HIBAPRESS – Rabat
Lahcen Asseydi, Secretary of State in charge of Traditional Industry, Social and Solidarity Economy, and Naima Benyahya, Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Family, Omar Hjira, Secretary of State to the Minister of Industry and Trade in charge of Foreign Trade, and Tariq Sadiq, Director of Dar Assanae, signed a framework agreement for partnership and cooperation to coordinate efforts and develop joint programs aimed at improving production conditions within women's cooperatives, strengthening their marketing capabilities, and strengthening their ability to access foreign markets.
This agreement was signed today, Wednesday, on the occasion of the launch of the 23rd national awareness campaign to stop violence against women, on the subject of: "For the harmonization of national legislation with the principles of equality and parity," which is organized by the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Family in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund. The agreement aims, according to a statement issued by the signatory ministerial sectors, to "support the economic empowerment of women by improving the capabilities of women's cooperatives and expanding channels for marketing their products at the national level," and "contribute to improving the competitiveness of women's cooperative products within the national market." According to the source, the agreement aims to "support promotion through national exhibitions and marketing activities within Morocco," and "develop national digital marketing channels," and "enhance the exportability of women's cooperative products by improving their quality and adapting them to international standards and the requirements of foreign markets." This partnership aims to "expand the presence of handicraft and local products of women's cooperatives in international markets by integrating them into export promotion programs," and "strengthen the competitive capabilities of women's cooperatives in the fields of international marketing, packaging, compliance conditions, and pricing of export products." According to the same statement, the agreement aims to "enable women's cooperatives to access international trade information and export opportunities through the platforms and mechanisms provided by the Secretariat of State for Foreign Trade," and "encourage the regular participation of women's cooperatives in international economic exhibitions and salons to enable them to get to know the markets and conclude trade partnerships." The agreement also aims to "strengthen the involvement of women's cooperatives in commercial digitalization programs, especially electronic platforms for export," and "contribute to raising the value of national exports of handicraft and local products by integrating cooperative products into value chains dedicated to external marketing," and "valorizing Moroccan women's production at the international level within the framework of the "Made in Morocco" mark and national commercial promotion programs." The statement indicated that this agreement comes in implementation of the High Royal Directives aimed at promoting the social and solidarity economy, and strengthening its contribution to addressing national development challenges economically, socially and territorially, to develop its contribution to the national economic fabric, and based on the government program 2021-2026, which attaches great importance to the social and solidarity economy, as a real lever for development, and in view of the conclusions of the development model, which calls for launching a dynamic that supports the emergence of a new social and solidarity economy, embracing productive entrepreneurial initiatives and considering it a self-reliant economic sector. Lahcen Asseydi explained, during a speech on the occasion of the launch of the 23rd national awareness campaign to stop violence against women, that the economic independence of women is among the main factors that contribute to reducing the fragile situations of women and their weakness in the face of the conditions leading to the spread of the phenomenon of violence against them. The minister added, "The traditional industry, social and solidarity economy sector is among the most important national sectors that effectively contribute to establishing the principles and values of equality, equity and solidarity, and thus providing opportunities to improve the economic situation of women and achieve their self-reliance, and raise their social status, especially in rural and semi-urban environments, through providing the possibilities for access to income-generating activities, creating wealth and creating job opportunities, and improving the level of income and services in various productive and service sectors from traditional industry, agriculture, sea fishing, solidarity tourism, and other economic activities. Where women constitute a significant percentage of craftsmen and craftswomen, and of members of social and solidarity economy organizations from cooperatives, associations, mutual societies and social enterprises." The statement indicated that the national awareness campaign to stop violence against women aims to identify discriminatory aspects in national laws, and create a participatory public discussion that pushes towards achieving fair legislation and proposing practical and appropriate recommendations to review the relevant laws, according to a rights-based approach that respects gender.
