In the framework of the 5th ministerial meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean (UPM) on strengthening the role of women in society, held this Wednesday, October 26 in Madrid, Morocco adopted the ministerial declaration aimed at accelerating the strengthening of the role of women in the Euro-Mediterranean region, like the 42 Member States of the UPM.
Represented by the Minister of Solidarity for Social Integration and the Family,” Aawatif Hayar”, Morocco adopted the ministerial declaration in Madrid, presenting, alongside the 42 Member States, concrete and operational recommendations, actions and measures focused on four priority areas.
These recommendations include strengthening the legal framework, facilitating women’s access to leadership positions in public life and decision-making, enhancing their participation in the economic sphere, and the fight and preventing violence against women and girls.
In this regard, the Minister of Solidarity for Social Inclusion and the Family, Aawatif Hayar spoke at the ministerial meeting, presenting Morocco’s progress and achievements in the field of women’s rights, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Morocco has reached important milestones in this regard.
“I had the honour of representing Morocco today at the High-Level Conference on Women for the Mediterranean, organized by the UPM and the EU and co-chaired by the Kingdom of Jordan here in Spain. Morocco has been able to achieve very important achievements in the field of women’s rights, under the enlightened leadership of King Mohammed VI, who continues to challenge us further, (journalistic resource)
More women than ever on the Moroccan political scene
“We have all heard the recent Speech from the Throne where the Sovereign asked us to make greater efforts to achieve gender equality in Morocco as enshrined in the country’s constitution. and fully accelerate women’s access to their rights, she said.
In terms of women’s representation, especially after the 2021 election, the minister outlined the evolution of the Kingdom in this area and the presence of women at the national level, particularly at the local and provincial council levels.
We have seen an increase of almost 4% to 35% in the participation of women at the level of local and provincial councils, while at the level of Parliament, the number of women in the House of Representatives has increased from nearly 20% to 24%. So we have six women ministers in the government with very important portfolios. We also have three women mayors, and chairwomen of councils of major communes, including Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrakech. And we also have women at the head of constitutional institutions like the CNDH (Amina Bouayach) and the HACA (Latifa Akharbach),” the minister said.
Aawatif Hayar, also intervened in a panel on combating violence against women.
And here again, I have presented the important achievements of our country. We can proudly say that we are well ahead of virtually all the other Mediterranean countries. Morocco has an integrated vision in this area that has several dimensions, mainly the awareness and protection dimension, she explained to the microphone of a journalistic resource.
On the sidelines of the High-Level Conference on Women for the Mediterranean, which is held every two years, the Minister indicated that she had several “meetings” with senior Mediterranean officials, including the Secretary General of the UPM, Nasser Kamel, to whom she presented all these advances and explored the possibilities of collaboration and organization of important events in Morocco.
And here again, I have presented the important achievements of our country. We can proudly say that we are well ahead of virtually all the other Mediterranean countries. Morocco has an integrated vision in this area that has several dimensions, mainly the awareness and protection dimension, she explained to the microphone of a journalistic resource
On the sidelines of the High-Level Conference on Women for the Mediterranean, which is held every two years, the Minister indicated that she had several “meetings” with senior Mediterranean officials, including the Secretary General of the UPM, Nasser Kamel, to whom she presented all these advances and explored the possibilities of collaboration and organization of important events in Morocco.
For his part, Nasser Kamel, Secretary General of the UPM, stressed that “Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but also a significant marker of development and an essential contribution to addressing the pressing global challenges we face today.”
“Inclusive societies are more prosperous societies, which is a key element in ensuring the safety and well-being of all Euro-Mediterranean citizens, regardless of gender,” he said.
Strengthening women’s economic and political empowerment
On Wednesday, the 42 countries made several commitments that include the transition to formal employment for women working in the informal economy, support and encouragement of entrepreneurship among women, Promoting gender equality and inclusive leadership models in early childhood education and in all fields, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the development of gender-sensitive funding for climate and environmental actions, access to organisations, Women’s Businesses and Co-operatives and the enactment of comprehensive laws defining and criminalizing all forms of violence against women and girls, including cyber-violence.
Ministers acknowledged that gender equality in the Euro-Mediterranean region has come a long way since 2015 when a regional dialogue process was established to strengthen the role of women in the EU.
Published in March 2022, the UPM’s first intergovernmental monitoring mechanism on gender equality demonstrated that many countries have strengthened legal frameworks and developed new programmes and policies, To increase women’s participation in political, economic and social spheres and to protect them from all forms of discrimination and gender-based violence.
However, Ministers agreed that further efforts are needed to strengthen women’s economic and political empowerment and to end violence against women in the region, particularly in the aftermath of the various crises, This includes health and environmental and, more recently, food, water and energy. In addition, ministers acknowledged that rural women face unique challenges and that special efforts are needed to strengthen their opportunities and raise their status in society.
We must transform crises into opportunities for change and regeneration while remaining true to our commitment to gender equality. Thanks to the commitments made today, we can achieve tangible results for the future of women and girls, in all their diversity, throughout the Euro-Mediterranean region. We must end violence against women and girls and work to promote societies in which we can all have jobs, participate in decision-making and be represented in public life.” said European Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli, who took part in the Conference.