BRITISH EMBASSY, RABAT

Projects Newsletter (No. 3)

Welcome to the British Embassy Morocco projects newsletter. We are working with Moroccan civil society, government, and international NGOs to promote democracy, human rights, economic and social reforms, and the rule of law.
This newsletter aims to keep you informed of the work that we and our partners are doing and the results achieved.  

Promoting good governance/anti-corruption

The Department for International Development (DFID) has approved a regional programme designed to support the local teams of Transparency International in Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine as well as Morocco. This support is worth over £1m over 3 years. The programme aims to provide legal advice and assistance to victims and witnesses of corruption; to help citizens to pursue corruption-related complaints; and to collect information on complaints and use this to advocate for change.

In addition, the UK has recently agreed to fund the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-Middle East and North Africa (OECD-MENA) anti-corruption programme "Supporting the United Nation Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) review mechanism through joint learning studies". This is worth £745,000 over 2 years. The general purpose of the programme is to provide detailed recommendations to countries in MENA (including Morocco) to catalyse reform and improve administrative governance.

Finally, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) is supporting a project to strengthen parliamentary ethics regimes in several MENA countries, including Morocco. The WFD's partner is the Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption (ARPAC) network. The programme started in September 2008 and is due to end in October 2009.
More information about the WFD can be found at: http://www.wfd.org/pages/home.aspx?i_PageID=1811

Promoting equal access to family justice for women

The Embassy and the international NGO `Global Rights` (GR) in Rabat have launched a project aimed at promoting equal access to family justice for women through a network of NGOs and lawyers. This regional project involves 20 partner NGOs and lawyers from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

After its first successful regional workshop in Fez, Global Rights held a second workshop with its regional partners in July in Rabat to present and analyse focus group findings on the marriage contract and women's rights and the results of the legal analysis prepared by partner lawyers. The results were compiled and published in a report entitled `Conditions not Conflicts` and is available in Arabic, English and French.

In late October, GR organised a national conference in Algiers to present the marriage contract prototype. Over 70 participants attended the conference from across Algeria.

Promoting moderate thoughts in the next generation of Muslim leaders

The Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, the British Embassy and the British Council have initiated a partnership project with the purpose of exposing a selection of Moroccan religious leaders to a wide range of religious perspectives and interfaith dialogue.

Thirty Moroccan religious scholars will follow English language courses at the British Council in Casablanca. Those scholars who reach the required level of English will then undertake postgraduate studies in the UK in areas such as comparative religions and theology.

A further 300 Moroccan religious scholars and 150 British students of religious studies will be exposed to different and broad religious perspectives through the conferences and lectures that will be organised featuring well known key note speakers from Morocco and the UK.

Supporting MediAction initiative in Morocco

The NGO Search For Common Ground (SFCG) with the support of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) and the funding of the British Embassy, is supporting the creation of five mediation centres in Morocco.

This project aims to empower youth via the institutionalisation of community mediation centres in the cities of Fez, Marrakech, Meknes, Rabat and Salé. It will also foster social cohesion and a culture of mediation and non violence.

SFCG held its first consensus building seminar and a one-week training workshop in Rabat for a group of 26 young people as a first step to establishing a mediation centre in the Yacoub El Mansour area in Rabat. The participants were very motivated and keen to set up a mediation centre in their community. The same activities took place for the establishment of a mediation centre in Marrakech.

NGOs capacity building on project design and management

Centre Likaa de Développement (CLD) organised a three-day capacity building workshop in Casablanca for civil society activists with the support of the British Embassy.

The objective was to enable a network of 25 dynamic NGOs to access National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) funds through the development of well designed project proposals and project management skills.

CLD has also invited INDH representatives to a debate with other civil society representatives. This was an excellent opportunity for all parties to discuss and build bridges for a better co-ordination strategy.

Reinforcing youth participation in public life

The British Embassy and six NGO partners have embarked on a project to reinforce youth participation in public life through a better understanding of the management of public institutions. The project aims to build a constructive dialogue between deprived youth and senior officials of public institutions.

Beneficiaries will visit Ministries and Parliament to better understand how public servants generate and implement policies affecting people's lives in general and youth in particular. Young people will debate, for the first time, with senior officials and government representatives.
The project targets 200 youths in 4 cities (Casablanca, Meknes, Larache and Kénitra). Participants will also be trained on public institution management
as well as on the development of project proposals so they can approach potential donors with confidence.

Educating students on tolerance and peaceful culture in schools

The Embassy is supporting a Centre des Droits des Gens (CDG) project, whose goal is to reduce disagreement in disadvantaged areas between school officials, students, parents and other interested parties by educating those involved on peaceful culture and tolerance.

Over 240 people involved in the school environment have been trained through four two-day training sessions on tolerance, conflict resolution by peaceful means and non-violence culture. Activities took place in Fez and Missour amongst four delegations of the Education Ministry in the region.

The CDG organised a half-day drawing session for students under the slogan `All for peace and all against violence`. This was a fitting activity to celebrate the end of the project.

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We hope that you have found this newsletter of interest.  We would welcome your feedback and any suggestions to help us to improve our newsletter. Please also let us know if there is anyone you think we should add to the distribution list.

If you do not wish to receive future project newsletter please let us know and we will remove you from our mailing list.

For more details please feel free to request the previous newsletter and fact sheets on our main projects from Imad Rachid (imad.rachid@fco.gov.uk)