Strengthening the enabling environment for CSOs (MO0057)

Challenge:

The constitutional status granted to civil society associations in 2011 assigns them a new and crucial role as fundamental partners of the State and actors of sustainable development in Morocco, contributing to the preparation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of public policies and development programs. In preparing its strategy for the civil society sector "Nassij" for the period 2022-2026, the ministry identified several challenges and constraints limiting their capacity to fulfil these essential roles, including:
1. Difficult access to public funding for various reasons:
▪ Public support is governed by the Prime Minister's circular 2003/7, an outdated legal framework that no longer aligns with the evolution of civil society associations or their roles as established by the Constitution as key partners of public authorities and elected institutions.
▪ Lack of sectoral coordination in the field of public support for associations.
▪ Failure to publish on the "charaka" portal, negatively affecting the right of access to information as well as fairness and transparency.
▪ Variability in criteria for granting support and announcement periods.
2. Insufficient access to digital resources, due to:
▪ Absence of a digital platform for civil society associations.
▪ Insufficient investment by associations in digital capacities.
▪ Lack of digital applications to facilitate their work.
3. Internal management weaknesses due to: ▪ Lack of support for the capacities of civil society associations.
▪ Absence of a unified normative reference framework for capacity building.
▪ Multiplicity of capacity-building programs without effective follow-up on their results.
4. Limited participation in public policy development, due to:
▪ Absence of a legal framework governing public consultation.
▪ Limited scope of public consultation at the territorial level.

Proposed solution:

Within this commitment, a set of projects will be carried out under the ministry's strategy for relations with civil society, titled "Nassij" for the period 2022-2026. This strategy was developed using a participatory approach with the relevant government sectors and national associative coalitions, to contribute to empowering associations to fulfil their assigned roles. This involves:
1. Developing a new legal framework governing public support for associations, focused on sectoral coordination and funding governance to ensure effective impact.
2. Creating a digital platform for civil society associations, serving as a one-stop-shop containing all information and data related to associations and national associative dynamics, offering specific services to the national associative fabric.
3. Preparing an integrated methodological reference framework grouping all government sectors to provide specialised training offers according to the nature of the intervention areas of associations with uniform criteria, allowing support and follow-up in the implementation of acquired knowledge and skills for effectiveness and efficiency in associative action and desired development impact.
4. Preparing a legislative text governing public consultation.

Scheduled Activities (Activities | Start Date | End Date)
Preparation of a new legal framework regulating public support for associations and development of a partnership portal with associations | June 2024 | June 2024 Consultation and coordination with government sectors during preparation phases | September 2024 | January 2025
Consultation with associations regarding the project | January 2025 | March 2025
Institutional and associative agreement on the form and content of the project | March 2025 | May 2025
Submission of the project for approval | May 2025 | June 2025
Creation of a digital platform dedicated to civil society associations | January 2024 | January 2025
Consultation, coordination, and engagement of all government sectors in the project | July 2024 | September 2024
Consultation on the project with the associative fabric to define needs and expectations | October 2024 | November 2024
Sectoral and associative agreement on the project | November 2024 | November 2024
Meeting all technical and cognitive requirements of the project | December 2024| December 2024
Launch of the national platform for associations | January 2025 | January 2025
Preparation of a reference framework to strengthen the capacities of the associative fabric | January 2024 | January 2025
Coordination with relevant government sectors and consultation with associations on the reference framework for capacity building | June 2024 | October 2024 Harmonisation of associative training programs and standards | October 2024 | December 2024
Publication and generalisation of the reference framework for strengthening the capacities of associations | December 2024 | January 2025
Preparation of a draft law regulating public consultation in coordination with government sectors | January 2024 |December 2025
Consultation with associations on the content of the draft law | October 2024 | December 2024
Publication of consultation results | March 2025 | October 2025
Submission of the draft law for approval | October 2025 | December 2025

Expected results:
In the area of public support for associations:
▪ Proactive and mandatory publication of public support offers on the "charaka" portal with associations in the first quarter of each year.
▪ Ensuring transparency, equality, fairness, and the right to information to access public support.
▪ Achieving good governance in the allocation, monitoring, and evaluation of the impact of public support for associations.
▪ Optimal implementation and activation of associative programs and projects.
▪ Achieving effective and active impact of associative programs and projects.
▪ Real contribution of associations to the comprehensive and sustainable development path.
In the area of associations' access to the digital world:
▪ Creation of a comprehensive digital platform providing all information related to associative work and interactive services for associations.
▪ Providing digital applications on the platform to facilitate the work of associations.
▪ Valuing associative work and highlighting its contributions to development.
In thearea of strengthening the capacities of civil society associations:
▪ Strengthening the organisational and institutional capacities of associations.
▪ Enabling associations to acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities related to associative work.
▪ Improving the level of professionalism in associative work.
▪ Enhancing the performance of associations and their contributions to development.
▪ Promoting associative dynamics. ▪ Institutionalising the field of capacity building and unifying standards and references while preserving sectoral particularities.
In the area of public consultation:
▪ Activating constitutional provisions related to participation, involvement, and public consultation between public and civil actors.
▪ Valuing the proposals and recommendations of associations in the development of public policies.
▪ Real and effective participation of civil society associations in the public policy process, from preparation to monitoring, implementation, and evaluation.
▪ Institutionalising the public consultation process.

Performance indicators: In the area of public support for associations:
▪ Number of participants in the consultation on the new legal framework regulating public support for associations.
▪ Number of recommendations from the consultation process on the new legal framework regulating public support for associations. In the area of associations' access to the digital world:
▪ Number of government sectors involved in the digital platform project dedicated to associations. ▪ Number of participants in the consultation on the digital platform project dedicated to associations.
▪ Number of recommendations and proposals from the consultation process on the digital platform dedicated to associations.
▪ Number of services and applications developed within the framework of the digital platform project dedicated to associations.
In thearea of strengthening the capacities of civil society associations:
▪ Number of government sectors and public institutions coordinated to harmonise training approaches and methods according to sectoral and institutional competencies to standardise and unify training and capacitybuilding methods.
▪ Number of associations consulted on the content of the reference framework to enrich it with their opinions and suggestions regarding their training needs according to the nature and areas of their intervention, programs, projects, and activities.
In thearea of public consultation:
▪ Number of participants in the consultation on the draft law regulating public consultation.
▪ Number of recommendations from the consultation process on the draft law regulating public consultation.
Impact indicators:
▪ Percentage of associations' access to public support.
▪ Number of beneficiaries of services and applications on the digital platform dedicated to associations.
▪ Number of training sessions conducted by government sectors and public institutions for associations based on the unified reference framework.
▪ Number of public consultations conducted