Promoting Women's Participation and Economic Empowerment (MO0035)

CHALLENGE The constitutional advances as well as the legislative and institutional reforms related to gender equality have been a turning point in the context of women’s rights. This has had a positive impact on the situation of Moroccan women, helping to raise awareness around gender equality issues and fight against all forms of discrimination against women and girls. It has also enabled the inclusion of such issues in the general national dynamics related to human rights in Morocco as well as in public policies and programs, in particular the governmental plans for equality “Icram 1” and “Icram 2”. Despite all efforts, promoting gender equality remains one of the major concerns of Moroccan society. These concerns are embodied in various contexts, mainly related to: • Women’s socio-economic problems (women’s participation rate in the labor market reached 19% in 2019), • The low participation of women in public life (the representation of women in the House of Representatives was 21% in the last elections of 2016 and 17% in high-level positions and 24% for leadership positions) ; • Stereotypes about women (Based on a study conducted in 2019, 65% of women believe that a woman should not work if the husband’s income is sufficient to support the family), • Access to education and training programs (the illiteracy rate among women was 44% as per 2018 statistics), • Violence against women (percentage of abused women reached 54% in 2019), • The weakness of gender-based strategic planning mechanisms, particularly at the territorial level.

PROPOSED SOLUTION The Ministry of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality and Family, will address these issues through a participatory approach involving all actors and stakeholders, such as public authorities, national institutions, territorial collectivities, private sector, academia, civil society and international technical and financial partners: 1. Launch of the preparation process of the third governmental plan for equality, while taking into account the outcomes of the final assessment of the second governmental plan for equality. This includes the Challenges raised, including the impact of the pandemic on women ; 2. Operationalization of the measures of the “Morocco-Attamkine” program by working on the following aspects: • ▪Legislative and institutional reform (setting a quota for women and girl entrepreneurs to access public contracts, setting a quota for the representation of women on boards of administration, setting a quota for the representation of women in unions, directing and transferring the support provided by the Tayssir program to mothers) ; • ▪Gender-sensitive incentives and policies (granting tax exemptions for companies that provide decent work and achieve gender equality, and tax exemptions for companies that employ women with disabilities) ; • ▪Changing representations and stereotypes (communicating court verdicts and rulings in favor of women victims of discrimination at work) ; • ▪Sign partnership agreements with the regional and provincial councils in order to promote the “Morocco-Attamkine” program at the territorial level ; • ▪Fixing a quota enabling girls to have access to technical professional training. 3. Opening of 20 multidisciplinary centers dedicated to women, bringing the total number of newly created centers in the country to 85 4. 4. Launching a regional plan for gender equality in the region of Rabat-Salé as a model region with a view to its expansion to the rest of the regions 5. 5. Assisting territorial collectivities in integrating gender in regional development plans for the period 2021-2026.

EXPECTED RESULTS Adoption of the third version of the government’s plan for gender equality ; • Increase the rate of women entrepreneurs’ access to public procurement ; • Increase the percentage of women’s representation on the Board of Directors in companies, as well as in decision-making positions within unions ; • Orient and transfer the financial assistance provided by the “Tayssir” program to mothers ; • Increase the employment rate of women in general and particularly of women in precarious situations ; • Contribute in changing stereotypes and in reducing discriminatory attitudes in the workplace ; • Increase the participation rate of women in economic life at the territorial level ; • Increase the percentage of girls’ admission to technical professional training ; • Include gender-based planning in regional development plans ; • Support and assist women victims of violence.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Progress rate regarding the preparation and approval of the third version of the governmental plan for gender equality ; • Operationalization rate of the “Morocco-Attamkine” program for the period 2021-2023 ; • Number of field agreements signed in the area of economic empowerment ; • Number of multifunctional spaces for women created ; • Percentage of implementation of the regional plan for gender equality at the level of the Rabat-Salé region • Number of agreements signed with regional councils to integrate gender planning into regional development plans for the period 2021-2026.

IMPACT INDICATORS Rate of access of women entrepreneurs to public procurement ; • Percentage of women’s representation on boards of directors and in decision-making within unions ; • Number of mothers who have benefited from the Tayssir program ; • Women’s employment rate ; • Percentage of employed women with disabilities ; • Percentage of women benefiting from economic empowerment programs at the territorial level ; • Percentage of girls graduating in technical fields in professional training institutions ; • Number of available regional development plans on gender-sensitive programs.

See action plan for milestone activities.

