“Comprehensive empoyerment of women is the foundation for development and equality»
Statement by PAM Secretary General Mr. Abdellatif Ouahbi at the national convention of PAM women organization
Bouznika, May 19, 2023
Mrs. President of the National Council
Ladies and gentlemen members of the Politburo
Ladies and gentlemen MPs
Our dear invitees
Our wonderful female militants
I wished to have been with you in this outstanding meeting after we have collectively prepared all conditions for its success, but as you all know I have been through an emergency illness which has made me to be absent from attending personally this meeting; however my heart, thoughts and all feelings are with you and I will be following closely your convention until its very successful end so all your expectations and hopes will be achieved, as we consider this convention as an important phase to put PAM women organization on its good long track to achieve Moroccan women desired dignity and their legitimate rights in accordance with His Majesty King Mohammed VI emphasis on affording a dignified position for Moroccan women:
“We have has insisted since our coming to power and our crowing to advance women condition and open wide scopes to help women get the position they deserve; and among the most important reforms we have made is the issuing of family status code and endorsement of the 2011 constitution, which implements equality between women and men in rights and duties, and stipulates equity principle as a goal to be achieved by the state. The matter in this context doesn’t consist of granting free-of-charge privileges to women, but to give women their legitimate and legal rights; in today’s Morocco you cannot deprive women of their rights” (end of His Majesty’s quotes)
Sister militants
The holding of this convention at this crucial moment in our country’s history, as our country is facing bigger political economic and social challenges, as a result of external geostrategic constraints and unprecedented epidemic and climate conditions, of two successive years of drought, all have caused disruption in production chains, in addition to prices increase in basic food and energy products; return of inflation and almost large collapse of activities in some economic sectors, all this has impacted negatively social conditions in our country.
Therefore, we are fully aware that many of our citizens are suffering as a result of those conditions and we are also fully confident that Moroccan women will be the biggest victims in such crises, they will be suffering more and Moroccan women will always paying the prices during such social crises as it has occurred during latest the covid- 19 pandemic.
That was confirmed by many surveys which have confirmed that women was the community which has lost jobs more an statistics of the Higher Planning Commissioner have confirmed that women have lost about 200 thousand jobs in the first quarter of 2020.
We, in PAM, are fully aware that what despite of what Moroccan women have achieved of progress and prosperity, they, however, are still suffering from many problems and disruptions accumulated over decades. We will not stop at shameful official figures reflecting this sour reality, but the matter requires from us al as ministers , MPs, elected bodies and officials , militants to pursue our mobilization and extensive communication and contribute effectively using all means to minimize the crisis impact on Moroccan women’s living conditions and help advance their condition in general.
Our convention has come in very special circumstances of our party’s history, as we have moved after several years in the opposition to the responsibility of managing public affairs inside the government in a new position that requires from us an upheaval change in dealing with women issues and integrate a serious process to change women’s conditions, change rules and implement effective public policies capable of finding solutions to women’s political, economic social and cultural problems.
