The Urban Agency of Rabat-Salé has just held its 11th session of the board of directors. During this meeting chaired by the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, Nabil Benabdellah, the Director General of the AURS, Khalid Ouaya, presented the agency's activity report, which concerned various aspects, notably the harmonisation of all urban planning documents governing the territory of the conurbation's cities within the framework of a prospective vision (until 2030), the creation of activity and service hubs, the strengthening of housing supply and the upgrading of under-equipped neighbourhoods. The report also addressed other important points, notably the integration of the environmental dimension (AEU) in the design of urban projects, the development of the green spaces charter and the proposal of an action plan. It should be noted that to bring the members of the board of directors closer to the future of the conurbation and with a view to concretising these projects, the AURS presented all these programmes in 3D. Furthermore, this meeting saw the presentation of the various actions undertaken by the AURS to develop the city, which notably concern its participation with the Wilaya of Rabat in the preparation of the technical and scientific file for the application for the classification of the capital as a "UNESCO World Heritage Site" and its contribution to improving Morocco's ranking in the World Bank's Doing Business 2012 report. The Director General took the opportunity to recall the agency's receipt of the E-Mtiaz 2011 encouragement prize and the renewal of the ISO 9001 version 2008 certificate until 2014, which once again confirms the AURS's openness to its environment and the consolidation of its links with partners. Note that during this meeting, the 2011 moral and financial reports were approved and the 2012 budget and the 2012 provisional action programme were adopted, which is inspired by the royal guidelines aimed at the urban development of the Rabat-Salé-Témara conurbation at the level of major metropolises. The Director General emphasised in this regard the importance of the AURS's action strategy based, according to him, on constant consultation with partners, transparency and openness to its environment. An approach that has given the AURS a local, regional, national and international influence which will moreover be consolidated with a view to achieving the objectives set by all stakeholders in terms of housing and urban planning. Objectives that notably concern economic and social development within the framework of the national strategy for city policy and the principle of urban integration and social cohesion. For his part, Nabil Benabdellah, Minister of Housing, Urban Planning and City Policy, presented his congratulations to the Director General for the rich report achieved, the quality of the work and the E-Mtiaz 2011 encouragement prize won, and to all the AURS staff who contributed to the performance achieved at all levels. Let us recall that on the sidelines of this meeting, 10 recommendations presented by the AURS were approved by the members of its board, including the opening of a branch in Tamesna and the taking of the necessary measures to make the counters operational as soon as possible in collaboration with the partners concerned.

Thanks to its policy of development and continuous improvement, the Urban Agency of Rabat-Salé was able to take part in the various World Bank missions, as a pilot for reform actions regarding building permits and access to land. Thus, the Urban Agency of Rabat-Salé was part of the Moroccan delegation that went to the World Bank headquarters in Washington in July 2011, with the aim of exposing Morocco's efforts in terms of attracting investment and promoting its ranking in the "Doing Business" report. Indeed, the approach adopted by the AURS, which consists of publishing the minutes of the commissions on its website, was considered one of the flagship reforms that had the most impact on improving Morocco's ranking in the World Bank's "Doing Business" 2012 report, contributing to the agency gaining 21 places compared to last year's ranking, which earned the Kingdom the special mention of "Top Reformer" at the global level.

-* The Urban Agency of Rabat-Salé was able to take part in the various World Bank missions, as a pilot for reform actions regarding building permits and access to land

-* The AURS action strategy is based on constant consultation with partners, transparency and openness to its environment.