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Major initiative to modernise territorial governance in Morocco

In his first address of 2010 to the Nation, King Mohammed VI spoke of his plans to overhaul and modernise the Moroccan State's structures as a means of advancing regional governance and integrated development.

Today I am establishing the Advisory Committee on Regionalisation.  This is a water-shed moment, the start of a structural project which will hopefully mark a turning point in territorial governance.  I also want it to be the beginning of a new dynamic towards thorough institutional reform.

Viewed from this aspect, the extensive regionalisation we want to achieve is not a mere technical or administrative procedure, but rather a major initiative for the overhaul and modernisation of state structures and the achievement of integrated development.

I have therefore decided to involve the Nation's forces in the preparation of the reginalisation plan.  To that end, I have decided that a special advisory committee should be set up.  It will be chaired by Professor Omar Azziman, who has been selected for his competence, integrity and keen sense of responsibility.

Considering the many dimensions involved in regional governance, the criteria used for selecting committee members have included strong commitment to serving the public good; diversity of backgrounds; complemantarity; extensive experience in the management of public affairs; and a good knowledge of the country's local and regional specificities.

In keeping with the participatory approach employed in all major reforms introduced so far, I call upon the Committee to listen to and consult with the stakeholders and institutions concerned.

I expect the Committee to draw up a general plan for a sophisticated, national regionalisation model, covering all of the Kingdom's regions, to be submitted to me before the end of June 2010.

As I pointed out earlier, the Committee is expected to come up with a wholly Moroccan regionalisation model.  It should be based on our country's specific and unique characteristics.

One of these specific characteristics stems from the fact that ours is one of the world's longest-standing monarchies.

For centuries, the Moroccan Monarchy has remained the guarantor of national unity.  It reflects the cohesion characterising all segments of our Nation and shows how much it cares for the well-being of Moroccans in all parts of the country, through close monitoring of their living conditions.

In addition to its distinctive history, Morocco is known for its modern, forward-looking steps it has taken, for example in opting for a system of broad decentralisation.  The Committee is therefore urged to develop a typical national regionalisation system and to avoid mere imitation or replication of other countries' experiences.

The aim is to pave the way for the establishment of a ground-breaking regionalisation system for developing countries, and at the same time to enhance our country's standing as a model to be followed when it comes to taking bold, national stances or devising innovative responses to crucial issues facing the Nation.

Therefore when drawing up the plan for a regionalisation system, special importance should be attached to the following four main points:

1. To uphold the strong commitment to the Nation's sacred, immutable values - namely the unity of the State, of the Nation and of our Territory - of which I am the Guarantor and the Custodian.  Broad-based regionalisation should be another democratic way of enhancing the singular Moroccan experience, in a nation characterised by rich inter-sectoral and cultural diversity, within a unified national identity.
2. To ensure commitment to solidarity.  Regionalisation must not merely consist of a new distribution of powers between central and local governments.  There can be no even, national distribution of regional development unless each region makes the most of its potential and unless effective solidarity mechanisms are instituted to reflect and enhance inter-regional complementarity and cohesion within a united Morocco.
3. To ensure the harmonious, balanced distribution of powers and resources and to avoid any overlap or inconsistency between local authorities, central government and the institutions concerned.
4. To adopt extensive devolution - without which there can be no effective regionalisation policy - within the framework of an efficient territorial governance system, based on harmony and convergence.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This key project should help us achieve some fundamental objectives.

Chief among these is the establishment of fully-fledged, viable, sustainable regions through the formulation of rational, realistic criteria, upon which a new regionalisation formula will be founded.

A second major objective is the emergence of democratic councils that have the powers and resources needed to promote integerated regional development.

In our efficient territorial governance system I do not want regions to be merely formal bureaucratic entitites, but rather representative insitutions composed of competent officials who can run their respective regions' affairs efficiently.

One of my key objectives is to ensure that our recovered southern provinces are among the first to benefit from a sophisticated regionalisation system.  Morocco will not sit idly by, while the enemies of our territorial integrity continue to frustrate the UN process, which is designed to find a realistic, mutually-acceptable political solution to the artificial dispute over our provinces, on the basis of our Autonomy Initiative for the Moroccan Sahara.

This Initiative, which was deemed credible by the United Nations, remains on the negotiating table as a means of achieving a final and realistic solution.

In the meantime, we shall resolutely continue with our efforts to give the faithfull children and inhabitants of the Moroccan Sahara extensive powers to manage their local affairs, as part of a sophisticated regionalisation system which I shall set in motion, in keeping with the nation's sovereign will.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I expect all the parties and stakeholders concerned to remain mobilised and to be acutely aware of the stakes involved in the crucial area of broad-based regionalisation.  I consider this to be a key test for the success of the far-reaching reforms I am spear-heading.

In view of the above, I urge the Committee to tackle the real problems, to join its efforts with those of others, and to be innovative in its work to produce practical, applicable proposals.  Our national ambition is to move from a fledgling regionalisation to an advanced and democratic regionalisation dedicated to development.

I should like to assure the Committee of my support and I want Committee Members to know that I shall follow their work with a keen interest.  I ask the Government and the authorities concerned to co-operate with the Committee and to provide it with the resources it needs for the successful accomplishment of its mission.

May Almighty God grant us success and help us achieve our objective of making extensive regionalisation the institutional pillar of the Moroccan State; an institution-based State that upholds the Rule of Law, fulfils the requirements of good governance and concomitantly defends not only the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Nation, but also the right of each and every Moroccan to dignity and responsible citizenship in a united, secure, peaceful and prosperous country.

Wassalamu alaikaum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh."

January 2010