MEPI UPDATE FOR MOROCCO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RABAT 000813

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PI and PDAS CARPENTER, DRL
TUNIS FOR MEPI RO

SIPDIS

E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON PGOV ETRD EINV KMPI 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 January 1-March 31. Activities included the Advancing
Learning and Employability for a Better Future (ALEF) literacy
project, pharmaceutical and Agribusiness workshops, preparations for
the 2007 legislative elections, the International Republican
Institute's (IRI) activities, a conference on media development, a
National Colloquium on Judicial Ethics, the Moroccan Center for
Civic Education (MCCE) and Scholastic's activities, Financial
Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC) and Global Rights projects.
Implementers are partnering with local NGOs at the grassroots level
to support numerous programs committed to reform in the four MEPI
pillars. End Summary.

--------------
ALEF LITERACY
--------------


2. ALEF literacy project held various training workshops for
literacy teachers in communication and facilitation, instruments for
monitoring and evaluation. ALEF was invited by the Ministry of
Education (MOE) to present the Literacy program as part of MOE's
second national conference on literacy. MOE has confirmed its
support for the Passerelle program (a bridge from colloquial
dialects to classical Arabic),introduced with ALEF leadership and
assistance, to be integrated officially into the government's full
literacy program in 2007-08. At the Al Akhawayn University in
Ifrane, the university opened its doors on March 8th to celebrate
international women's day. The event included a competition on
knowledge pertaining to the family code, which involved only women
drawn from ALEF-supported literacy classes.

--------------
PHARMACEUTICAL AND AGRIBUSINESS WORKSHOPS
--------------


3. The International Executive Service Corps (IESC),in the
framework of its Morocco Fast Track Trade program (MFTT),held two
workshops. First, a pharmaceutical workshop on the FDA's Abbreviated
New Drug Application as a number of MFTT clients in the
pharmaceutical sector see a competitive advantage in producing
medicines for the U.S. market, and several are seeking U.S.
regulatory approval to enter the American market. Eighteen
participants attended the workshop that was held on March 19-20 in
Casablanca. Second, an Agribusiness workshop on "Creating Packaging
and Labeling for the U.S. Market" as MFTT canvassed clients in the
agribusiness sector and concluded that this issue was blocking entry
into the U.S. market. Twenty-four participants attended this
workshop that was held on March 21st in Casablanca.

-------------- --
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2007 LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS
-------------- --


4. During this reporting period, the National Democratic Institute's
(NDI) organized a series of activities to kick off its political
party strengthening program. Two sets of communication trainings on
drafting a campaign plan, including communication plan and
advertising, were organized for the four largest parties: the
Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP),National Rally of
Independents (RNI),the Popular Movement (MP),and the Party for
Progress and Socialism (PPS). The training was based on the results
of focus groups conducted last December by NDI People's Mirror
Center.


5. With the support of NDI programs, parties are already in the
process of finalizing their communication plans by developing
clearer positions vis-`-vis other parties. The focus groups results
along with the training played an important role in helping parties
position themselves, they are better able to craft their messages
and use the appropriate communication and media outreach strategies
to make sure they target the largest audiences possible. This step
has become essential for Moroccan political parties, who have long
been criticized for having generic messages.

--------------
IRI'S ACTIVITIES
--------------


6. According to public opinion research and contacts, the number one
issue in the minds of Moroccans heading into the September 7
legislative elections is jobs and the economy. To assist political
parties in responding to the priorities of voters, IRI is conducting

RABAT 00000813 002 OF 003


a series of Economic Policy Development conferences. The goal of
these conferences is two-fold: the first is to stress the
importance of the issue and to create ways of expressing a vision
for job creation and economic development for the upcoming campaign.
Second, IRI is assisting the parties in developing a strategy for
rapidly implementing policies right after the election, quickly
delivering on campaign promises to build trust with Moroccans that
the parties are acting in the best interest of the voters.

--------------
CONFERENCE ON MEDIA DEVELOPMENT
--------------


7. Media Professionals from fifteen countries in the Middle East and
North Africa (MENA),Europe, and the U.S. gathered in Marrakech
January 14-16 to discuss media development in the region. The
conference also discussed the Media Sustainability Index, a newly
released study of the state of the media prepared by the
International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) and MENA region
media professionals. Mark Whitehouse, Director of Media Development
at IREX, noted the changes in the region, "While there has been much
discussion of the role of Pan-Arab Satellite television, other
technologies and approaches such as blogging and on-line journalism
are having a dramatic impact on the media and practice of
journalism."
Topics of discussion included new media (internet, mobile phone
messaging (SMS),on-line journalism, blogging),local news,
children's programming, the legal environment, and journalism
education. As media rapidly develops and responds to rapid
technological change, media must increasingly share experiences and
lessons learned to help form the basis of further media
development.

