In a message broadcast before the 2nd International Seminar on National Mechanisms for the Implementation and Reporting on Human Rights, being held in Asunción, Paraguay, from May 8 to 9, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita said that King Mohammed VI has established the protection and promotion of human rights as the “foundation of a modern, just, and peaceful society.”
Bourita noted that just a little over a year after the first such seminar that took place in Marrakech in December 2022, this one continues the “work towards creating an international network of national mechanisms for the implementation and reporting on human rights.” The basis for the network is manifest in a joint commitment made by Morocco, Paraguay, and Portugal.
The minister said that human rights have been “central” to the King’s major projects, citing examples such as reforms of Morocco’s family law, Morocco’s National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), the Southern Provinces Development Model, the New Development Model, and the provision of universal social security programs across the kingdom.
These major national projects have also rested on a solid institutional architecture of human rights, as set forth in the 2011 Constitution, a “true national charter of human rights,” which he asserted has enabled the establishment of major constitutional institutions embodying the effort to ensure human rights through the National Human Rights Council and the National Authority for the Fight against Discrimination.
Morocco has not merely appropriated these tools from elsewhere, but has put significant effort into integrating international human rights institutions into its domestic legal system. He asserted that Morocco has also participated in real discussions and constructive collaboration with respect to human rights.
The Kingdom is attempting to maintain a policy of constructive and proactive involvement with international human rights institutions, including frequent communication with these organizations, active participation in periodic reviews, and regular submission of national reports to the UN human rights system, the minister added.
One example of this constructive approach is the National Mechanism dedicated to the implementation, reporting, and follow-up of International Human Rights Recommendations (MNMRS), which the King initiated and which “has put Morocco among the pioneering countries in this field,” according to the minister.
Over the course of 13 years, the Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights (DIDH) has developed a comprehensive framework that allows for dynamic engagement between Morocco and UN human rights authorities while also coordinating governmental activities by incorporating a human rights-based approach.
This strategy has allowed Morocco to participate in cooperative partnerships, expertise exchange, and capacity development with sister institutions across the world, as well as to implement the national action plan for democracy and human rights, now in its second phase and what he called “a one-of-a-kind roadmap.”
Bourita said the “Marrakech Declaration, marked a new phase for national human rights mechanisms, notably by highlighting the importance of establishing close links between capacity-building programs for national mechanisms and mobilizing technical assistance.”
Morocco is considering the creation of a digital platform as a milestone in the digital community envisioned under this project, as well as the development of a Secretariat to serve as the initiative’s institutional memory.
The major goal of the Asunción conference is to establish a worldwide network of national procedures, which was first proposed in Geneva during the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, earlier this year.
The Moroccan delegation at this seminar included the DIDH Secretary-General Abdelkarim Boujradi, Morocco’s Ambassador to Paraguay, Badreddine Abdelmoumni, and DIDH counselor Moujahid Abbadi.