Morocco Design Report 2018-2020
- Action Plan: Morocco Action Plan 2018-2020
- Dates Under Review: 2018-2020
- Report Publication Year: 2021
Morocco’s first action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... seeks to further realize the country’s 2011 constitutional reforms. Ambitious open government commitments include implementing the access to information law and facilitating civic participation through petitions and motions. Moving forward, the Steering CommitteeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru... should prioritize broad consultations across regions and civil society sectors during the development of Morocco’s next action plan.
| Table 1. At a glance
Participating since: 2018 Action plan under review: First Report type: Design Number of commitments: 18 Action plan development Is there a Multi-stakeholder ForumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple...: Yes Level of public influence: Consult Acted contrary to OGP process: Yes Action plan design Commitments relevant to OGP values: 17 Transformative commitments: 0 Potentially starred: 0 |
The Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) is a global partnership that brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. Morocco joined OGP in 2018. This report evaluates the design of Morocco’s first action plan.
Since Morocco’s 2011 constitutional reforms, the country has seen significant open government developments. These include the passage of the Access to Information Law in 2018, making Morocco eligible to join OGP. The most ambitious open government reforms in Morocco’s first OGP action plan seek to implement the legal and regulatory framework established over the last decade. These include commitments that increase access to information (commitments 1 to 3) and strengthen civic participation mechanisms (commitments 13 to 17).
Limited opportunity for civil society input resulted in an action plan that largely reflects government priorities. The IRM did not find evidence that the government incorporated civil society or public input into the action plan. The IRM therefore found Morocco to be acting contrary to OGP process.
However, the government established a new Steering Committee with equal government and civil society representation following the action plan’s submission. The government also created a comprehensive repositoryAccess to relevant information is essential for enabling participation and ensuring accountability throughout the OGP process. An OGP repository is an online centralized website, webpage, platform or ... where meeting minutes and implementation progress is regularly updated. Therefore, Morocco has indicated its dedication to following OGP’s Participation and Co-creation StandardsCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders is at the heart of the OGP process. The Participation and Co-Creation Standards are intended to support this collaboration throug... moving forward.
During the next co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive..., the Steering Committee should aim to act as a coordinating body that collects and integrates input from a broad range of civil society actors. The Steering Committee also should pay particular attention to explaining how civil society and public input were incorporated into the action plan.
This action plan addresses open government areas of national importance such as access to information, civic participation in policymaking, strengthening civic space and public service provision. Morocco should consider building on these efforts in future action plans by expanding the legal and regulatory framework for citizens to submit petitions and motions. Morocco could also build on CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... 17 to strengthen legal protections for civil society members and journalists participating in national policy dialogues through the media.
Table 2. Noteworthy commitments
| Commitment description | Moving forward | Status at the end of implementation cycle |
| Commitment 14: National and Regional Consultation Bodies: Establish regional consultation bodies through guidance, training, and direct support to a pilot site | The local and regional councils should publicly respond to input collected through such bodies. Implementors should actively seek out and include representatives from marginalized communities, such as rural youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... and women, in consultation bodies. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of action plan cycle. |
| Commitment 15: Online Citizen ParticipationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More Platform: Create a website for citizens to collect signatures and submit motions and petitions to the national and local governments. | This ambitious commitment will have a greater open government impact if the government partners with civil society to review the laws and procedures to address barriers to submission. In particular, the signature threshold for petitions should be reconsidered and a timeline for a public government response established. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of action plan cycle. |
| Commitment 17: Civil Society Access to Audio-visual Media: Increase civil society’s understanding of the legal landscape and ability to participate in television and radio broadcasts. | HACA should establish a permanent multi-stakeholder forum with civil society to address obstacles to media pluralism. HACA should also consider providing materials and training in various languages and formats to encourage inclusive media participation from across the civil society spectrum, with a particular emphasis on regional diversity. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of action plan cycle. |
Recommendations
The IRM recommendations aim to inform the development of the next action plan and guide implementation of the current action plan.
Table 3. Five KEY IRM Recommendations
| Strengthen the OGP institutional and strategic framework in the country and enhance the role of the Steering Committee (MSF). |
| During co-creation of future action plans, report back to participants with information on how the MSF or government considered public and civil society inputs. |
| Continue towards the implementation of the access to information law. |
| Strengthen the process of establishing a public problem during co-creation to raise commitments’ level of ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po.... |
| Develop commitment areas to encourage public accountabilityAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, public accountability occurs when ”rules, regulations, and mechanisms in place call upon government actors to justify their actions, act upon criticisms ... More. |
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