--------------
NATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON JUDICIAL ETHICS
--------------


8. More than forty judges and leading representatives of the
Moroccan Judges' Association, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ),the
Judicial Training Institute "Institut Superieure de la
Magistrature"(ISM),the High Judicial Council "Conseil Superieure de
la Magistrature" (CSM),and the Supreme Court met in Tangier on
March 30, to discuss adopting a national ethics charter for the
profession. The colloquium was organized by the national judges'
association, the Amicale Hassaniya, with support from the American
Bar Association and MEPI. The colloquium was the first-ever
gathering of Moroccan judges to discuss adoption of a national
judicial code or charter, no such code currently exists. As a
result of discussions at the Tangier colloquium, a majority of
Moroccan judges and the leadership of the MOJ, the CSM, the ISM and
the Supreme Court appear ready to support adoption of a professional
ethics code.

-------------- --------------
THE MOROCCAN CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION'S ACTIVITIES
-------------- --------------


9. During this quarter, a number of training workshops were
conducted for teachers, supervisors, university students, teachers
in training and administrators in various cities. The workshops
featured intensive training on Project Citizen and Foundations of
Democracy programs. Hundreds of students from different institutions
have been working in teams to identify community problems, gather
information, examine alternative policies and propose a public
policy in order to develop an action plan that they will present
during the local, regional and national showcases before a panel of
judges in May and June, 2007.

--------------
SCHOLASTIC'S ACTIVITIES
--------------


10. During this reporting period, Scholastic's representative in
Morocco visited eight Regional Academies of Education (AREF). During
these visits, she met with the teachers, the schools' principals,
and representatives of the delegations, and of the parents'
associations. She visited 46 primary schools and had activities
with the children. She received extensive support from regional
authorities who provided her logistical assistance so that she could
visit the schools in remote locations. She launched training
sessions within the Delegation of Education of Kenitra and within
two delegations in Marrakech.

--------------

RABAT 00000813 003 OF 003


FSVC PROJECTS
--------------


11. FSVC continued its collaboration with Morocco's central bank,
Bank Al Maghrib (BAM),focused on strengthening BAM's capacity in
banking supervision and risk management. In January 2007, volunteers
from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Bank of Canada
provided training and consultations on best practice approaches to
internal operational risk management for central banks, advancing
BAM's work on evaluating its operational risk and unit plans for
risk mitigation. FSVC also organized in February a study tour for
BAM supervision staff to Switzerland, following up on in- country
consultations. The program focused on supervision and reporting
standards for financial conglomerates, an area of key concern for
BAM given a system where 80% of the banking sector is part of a
larger conglomerate. The consultations helped the bank further
develop its financial conglomerates supervision framework, including
supervisory tools and reporting methodologies for financial
conglomerates. Both projects continued U.S. assistance to BAM in
building up its capacity to effectively take on its newly
independent role as supervisor and policy setter for the financial
sector.

--------------
GLOBAL RIGHTS PROJECTS
--------------


12. Under the Ensuring Access to Justice for Women through Court
Accompaniment Initiative the Global Rights Morocco field office held
a three day training workshop for representatives of local NGOs in
Agadir. The workshop included the topics of Court Accompaniment:
Staff Training and Management; Legal Orientation and Counseling:
Systems and Strategies; Violations of Women's Human Rights: Court
Monitoring, Documentation and Advocacy; Law Related Strategies:
Advocacy Preparation and Tools; and Strategic Litigation: Elements
of a Test Case Strategy. Under the Promoting Women's Human Rights
through a National Young Activists Network Initiative, the Morocco
field office developed and held a three-day training workshop in
Agadir for representatives of local NGOs. The workshop focused on
the practical elements of managing organizations focused on women's
rights such as operationalizing values, integrating beneficiaries,
working in networks, and fundraising in networks.


13. A detailed description of MEPI programs in Morocco can be found
on the Mission unclassified Internet web page at www.usembassy.ma.

RILEY