This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
HIBAPRESS / MAP
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad, Nasser Bourita, stressed, Monday in Rabat, that the richness of the 4th edition of the training cycle of African elections of elections, by the diversity of its participants, the quality of its speakers and the relevance of its themes, will bring an exceptional added value to the whole of the African continent.
Speaking at the opening of the 4th edition of the specialized training cycle for elections in Africa, Mr. Bourita noted that this cycle, which started just four years ago with a dozen participants, today takes on an increasing and qualitative scale, in terms of participation, but also of substance.
Indeed, he added, this year’s edition brings together 120 participants from 52 African countries representing the five regions of the continent, devoting the diversity and the inclusive nature of this event and attesting to the voluntary commitment of African youth in the ranks of electoral observers to contribute to the materialization of the noble objectives of peace, security and good governance in Africa.
Recalling that last year, women and young people represented 50 % of the beneficiaries, he said that they constitute this year 68 % of the participants, thus testifying to a structuring commitment, oriented towards modern, open and inclusive African governance.
Thus, “our ambition remains strong and invariable: providing the continent with qualified skills, capable of rigor and professionalism with electoral processes and democratic transitions in Africa”, he continued, specifying that it is these observers who will contribute to building model and inclusive governance designed for Africa by its own nationals.
And to emphasize that the success of this initiative is mainly due to the shared vision: that of a master Africa of its destiny, capable of validating its own electoral processes according to the standards which it itself set.
In this sense, the Minister said that observers trained over the past years have already played a key role in observing several electoral processes in Africa. For this 4th edition, he said, the emphasis is on the role of women in strengthening the missions of observation of elections in Africa in accordance with the decisions of African heads of state and the objectives of the 2063 agenda.
The commitment of the Kingdom of Morocco to this cycle is fully part of the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, which makes African integration one of the foundations of a shared development, said Mr. Bourita, adding that this year’s publishing is very special with the organization, on the margin of the cycle, of a seminar of political dialogue devoted to inclusive governance, Leadership of women in African electoral and democratic contexts ”.
This choice confirms the common desire to place women at the heart of governance dynamics, in recognition to their role in the construction and strengthening of peace and security in Africa, he continues.
“To be sustainable and legitimate, political transitions, electoral processes and governance mechanisms must reflect the diversity and all the living forces of our societies, at the forefront of which appear women. It is not a simply symbolic objective, but a strategic imperative: to make women fully trust, is to invest in more inclusive, more stable and equitable governance.”
In this spirit, the commitment of the Kingdom of Morocco in favor of an effective role of women in these areas of peace, security and governance in Africa constitutes the extension of its internal political choices and its global commitments, he argued.
The Minister also noted that in an international context marked by an intense electoral year, where nearly 70 countries around the world, including around twenty in Africa, will organize crucial polls, the role of electoral observers becomes even more decisive.
Thus, he noted, the political vision underlying the organization of this 4th training cycle responds to a real and operational need, in particular in terms of capacity building, to contribute to the successes of a dozen presidential and legislative elections provided on the continent.
In this context, “we are delighted to note that several winners of previous editions have already integrated these missions, illustrating the concrete impact of this program”, welcomed Mr. Bourita.
And to conclude that “the ambition we carry, with the African Union, is to see these winners form the backbone of an African body of professional, independent and rigorous electoral observers, in the service of peace and democracy in Africa”.