Action Plan Review

Commitment 11. Promote Gender Equality and Women’s Participation in Public Life and Economic Empowerment

● Verifiable: Yes

● Does it have an open government lens? Yes

● Potential for results: Modest

[Implementing agency: Ministry of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality and Family]

For a complete description of the commitment see Commitment 11 in the action plan: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/morocco-action-plan-2021-2023/

Context and objectives

The 2011 Constitution promotes the equality between men and women in enjoying the rights and freedoms of civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental character, with respect for the “constants of the Kingdom and of its laws” (Art. 19). [24] It also indicates that the public powers must work for furthering gender equality, including in their participation in political, economic, cultural and social life (Art. 6). [25]

Milestones under this commitment to further women's economic and educational opportunities reflect Morocco's gender equality efforts under existing plans. These include Morocco’s New Development Model (NDM), [26] the 2017-2021 Government Equality Plan ICRAM 2 [27] implemented with the European Union assistance, and “Maroc – Attamkine” implemented in partnership with UN Women. [28] Milestones that advance women's inclusion in decision-making are the result of advocacy by civil society stakeholders during co-creation, particularly the feminist movement. [29]

The resulting reform is a broad mix of activities combined in a single commitment on gender equality. Activities with the greatest potential to open government include the participatory development of a third national gender equality plan, the development of a model regional gender equality plan for Rabat-Salé, the incorporation of gender in regional development plans, and the establishment of quotas for women's participation on administrative boards and unions, as well as quotas for women and girl entrepreneurs to access public contracts.

This commitment has the potential to strengthen women's participation in government decision-making that the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality and Family undertakes and encourages inclusive drafting processes for these plans and policies. Implementation of these policies, such as quotas for women representation on decision-making bodies of companies, especially public companies, and labor unions, could also institutionalize civic participation.

Potential for results:Modest

The Government of Morocco has made some progress in recent years working with civil society to address gender inequality in Morocco. In particular, the New Development Model (NDM) and the 2017-2021 Government Equality Plan (ICRAM 2) have taken stock of the shortcomings for women's social and economic inclusion. [30] These documents note that constitutional, legislative, and institutional reforms have had a positive impact, helping to raise awareness around gender equality issues and the fight against discrimination. It added that this has in turn enabled the inclusion of issues around women in the general national debate and public policies. [31]

Continuing concerns related to the equality of women and men from an open government lens revolve around several topics: the low participation of women both in the labor force and in public life; and the inexistence of gender-based strategic planning mechanisms at the territorial (local) level. [32] Nadia Hmaity and Houdna Bennani from the Democratic Association of the Women of Morocco explained that citizens and civil society presented proposals for Morocco's previous national gender equality plan (ICRAM 2). However, the government had the final say on the equality plan and the resulting text lacks ambition, especially on the inclusion of women in decision-making. [33]

Under this commitment, inclusive development of the third national gender equality plan and pursuit of regional gender equality plans has the potential to increase civic participation in policymaking, as well as making these policies more accountable to the people they aspire to serve. In addition, establishing quotas for representation of women on boards of administration and unions and for women and girl entrepreneurs' access to public contracts also promises to increase participation of a historically marginalized group. [34] Nadia Hmaity and Houdna Bennani note that the milestones to set quotas were proposed by civil society and hold some of the greatest potential for strengthening women's inclusion in decision making. However, they also point out that implementation details and impact indicators for these activities remain unclear, since the action plan does not provide a baseline and target values. [35] Baseline indicators in the ICRAM 2 plan from 2015 and 2016 indicate a low level of women representation in government and business. According to the plan, the percentage of women councilors in regional councils was 38%, 4% in provincial councils, and 21% in municipal councils. The percentage of women at the decision-making level in public companies and organizations was 7%. [36] The ICRAM 2 and the NDM do not provide baseline data on women and girl entrepreneurs.

