Youth Should be Placed at Core of Development Projects, King

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has once again stressed the importance that should be granted to youths in any development project and underlined the need to improve the situation of young people who are the country’s genuine asset.

“All stakeholders should take into account the societal changes occurring in Morocco and, as a result, place the youth issue at the heart of the desired development model,” stated the Monarch in a message he addressed Monday to the opening session of the third parliamentary forum on social justice, held in Rabat.

King Mohammed VI also underlined the need to explore the most effective ways to improve the situation of young people, that he described as the country’s “real asset” and “everlasting wealth”.

“I firmly believe that the success of any vision hinges upon a change in mentalities. This is the only way to continue promoting the development the country is witnessing in various sectors and at the same time to set the stage for a new culture based on entrepreneurship, self-reliance and accountability,” he pointed out.

The Monarch who has repeatedly pinpointed the shortcomings of the Moroccan administration has once again stressed the need to focus resolutely on reforming public administration. “No meaningful economic and social development is possible if public service institutions do not fulfil their mission properly in terms of serving the citizen and promoting investment, especially as regions, local governments, investment centers and other parties are playing a growing role in spurring development,” he said.

He also called for further efforts to engage the public and private sectors in innovative, effective partnerships to promote a comprehensive development.

In this connection, he urged all stakeholders (individuals, institutions, political parties, trade unions, civil society and professional institutions) to contribute, through their ideas and proposals, to improving the Moroccan development model, that should enshrine the social and local dimension and that should satisfy all Moroccans.

“I expect this collective effort to bring about a profound shift in modes of thinking and in the way we address development issues and manage public affairs. It should signal a real break with practices in which time is wasted, development opportunities are lost, reforms impeded and creativity and innovation stifled,” the Monarch said.

He insisted that “the main objective is to improve the daily life of our citizens, in an environment characterized by justice, equity, human dignity and equal opportunity” and “to help bring about a society committed to solidarity, in which all citizens enjoy security, freedom, dignity, equality and social justice – one in which rights and obligations go hand in hand”.

Conceding that the achievement of social and inter-regional justice remains a long, arduous process in all countries and that it requires regular evaluation of results and continuous updating of long-term objectives, King Mohammed VI expressed hope that the Forum will make practical proposals and recommendations to design a development model that “fulfills the needs of Moroccans, achieves the desired social justice and helps us keep abreast of the changes unfolding in Morocco and the world at large”.

The third parliamentary forum on social justice is held under the theme: “The challenges of social and spatial justice and the components of the new development model.”