MOROCCO: Strengthening the capacities of the Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights (Twinning)

Main objectives:

Due to the social and political upheavals in the wake of the so-called “Arab Spring”, Morocco went a significant step forward concerning its rule of law and human rights development. The constitution adopted on 29 July 2011 enshrined the principle of separation of powers and guarantees the exercise of civil liberties. With regard to the protection and promotion of human rights, the “Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights” (Délégation Interministérielle aux Droits de l’Homme, DIDH) was established. This institution has the task to monitor the compliance with human rights standards by the government and to ensure the implementation of international human rights conventions. The European Union supports the Moroccan reform process with respect to human rights through a special programme.
The activities of the Twinning project aimed to strengthen the organizational structures and the technical capacities of the Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights in a sustainable way and to support hence the overall democratic development of Morocco.

The project was officially launched with a kick-off meeting in Rabat on the 18 December 2014.

The formal closing event took place on 8 September 2017.

Main activities of the project:

• Organizational strengthening of the Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights:
Improving internal structures and work processes through elaboration of manuals concerning field-specific methods and design of an internal information system; conducting training on the use of the newly established systems and processes

• Strengthen the technical capacity of the senior management:
Developing a training plan for the international human rights framework and implementation of training

• Analysis of the national legal arsenal (Constitution of 2011, Moroccan Penal Code, etc.) with the aim of drafting recommendations and suggestions, so that current gaps in human rights law with regard to international human rights obligations can be closed

• Integration of the human rights approach in public policy areas:
Development of a training plan and implementation of training; creation of a methodological manual for the preparation of reports for the monitoring bodies of the human rights treaties and the follow-up of the recommendations of these contractual institutions; creation of thematic guides on the protection and promotion of various rights for the ministerial departments that are responsible for vulnerable parts of the population

• Support the implementation and evaluation of the national human rights action plan:
Development of indicators for monitoring and evaluation of planned activities and recommendations; development of a methodological guide which defines the procedures for the implementation and reporting of the national human rights plan by the concerned ministries and institutions