Abdelilah Hmidouche from the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality and Family stated that his ministry is focused on engaging more institutions and providing support, particularly at the regional level, for the inclusion of a gender equality lens in sectorial and regional policies. In particular, the ministry is working with regions to adopt equality measures in their regional development plans. The Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region will provide a model. An important task for the Ministry, according to Hmidouche, is the involvement and consultation with all stakeholders during the establishment of these policies. [37]

This commitment holds a modest potential to strengthen civic participation in gender policymaking and women's inclusion in governance more broadly. On one hand, this commitment foresees engaging civil society in the development of gender equality plans at the national and regional levels and encouraging a gender lens in regional development plans. It also aims to set quotas for women's representation in decision-making bodies, reflecting a civil society priority. On the other hand, this commitment is very broad and includes a wide range of activities, some of which do not contain an explicit open government lens. As Hmaity and Bennani note, this contributes to a lack of clarity as well as the inclusion of activities already underway through the ICRAM 2 and Maroc – Attamkine plans. [38] The absence of a clear definition of the policy problem and a broad list of milestones without clear impact indicators or an open government lens detracts from the measurability of this reform. Additionally, the commitment's breadth may spread efforts thin and present an obstacle to impactful implementation.

Opportunities, challenges and recommendations during implementation

The greatest challenge and opportunity for this commitment will be the extent to which implementers undertake a participatory approach ensuring that national and regional gender equality efforts reflect citizens' needs and priorities. The recent OGP Vital Signs report shows that substantive civil society involvement is correlated with stronger OGP outcomes. [39] Therefore, collaborative implementation will not only increase civic participation in policymaking in the short term but also increase the likelihood for successful outcomes from the resulting policies in the longer term. In sum, substantial implementation of this commitment would include a highly participatory process that results in the development of clear rules, quotas, and programs that enhance women's participation in government decision-making, backed by awareness-raising and outreach programs to ensure the opportunities for participation and empowerment are available to a wide and inclusive cross-section of society.

Abdelilah Hmidouche notes that the greatest challenge to implementation will be establishing coordination mechanisms across levels and sectors of government. This will require government institutions taking initiative to introduce equality in their respective policies. [40] Another challenge, according to Hmaity and Bennani is the definition of the term “inclusion” which would affect the mechanisms of involving women in the implementation process. [41] In implementing this commitment, the IRM recommends that the central government and parliament prioritize efforts to adopt quotas for women in decision-making bodies at all possible levels, starting with the collegiate bodies directly involved in the implementation. The ministry should also set clear baselines and target values of the commitment’s impact indicators.

The IRM recommends that the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality and Family and regional administrations, particularly Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, make use of the OGP Toolkit for Gender Responsive Action Plans. This toolkit includes steps relevant to the inclusive co-creation of gender policies and legislation such as: [42]

● Establish communication channels, such as a dedicated webpage, focal person, etc. to communicate the objectives, drafting processes, timelines, and relevant background resources to civil society organizations in advance of consultations.

● Ensure government officials have the capacity and incentives to integrate gender equality priorities received through public consultation processes, for example through the establishment of clear minimum standards for gender mainstreaming in regional development plans.

● Identify clear targets, plans, and resources in advance of consultations to ensure broad participation. Consider barriers that inhibit participation of a diversity of women and gender group representatives such as location, language, time, and whether childcare is available.

● Engage civil society during critical junctures in the drafting process, in particular women’s rights organizations, such as setting the agenda and investing in building trust between the government and civil society actors involved.

The IRM also recommends that the Ministry widen its outreach and pilot program on regional equality plans to other regional governments, especially the ones in less populated and rural areas, ensuring they apply a participatory approach and further awareness-raising on the creation and implementation of plans.

Results Report

Commitment 11. Promote Gender Equality and Women's Participation in Public Life and Economic Empowerment

Commitment 11, initially considered promising, ultimately did not achieve notable results due to the implementing ministry's shift in focus post-September 2021 elections from civic participation to women's economic empowerment. Led by the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Development, Equality, and Family, now renamed, the commitment aimed to build on existing gender equality plans in Morocco.

Under milestone 1, 20 multifunctional spaces for women were established to help address violence against women. However, milestones relevant to open government, like the development of a third national gender equality plan (milestone 5) ^[57] and a model regional plan for Rabat-Salé (milestone 4) ^[58] were not completed. This is due to a Ministerial change in focus and execution towards economic empowerment. A representative from the ministry noted that the implementation of an integrated information system on violence against women requires a long consultation process in order to ensure the support and involvement of all government and nongovernment actors. ^[59]

The president of the CSO 4chabab observed a greater emphasis on economic empowerment over civic participation. ^[60] The "Maroc Attamkine" ^[61] plan (milestone 2) saw some progress, but other aspects like civic engagement and decision-making involvement for women lagged. The absence of completion in areas with high open government potential resulted in the commitment not achieving notable results despite a substantial level of completion. This highlights the importance of alignment between political will and institutional coordination for effective gender equality and open government reforms.