Under the theme "The project to support political participation in Morocco", participants at the Taounate conclave called for promoting increased participation of citizens, particularly women and young people, in political action and the management of local affairs.
A panel of academics, experts, and associative actors examined, on Saturday in Taounate, the question of consolidating the participation of citizens in general, and women and young people in particular, in political action.
During this meeting, organised under the theme "The project to support political participation in Morocco" by the Moroccan Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (CMERS) in partnership with the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), participants called for promoting increased participation of citizens, particularly women and young people, in political action and the management of local affairs.
They also highlighted the leading role of women in the various fields of political, economic, and social life, as well as Article 19 of the new Constitution which enshrines the principle of gender equality, in addition to the Charters and international conventions duly ratified by the Kingdom in this matter.
After recalling that women represent more than half of Morocco's population, the participants stressed the imperative need to strengthen the adherence of women to political life in order to move forward on the path of socio-economic development and participatory democracy.
Citing statistics from the High Commission for Planning (HCP), they noted that 5% of young people in Morocco believe in partisan action and only 1% practice political activities within political structures.
They also reviewed the underlying causes of young people's disaffection with politics, noting that young people in Morocco represent about 40% of the electorate.
Speaking on this occasion, the president of the CMERS, Tarek Atlati, stressed that "the project to support political participation in Morocco" initiated in partnership with the MEPI tends to encourage, particularly, young people and women to participate in political action in Morocco, while recalling the importance of other thematic meetings organised in Rabat, El Jadida, Safi, and Tangier.
Highlighting the major socio-economic, political, and cultural reforms that Morocco is experiencing, Tarek Atlati advocated the need to consolidate participation in political action in order to further strengthen the country's socio-economic development.
For her part, the president of the "Atae" Association for Women and Children, Lalla Chrif Chikhi, recalled that this meeting aims to encourage youth to join political life, noting that the concept of political participation, as a democratic expression, aims at the involvement of all parts of society in public affairs.
She also reported on the various meetings related to the debated theme, including "Political participation of women and young people" and "New organic laws: what challenges to increase the political participation of youth and women?".
Organised in partnership with the "Atae" Association for Women and Children, this meeting was marked by the screening of a documentary on the launch of the project to support political participation in Morocco at the level of the various regions of the Kingdom.
