SEMINAR IN BENI MELLAL: FIGHT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

The Regional Human Rights Commission of Beni Mellal-Khouribga organizes, in partnership with the Popular Childhood Association, a seminar on school violence, on Friday, June 28, 2013, at the Maghreb Arab Youth House in Beni Mellal. The opening session will start at 6:30 p.m. “For the fight of violence against children” is the theme of the seminar

This human rights oriented gathering is organized in implementation of a partnership concluded by the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) and the Popular Childhood Association. It will be an opportunity to outline and discuss CNDH’s recent thematic report on child protection centers.

The first session will be moderated by Mr. Rachid Erringua, expert. It will shed light on school violence. The second session, to be moderated by Ms. Jamila Sayouri, CNDH member, will highlight the conclusions and recommendations of CNDH’s report, entitled “Child Protection Centers: Childhood at Risk - For a Comprehensive Policy for Child Protection”.

REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF CASABLANCA-SETTAT: ADDED VALUE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION IN THE REGION - MEETING

The Regional Human Rights Commission of Casablanca-Settat holds a meeting to highlight the role of the commission in the protection of human rights, on Friday, June 28, 2013, at the Municipal Council in Sidi Bennour. “The Regional Human Rights Commission: added value for human rights protection in the region of Casablanca-Settat” is the theme of this meeting.

This gathering aims to shed light on the commission’s role as a redress and protection mechanism. It’s the first in a series of outreach meetings to be organized by the commission of Casablanca-Settat. It will bring together several institutional and civil society stakeholders active in the Province of Sidi Bennour.

Presentations on the National Human Rights Council’s prerogatives and its regional commission’s mandate will be given in this meeting. The achievements of the Regional Human Rights Commission of Casablanca-Settat in the area of human rights protection and the situation of human rights in the Province of Sidi Bennour will be highlighted in this meeting as well.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF MARRAKECH AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY FACULTY OF SAFI

The Regional Human Rights Commission of Marrakech and the Multidisciplinary Faculty of Safi will sign a partnership and cooperation agreement on Monday, June 27, 2013, in Safi.

This agreement aims to be a platform for the commission and the faculty to exchange experience and knowledge. It will be a platform to promote the values of citizenship and the culture of human rights. It also aims to encourage initiatives aiming at the promotion of human rights thoughts and the human rights related civil action.

A lecture on citizenship in the new Constitution will be delivered by Mr. Said Khomri. It will be delivered with the framework of Al Qadi Ayad University’s Citizenship and Human Rights Chair, created by virtue of an agreement between the Regional Human Rights Commission of Marrakech and Al Qadi Ayad University.

The Regional Human Rights Commission of Marrackech is one of CNDH’s 13 regional human rights mechanisms. Created under Article 28 of the Council’s founding Royal Decree, these commissions are mandated to monitor the situation of human rights at the local levels. They receive and handle complaints about allegations of human rights violations. They implement the Council’s programs and projects related to the promotion of human rights and stimulation of dialogue and thoughts on human rights, in cooperation with the local stakeholders concerned.

FULL-DAY WORKSHOP IN RABAT ON INTEGRATION OF SAHARAN-HASSANI CULTURE IN TRAINING AND EDUCATION CURRICULA

The National Human Rights Council holds a full-day workshop to discuss and exchange on the integration of the Saharan-Hassani Culture in the training and education system. The workshop will be held at the headquarters of Mohammed VI Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Training, in Rabat, on Thursday, June 27, 2013. It will start at 9:00 a.m.

This workshop is organized within the framework of the Council’s efforts and contribution to promoting cultural rights, mainly linguistic rights, preserving heritage and implementing the Constitution, which affirms that the Hassani culture is one of the components of the Moroccan identity. It aims to open a scientific and serene debate on the position of the Saharan-Hassani culture in public policies, mainly in the sector of education and training.

Discussions will revolve around a platform drafted by a group of research and studies on the Saharan Sahel, in partnership with the Regional Academy for Education and Training in the region of Laayoune-Sakia el Hamra. The platform is entitled “For the Integration of the Saharan-Hassani Culture in School Curricula”. It includes several proposals and measures and recommends a pedagogical framework that takes into account the transmission of the Hassanic heritage between generations and its integration in the educational process, within families and in schools alike. It also recommends that this culture should be included in the curricula of schools in the Sothern Provinces, in implementation of the regionalization of the National Charter for Education and Training.

