Morocco is firmly determined to make progress in establishing the rule of law and democracy, and eliminating injustices and social inequalities, said Morocco's representative in the Geneva-based UN offices, Mohamed Loulichki. Speaking at a panel on the integration of a gender perspective within the framework of the 9th session of the Council of Human Rights, held here Friday, the Moroccan diplomat said the signals by the highest Moroccan authorities, all the initiatives and actions undertaken and the projects underway in different fields reflect the political will of Morocco to make every effort to achieve this goal. The reforms introduced by Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, he said, are translated notably by a new Family Code, the reforms of the Penal Code and the Code of nationality, the introduction of a quota system to ensure stronger presence of women in parliament, the National Programme for Gender Equality in primary schools, and the integration of gender in the elaboration and analysis of the state budget and in the process of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission. He added that Morocco has adopted, in line with the indicators set by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1997, a “national strategy for equity and equality between the sexes by integrating the gender approach in policies and development programmes.” This strategy, he explained, is meant to reduce disparities between the sexes, both in terms of rights, access to resources and economic opportunities, and in terms of political influence, according to a report carried by Morocco's Maghreb Arabe Press (MAP).
