social disparities, and to support the purchasing power of families, including those headed by women, who represent approximately 17% of all households in Morocco.

All Moroccans now benefit from medical coverage since 2022, including needy people who are not able to contribute to the health insurance system, said Hayar, recalling the launch in December 2023 of the direct social assistance program which aims to improve the living conditions of families, mainly those with newborns, or children of school age, or with disabilities or those caring for elderly people.

The minister also indicated that Morocco, in line with the 2011 Constitution, has established the National Committee for Gender Equality and the Promotion of Women, which aims to be a mechanism that adopts a participatory approach in coordination with all stakeholders from the public and private sectors, elected regional and local councils, as well as civil society.

This committee developed the framework of the 2035 Equality and Parity Strategy and the Government Equality Plan 2023-2026 which includes programs and efficiency indicators with a specific annual budget and a digital tracking mechanism, she added.

Recalling the projects launched by the government aimed at strengthening access to financing such as “Forsa”, “Intilaka” and “GISSR” dedicated to women in difficult situations, the Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family noted that Morocco is setting itself up as a model in the field of gender-sensitive budgeting and financial inclusion to reduce the gender gap.

She specified that the Kingdom has adopted a gender-sensitive budget since 2002, and has prepared an annual report since 2005 on this subject, recalling the creation in 2013 of the Center of Excellence for gender-sensitive budgeting and adoption of a roadmap in 2016 aimed at aligning the financial sector with the challenges of sustainable development. This roadmap aims to improve women’s access to financial services and strengthen their financial education.

Hayar also mentioned the adoption in 2019 of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy, the promulgation in 2021 of the law on cooperatives which supports projects carried out by women, and the launch in 2022 by the King of the Investment Charter which encourages projects promoting the participation of women, as well as sustainable development objectives.

She further recalled that Morocco adopted a law in 2021 setting the quota of women on the boards of directors of companies listed on the stock exchange at a minimum of 30% by 2024 and 40% by 2027.

Referring to the situation of Palestinian women and girls, the minister stressed that Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, President of the Al-Quds Committee, is determined to continue to support Arab and international efforts aimed at helping the Palestinian people to overcome this ordeal.