MEPI UPDATE FOR MOROCCO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RABAT 001724 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/FO-PATTON, NEA/MAG, NEA/PI AND DRL/NESCA SIPDIS E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PGOV EFIN KMPI SCUL MO SUBJECT: MEPI UPDATE FOR MOROCCO REF: A) Rabat 0399, B) 06 Rabat 2509 ¶1. Summary: This cable highlights MEPI programs and initiatives in Morocco from July 1-September 30. A large MEPI grant (USD 450,000) made possible the first international observer mission in the history of Moroccan elections. Other activities included an election survey by Akhawayn University and visits by representatives from MEPI's Regional Office in Tunis, and a congressional staffer. Highlights from existing programs included activities by the Advancing Learning and Employability for a Better Future (ALEF) literacy project, MEPI Alumni Network, International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX),American Bar Association (ABA),Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC),Moroccan Center for Civic Education (MCCE) and MEPI Youth Summer Leadership Institute. Implementers are partnering with local NGOs at the grassroots level to support numerous programs committed to reform in the four MEPI pillars. End Summary. -------------- ELECTION OBSERVERS -------------- ¶2. MEPI funding of USD 450,000 made possible a significant pre-election assessment by a congressional staff delegation in early September, followed by the participation of a 45-member international elections observer mission. Coordinated by the National Democratic Institute (NDI),this landmark effort was the first time in history foreign observers had been invited to watch Moroccan elections. The mission concluded that the elections were conducted transparently, free from systematic fraud or widespread irregularities. -------------- ELECTION SURVEY -------------- ¶3. In the weeks before the September parliamentary elections, a MEPI small grant funded a public opinion survey conducted by students of Akhawayn University, supervised by faculty, which quantified attitudes toward electoral participation in sample urban and rural areas. The survey results corroborated anecdotal findings about public ambivalence toward political parties and detachment from the political system. -------------- MEPI VISITORS -------------- ¶4. MEPI's Tunis Regional Officer Deputy Director Kirk Wolcott and Grants Financial Analyst Nadim Kourda visited Rabat on September 10-13 to conduct monitoring site visits. They discussed programming issues with MCCE, ABA, NDI, MTDS-Tanmia, and hosted a reception for steering committee members of the MEPI Alumni Network. Kourda performed monitoring activities at the Association Action Jeunesse, Joussour and MTDS-Tanmia. The Tunis visitors also visited Al Akhawayn University, an ALEF literacy site near Casablanca and Tanmia's Community Access Center in Sale. They also provided training on MEPI issues for new emboffs as well as discussed ways to improve coordination efforts in MEPI programs. ¶5. Congressional staffer Michael Phelan from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee visited Morocco from September 2-12. Initially, he participated as a member of MEPI-funded international pre-election assessment and election-day observation team. Then, Phelan spent his last three days discussing USG assistance programs, including MEPI, with emboffs and representatives from the Prime Minister's office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. -------------- ALEF LITERACY PROJECT -------------- ¶6. The ALEF Project had numerous activities within its MEPI literacy portfolio, most of which involved the start of close-out efforts, anticipating the program's end in early 2008. ALEF worked with consultants, the State Secretariat for Literacy and Non-formal Education (SSLNE) and several implementing partner associations to finalize its trainer guides and learning manuals. The SSLNE was very impressed with the program and will adopt its teaching techniques in its ongoing work, representing a large vote of confidence for the ALEF Project. Test data from ALEF students consistently showed significantly better levels of literacy acquisition and retention. The Director of the Regional Education and Training Academy for Casablanca has officially requested that ALEF help him to adopt the pilot program for use with about 24,000 RABAT 00001724 002 OF 003 women and men who will be participating in the Academy's new literacy initiative. -------------- THE MEPI ALUMNI NETWORK ACTIVITIES -------------- ¶7. The MEPI Alumni Network in Morocco was officially launched on July 13 at a gathering of more than one hundred MEPI alumni from businesses, NGOs, political parties and development associations. Ambassador Riley spoke at the event. The goal of the network is to support MEPI alumni in their efforts continue to promote reform in Morocco. During the quarter, the network