Government Voices Commitment to Implementing HM the King’s Guidelines with ‘Firmness’, ‘Responsibility’ – Akhannouch

The government expressed its full commitment to the implementation, “with the highest level of firmness and responsibility”, of the high guidelines contained in the speeches addressed by HM the King to the Nation on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the Throne Day and the 69th anniversary of the King and People’s Revolution. Speaking at the beginning of the work of the Council of Government meeting Thursday in Rabat, the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, has warmly welcomed the content of the two royal speeches, urging members of his cabinet to “abnegation and mobilization, each from its position and according to its responsibilities, for the correct implementation of HM the King’s guidelines, and to show a high sense of optimism, ambition and voluntarism, as advocated by the Sovereign, in order to contribute to the building of Morocco of progress and dignity.” Regarding the first national cause, the Executive welcomes Morocco’s achievements under the leadership of HM the King, which have strengthened the just and legitimate position of the Kingdom regarding the Sahara’s Moroccanness, as well as the Sovereign’s firm positions towards various partners, in the service of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, said Akhannouch. “The government also welcomes the cohesion of the internal front and calls for continued mobilization and closing ranks to thwart the maneuvers of enemies of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom,” he added. On another front, the Head of Government welcomed the determination of HM the King to promote the status of women and to foster their emancipation so that they can occupy their rightful place. “The promulgation of the Moudawana in 2004 marked a historic turning point and a smooth social revolution that was welcomed by all components of society. However, the implementation of some of its provisions has revealed a number of shortcomings, hence the need to focus on improving this text in line with the attention paid to the family in general and the situation of women and children in particular, and in compliance with the framework defined by Amir Al-Mouminine, which draws its foundations from the goals of the Sharia and the moderate ‘Ijtihad’,” noted Akhannouch. Pursuant to the High Royal Directions, the government will proceed to the generalization of family courts nationwide by providing them with qualified human resources and material means necessary for their proper functioning, he further noted. Regarding the generalization of social protection according to the established timetable, a point on which HM the King emphasized, the Head of Government said that his cabinet, committed to the completion of this royal project, has set the goal of providing all Moroccans with compulsory health insurance (AMO) by the end of the year, including self-employed workers and people receiving the RAMED. Law No. 65.00 will be amended as the code of basic medical coverage and will regulate the legal consequences of the inclusion of RAMED beneficiaries, said the Head of Government, adding that it will be referred to parliament as soon as possible. He stressed that the government will work, in parallel, to upgrade the health system, noting in this regard that after the approval by the Council of Ministers, held on July 13, 2022 of the draft framework law No. 06.22 on the national health system and its submission to Parliament, the government will work in the coming weeks to refer all the draft laws and decrees related thereto, as part of a comprehensive vision to cover all components of the reform of the health sector in the Kingdom. In accordance with the royal agenda for the generalization of social protection, Akhannouch said that the government is developing, this year, various mechanisms to gradually generalize family allowances, from the end of 2023 and based on the Unified Social Register, considered the most effective way to target vulnerable and needy families. With the aim of attracting investment, boosting exports and promoting the national product, the Head of Government said that the executive is determined to accelerate the development of measures to implement the new investment charter. He explained that after the approval by the Council of Ministers of the draft law-framework of the new investment charter, which has been transmitted to Parliament, the government will proceed with the development of three decrees on the implementation of accompanying devices that will be presented to the Council of Government upon enactment of the aforementioned framework law. The government continues its efforts to improve the attractiveness of the national economy through the reform of the administration, the simplification of procedures, the continued implementation of the administrative decentralization project, strengthening the effectiveness of regional investment centers and the consolidation of fiscal stability, as well as improving the procurement system and turnaround times, he said. On the other hand, the Head of Government reiterated the call of HM the King to pay more attention to Moroccans abroad, in order to consolidate their link with the homeland, through public policies that take into account their specificities. In this regard, he stressed that the government will work to develop proposals, to materialize measures to accompany Moroccan skills abroad, supporting their initiatives and projects and facilitating their investments in accordance with the content of the new charter of investment. Regarding the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, Akhannouch indicated that the government will implement procedures related to the roadmap of the program “a quality school for all”, in accordance with the proposals of the broad consultations launched since last May around this great reformist project, having reached a consensus on a set of fundamental axes for its implementation. In addition, Akhannouch stressed that the prices of textbooks will not increase, noting that the government has allocated a MAD105 million financial support publishers to compensate them for the high cost of paper and printing.