Rabat - His Majesty King Mohammed VI chaired the opening of the first session of the third legislative year of the 11th Legislature, on Frid...
Rabat - His Majesty King Mohammed VI chaired the opening of the first session of the third legislative year of the 11th Legislature, on Friday 13 October in Rabat. After reading verses from the Holy Quran, HM the King delivered a speech before the members of both Houses of Parliament, in the presence of the President of the World Bank (WB), Ajay Banga, and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, who are taking part in the WB-IMF Annual Meetings, held from October 09 to 15 in Marrakech.
In his speech, the Sovereign affirmed that "we intend to rehabilitate and rebuild the devastated areas" following the "tragic earthquake that struck our country, leaving behind thousands of martyrs and injuring a great many people - may they recover quickly, with God's help".
In this regard, the Sovereign stressed the need to provide "assistance to the stricken families, to speed up rehabilitation and reconstruction in the affected areas, and to make sure basic services are available."
"Beyond the horrific nature of the tragedy, what alleviates our suffering and, indeed, makes us proud, is the reaction of civil society and of all Moroccans - in the homeland and abroad - who have shown heartfelt, spontaneous solidarity with their afflicted brothers and sisters," added HM the king.
The Sovereign also stressed that "this tragedy has shown that authentic Moroccan values have prevailed. They have enabled our country to overcome adversity and crises, again making us not only stronger, but also more determined to forge ahead, with unwavering confidence and optimism".
"That is the spirit and those are the lofty values ingrained in our DNA. We see them as the cornerstone of our unity and of the cohesion of Moroccan society," pointed out HM the king.
"I have been working to enhance our identity through major projects. Among these is the large-scale social protection project, which I consider a pillar of our social and development model," said the Sovereign.
At the end of the year, His Majesty the King indicated that the direct social assistance program would be put into operation, raising the standard of living of target families, combating poverty and vulnerability, and ultimately improving social and human development indicators.
The Sovereign emphasized that he had "instructed the government to adopt a comprehensive approach for the implementation of this program, in keeping with the principles of the framework law on social protection adopted by Parliament".
"It should also be a model of successful implementation, based on the system for targeting beneficiaries under the unified social registry, making sure modern technology is properly leveraged," insisted HM the king.
The Sovereign also stressed "the need to uphold the principles of solidarity, transparency and equity, and to provide assistance to those who deserve it," calling on the government to give priority to the rationalization of current social benefit schemes and ensure their effectiveness as well as the sustainability of their financing.
"I also insist on the need to uphold the principles of good governance for the implementation of this project in its entirety; a special monitoring and evaluation mechanism needs to be set up for the project's continuous development and evaluation," added HM the king.
On this occasion, HM King Mohammed VI received the President of the World Bank, Ajay Banga, and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva. (PERSISMA/Red)
Source: Moroccan Embassy