organized workshops for MEPI alumni members that discussed grant writing, job hunting, stress management, and marketing. Each workshop was attended by 20-25 participants. -------------- MARKET RESEARCH SURVEY FOR MOROCCAN MEDIA -------------- ¶8. On July 16-17, IREX hosted a meeting for independent media organizations to discuss the findings of a market research survey it financed to help Moroccan media companies better understand and identify target audiences. The goal was to provide data on audiences and markets to media outlets, advertising agencies and advertisers; and to train these groups in the use of market research to better understand and respond to their audiences and advertisers. -------------- WORKSHOP OF JUDICIAL ETHICS -------------- ¶9. ABA's MEPI-funded Legal and Judicial Development Project orchestrated the participation of six members of the Moroccan National Judges' Association to attend a regional meeting of judges in Algeria. The gathering focused on Algeria's recent success in adopting a charter of judicial ethics and Morocco's steps to realize a similar judicial ethics charter. ABA convened a meeting of judges from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, during which the participants raised, for the first time, the suggestion of forming a Maghreb-wide judges' association. ABA considered this development to be a significant step forward in sharing experience among judges of the region and for helping the respective judges' associations assume increased institutional effectiveness and influence. -------------- WOMEN'S RIGHTS JUDICIAL CURRICULUM PROJECT -------------- ¶10. During the quarter, ABA and the Institut Superieur de la Magistrature, finalized the e-learning judge training modules of the MEPI-funded Women's Rights Judicial Curriculum Project. Judges in Rabat and Marrakech tested the computer-based teaching modules. The judges were impressed with this new learning technique. Even those with little computer experience found them to be easy to navigate. Morocco's innovative e-learning judicial curriculum will be shared with judicial counterparts in Algeria, Bahrain and Jordan during the next few months -------------- FSVC PROJECTS -------------- ¶11. In July, FSVC organized a workshop for Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM) supervisory staff on international accounting standards (IAS) issues for financial securities. The volunteers advised BAM supervisory staff on accounting methodology to classify and value securities portfolios under the International Financial Reporting Standards, which is being applied by BAM to the banking sector. The advice supported BAM's formal accounting guidance governing bank portfolio valuation, and application of IAS, now a regulatory requirement by BAM. IAS implementation seeks to bring Moroccan accounting practices into line with international standards and improve transparency. FSVC also provided similar bank regulatory accounting oriented training to the Chartered Accountants Association, whose membership is responsible for auditing bank accounts. -------------- THE MOROCCAN CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION -------------- ¶12. MCCE organized the third Project Citizen pre-service Summer Institute from August 28-September 1. The institute involved 22 RABAT 00001724 003 OF 003 recent graduates of teacher training institutes who have just been placed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in middle and high schools throughout Morocco, and six university students who are actively engaged with youth NGOs. The workshop featured training sessions in Project Citizen concepts and presentations by MOE officials and Emily Higgs, Program Coordinator at the Center for Civic Education in Washington D.C. The event has attracted much media attention despite coinciding with the parliamentary elections. -------------- MEPI YOUTH SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE -------------- ¶13. Eight Moroccans traveled to the U.S. to participate in a six-week leadership training program for undergraduate students -- the MPI Youth Summer Leadership Institute. They each cme from underprivileged families and had proven eadership skills. The Institute consisted of ledership training workshops, academic sessions, site visits, community service projects, optional home stays, cultural activities and other opportunities for interaction with Americans peers. The program ran July 5-August 19 and included a two-day orientation in Washington D.C., a four-week academic residency program at a U.S. university or college, and a two-week eductional study tour to other regions of the U.S. There will be follow-on activities of this program, with a MEPI grant to be awarded to the student with the best design of a community assistance project. ¶14. A detailed description of MEPI programs in Morocco can be found on the Mission unclassified internet web page at www.usembassy.ma. JACKSON