The platform will be presented and discussed in this workshop. Several presentations will be given in this regard: “Integration of the Hassani culture in the educational system through regional curricula”, “Education on values through Hassani proverbs”, “Integrating the Hassani culture in school curricula – the history course as an example”, “Contributing to the integration of the Hassani culture in educational programs: through a unit experience, philosophy course, common-core syllabus”; “Implementation of local curricula; experience of the Academy of Oued Eddahab-Lagouira, as an example”, and “Regional curricula in university education, University of Ibn Zohr”.

REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF OUJDA-FIGUIG HOLDS MEETING WITH CIVIL SOCIETY STAKEHOLDERS IN BERKANE

The Regional Human Rights Commission of Oujda-Figuig holds a meeting with civil society stakeholders in the Province of Berkane, on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, at the social actions foundation of teachers in Berkane.

This meeting is held in line with the Commission’s openness to all stakeholders active in the cities and provinces where it operates. The Commission discusses and exchanges, in such meetings, on its mandate and role in the protection and promotion of human rights and stimulating dialogue and thoughts on democracy and human rights with the different stakeholders.

It will be chaired by Mr. Mohamed Amarti, Chairperson of the Commission. It will be an opportunity to shed light on the commission’s intervention mechanisms and its plan of action 2013. Participants will also explore prospects for cooperation and joint action between the Commission and civil society stakeholders operating in the province of Berkane.

REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF AL HOCEIMA-NADOR ORGANIZES ACTIVITY FOR STUDENTS FOR MEMORY AND CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

The Regional Human Rights Commission of AL Hoceima-Nador organizes an activity for memory and citizenship education, for female students in the province of Driouche, on Sunday, June 23, 2013. This activity is organized in cooperation with three local associations (an association for female student house in Driouche, an association for solidarity and environment in Al Hoceima and a women association in a nearby commune).

40 female students from the different middle and high schools in the province of Driouche will take part in this activity. They will visit all Historical and cultural monuments in the District of Beni Boufrah, the Commune of Snada and the Kiadat of Ajdir in Al Hoceima. They will gather at the headquarters of the regional commission in Al Hoceima, at 8:00 a.m.

This activity is organized in line with the follow-up of the implementation of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations related to the positive preservation of memory. It is also organized in implementation of a program aiming to support human rights education clubs (operating within schools). It aims to contribute to the promotion of human rights education among young students through human rights clubs within education and training institutions. The aim is to have these clubs involved in the promotion of the culture of human rights and to strengthen coordination with them to spread the values of tolerance, freedom and equality and to rehabilitate and preserve collective memory.

The Regional Human Rights Commission of Al Hoceima-Nador is one of the National Human Rights Council’s 13 regional mechanisms. Created under Article 28 of the Council’s founding Royal Decree, the Commission is mandated to monitor the situation of human rights in the Rif. It receives and handles complaints about alleged human rights violations. Its territorial jurisdiction covers the provinces of Al Hoceima, Nador and Driouche. Chaired by Ms. Souad El Idrissi, the regional commission implements the Council’s programs and projects related to the promotion of human rights and stimulation of dialogue and reflection on human rights at the region, in cooperation with the local stakeholders concerned.

TRAINING SESSION IN AZILAL FOR JUDGES AND LAWYERS ON FREE TRIAL CONDITIONS

The Regional Human Rights Commission of Beni Mellal-Khouribga organizes a training session for judges and lawyers on free trial conditions in the national legislations and the international protection instruments, on June 21-22, 2013, at Chems Bin EL Ouidane Hotel, in Azilal. The session will start at 9:30 a.m.

This training session is organized in implementation of the Commission’s annual plan of action. It is also in line with the Commission’s participatory approach with the different human rights stakeholders.

The training session will be delivered by Mr. Mohamed Sebbar, Secretary General of the National Human Rights Council, and Mr. Mohamed Sektaoui, Director General of Amnesty International Morocco.

In terms of capacity building, the Regional Human Rights Commission of Beni Mellal-Khouribga organized other training sessions for local stakeholders on the monitoring and protection of human rights and on the human rights approach in the media.

