The human rights process in Morocco is part of a comprehensive reform that has achieved significant democratic milestones in order to meet the challenges of the present and the future, stressed Driss El Yazami, President of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), in Larache.

Mr El Yazami indicated, in a presentation as part of the inaugural lecture of the Multidisciplinary Faculty of the Abdelmalek Essaâdi University of Tétouan, that Morocco has initiated a vast reform process since 1999.

The achievements made in this framework consist notably of the integration of cultural and linguistic rights into public policy agendas, the opening of transitional justice projects, the creation of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER), the extension of access to economic and social rights, the launch of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) and the profound revision of territorial governance, among others, he specified.

Morocco has also instituted several laws and proceeded to amend others, which has allowed for the expansion of the domain of rights and freedoms, noted Mr El Yazami, citing in particular the new Labour Code, the criminalisation of torture and the abolition of the Special Court of Justice (CSJ).

He further noted that the main characteristic of this reform process is the adoption of a participatory approach, "which has allowed Morocco to make a qualitative leap in terms of strengthening democracy and guaranteeing human rights".

These achievements have also allowed Morocco, continued Mr El Yazami, to establish a new dynamic starting in 2011 with the creation of the Ombudsman Institution, thereby protecting the rights of citizens against the public administration, as well as the creation of the Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights and the replacement of the Advisory Council on Human Rights with a National Council, in addition to the adoption of a new Constitution, a true guarantor of human rights.

Despite the importance of all these achievements, he observed, there are still challenges to be met, particularly in terms of education, training, health, employment and the integration of young people into development and political life.

One of the first challenges posed for the CNDH, he added, is the achievement of equality and equity, the fight against discrimination, the development of the justice system, the consecration of public freedoms and the strengthening of the legal framework for public policies relating to the guarantee of the rights of vulnerable groups.

Mr El Yazami stressed the determination of the CNDH to act to contribute to the fight against discrimination, violence against women and child labour, to the achievement of equity and justice, in accordance with the principles of the Constitution, to the creation of a mechanism to combat torture and prison overcrowding, in addition to reflecting on alternative sentences and the fight against mistreatment in all its forms.

Regarding the reality that prevails in the field of human rights in Morocco, Mr El Yazami reported a significant collective awareness on this subject, calling on civil society to accompany these advances in the service of the country's development.

The achievements made by Morocco in the field of human rights provide proof of the efficiency of the reforms undertaken in the country, which are based on universal principles while respecting national specificities, he concluded.