Installed on January 9, 2012, the Commission of Beni Mellal-Khouribga was created by virtue of Article 28 of the Council’s founding Royal Decree. It is mandated to monitor the situation of human rights in its region. It receives and handles complaints about any allegations of human rights violations.
The Commission’s territorial jurisdiction covers the provinces of Azilal, Beni Mellal, Fkih Ben Saleh, Khenifra, Khouribga and Midlet. Chaired by Mr. Allal El Bassraoui, it implements the Council’s programs and projects related to the promotion of human rights and the stimulation of reflection and debate on human rights at the local level, in cooperation with the local stakeholders concerned.

Roundtable in Guelmim on pretrial detention and overcrowding in prisons

The Regional human rights commission of Tan-Tan Guelmim organizes a roundtable on pretrial detention and overcrowding in prisons on Wednesday, June 19th, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. at the Municipality of Guelmim.

The roundtable aims to contribute to the national debate on the reform of the judiciary. The issue of pretrial detention should be handled in way that will help protect individuals’ rights in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and international human rights law. The recommendations of the National Human Rights Council’s report on the prison conditions, published in 2012, should be taken into account.

Judges, lawyers, professors, researchers, civil society stakeholders, representatives of the General Delegation for prisons Administration and Reintegration and members of the Regional Commission will gather to discuss the issue of pretrial detention from different perspectives.

CNDH elected to chair Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions

The (Moroccan) National Human Rights Council (CNDH) was elected unanimously at the end of the 9th Annual Meeting of Arab National Human Rights Institutions (Rabat, 15-16 June, 2013) to chair the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions.

The Network member institutions also elected the (Egyptian) National Council for Human Rights as vice-president and adopted the proposed amendments to the Network’s Statue.

The participants came out with two main recommendations: providing support to the emerging experiences in the area of transitional justice (Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Tunisia) and drawing-up the network’s plan of action, giving the opportunity to the Network members to participate in the process and taking into consideration their needs and priorities.

On the sidelines of the meeting, CNDH concluded a cooperation agreement with the (Libyan) National Council for Public Liberties and Human Rights, a memorandum of understanding with the (Egyptian) National Council for Human Rights and a cooperation memorandum with the (Jordanian) National Centre for Human Rights.

In addition to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the National Human Rights Council (Morocco), the national human rights institutions of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Tunisia took part in this meeting.

Three sessions were scheduled for the meeting: (i) transitional justice through the Moroccan experience and the emerging experiences of Libya and Tunisia, (ii) impact of the Arab Spring on the situation of human rights and the relationship between government human rights departments and national human rights institutions (iii) and the organization and the structure of the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions (Statue, Rules of Procedures, new structure…).

The Arab national human rights institutions decided in their 7th annual meeting (Nouakchott, April 27-28, 2011) to create a network of Arab national human rights institutions, to promote, protect and implement human rights in the region.

In addition to the Arab Network for NHRIs, which it chairs, the (Moroccan) National Human Rights Council is an active member of several regional and international networks and dialogues: the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (CNDH chaired NANHRI in 2009-2011), the Arab-European Human Rights Dialogue (CNDH is one of its founding member institutions), the Arab Ibero-American Dialogue of National Human Rights Institutions (CNDH actually initiated the dialogue) and the Francophone Association of National Human Rights Commissions (CNDH is currently the chair of the Association).

HUMAN RIGHTS TRAINING SESSION IN LAAYOUNE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GENEVA INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

The Regional Human Rights Commission of Laayoune-Smara organizes a training session for its members and human rights NGOs working in the Southern Provinces, from 17 to 21 June 2013, at the Parador Hotel in Laayoune. This is the fourth training session organized in partnership with the Geneva Institute for Human Rights.

This session will tackle issues related to peace, democracy, development, social justice, women’s rights, as they are recognized in the international and regional human rights instruments, and the role of civil society in raising awareness and building a shared understanding to strengthen commitment to human rights.

It specifically aims to help the targeted groups grasp human rights and encourage them to implement these principles in their work. It will stimulate change and help the participants understand human rights to be able to advocate, demand and defend these rights. It will strengthen their knowledge in the area (mechanisms, standards, etc.).

The session will revolve around the following topics: human rights terms and concepts, the UN system for the protection of human rights, international human rights instruments, international humanitarian law, conventions of women’s rights and the rights of the child, the UN Human Rights Council, the role of the (Moroccan) National Human Rights Council in the protection of human rights and the Universal Periodic Review.