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DE RUEHRB #2347/01 3621718
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R 281718Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5477
INFO RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 2504
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 9157
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 4258
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0121
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 1923
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 0444

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 RABAT 002347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG, NEA/PI and PDAS CARPENTER, DRL 
TUNIS FOR MEPI RO 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON PGOV ETRD EINV KMPI MO
SUBJECT:  MEPI UPDATE FOR MOROCCO 
 
REF: A) Rabat 0399, B) Rabat 2509 
 
¶1.  Summary:  This cable highlights MEPI programs and initiatives in 
Morocco from July 1-September 30.  Activities included a project 
officer training session at post, a monitoring visit by staff from 
MEPI's Regional Office in Tunis, a training seminar for MEPI Program 
Officers in Tunis and two new small grants.  Highlights from 
existing programs included preparations for the 2007 legislative 
elections, International Republican Institute (IRI) activities, 
literacy training, promoting education among rural girls, judicial 
reform, Global Rights' Court Accompaniment Programs, Arab Civitas' 
Project Citizen, Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC) projects 
and Free Trade Agreement activities.  Implementers are partnering 
with local NGOs at the grassroots level to support numerous programs 
committed to reform in the four MEPI pillars.  End summary. 
 
 
 
 
------------- 
MEPI TRAINING 
------------- 
 
¶2.  In September, representatives from MEPI's Tunis Regional Office 
traveled to Rabat to conduct training sessions on MEPI project 
officer responsibilities to 26 mission members.  The training 
sessions covered MEPI basics, small grants programming; 
administration; monitoring and evaluation; public diplomacy as well 
as responsibilities described in the small grants' "Letter of 
Delegation of Authority". Trainers and emboffs also discussed ways 
to improve coordination efforts in MEPI programs. Rabat was the 
first post to receive such training. 
 
¶3.  Post's MEPI Coordinator and MEPI Program Assistant attended a 
MEPI Training Seminar in Tunis from September 17-19. Emboffs and 
FSNs with primary responsibilities for MEPI from Algeria, Tunisia, 
Libya, Egypt and Lebanon also attended. The training sessions 
covered similar subjects as those listed above, but with an emphasis 
on feedback from the field. 
 
------------- 
MEPI VISITORS 
------------- 
 
¶4.  MEPI's Tunis Regional Office sent three members to Morocco on 
September 21-27 to conduct monitoring site visits. They were joined 
by post's MEPI program assistant for a trip to Ouarzazate to visit 
MEPI grantees Near East Foundation and Association of Development of 
the DRA Valley (ADEDRA) in Zagora. In Rabat, they also met 
individually with MTDS-Tanmia, Demos Consulting and Joussour. 
 
------------------------- 
TWO NEW MEPI SMALL GRANTS 
------------------------- 
 
¶5.  In September, post awarded two new MEPI small grants to NGOs 
totaling $53,220, both pertained to the women's pillar.  The first 
recipient, ADEDRA seeks to increase the organizational capacities of 
women's associations. The second, Association Tallassemtane for 
Environment and Development (ATED), promotes the rule of law through 
educating women and children about their rights. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2007 LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6. In an effort to prepare for the 2007 legislative elections, the 
National Democratic Institute (NDI) organized two conferences on the 
organization of national campaigns and electoral platform 
development. The most notable result of NDI's efforts this period 
was the creation of the first-ever national campaign management 
teams by four political parties: the Socialist Union of Popular 
Forces (USFP), the Rally of National Independents (RNI), the Popular 
Movement (MP), and the Party of Progress and Socialism-Al Ahd Party 
(PPS-Al Ahd Alliance). This rapid response from the political 
parties should result in more comprehensive and organized campaigns 
by parties. NDI also sponsored a two-day workshop covering economic 
policies and the creation of a research think-tank. 
 
---------------- 
IRI's ACTIVITIES 
---------------- 
 
RABAT 00002347  002 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶7. In July, IRI held a conference on the new family code and its 
impact on the participation of Moroccan women in public and 
political life. Prominent lawyer and member of the King's 
consultative board, Zhor El Horr, summarized the legal modifications 
and their intended impact on Moroccan women. El Horr was involved in 
writing the new family code, and continues to work on its 
implementation as a judge. Amongst the other speakers, one discussed 
cultural and legal obstacles in implementing the new code, and 
opened the floor for continued debate. The conference received wide 
media attention 
 
¶8. In September, IRI's Women's Leadership Coalition program provided 
training on public speaking and campaign planning strategies for the 
2007 elections.  Women from six political parties participated. 
Moroccan state television aired a short report on IRI and its 
involvement in women's political affairs. 
 
----------------- 
LITERACY TRAINING 
----------------- 
 
¶9. The Advancing Learning and Employability for a Better Future 
(ALEF) project launched its pre-literacy strategy to teach reading 
and writing of classical Arabic through the Moroccan dialect and the 
Berber language.  The pre-literacy program also uses the family code 
as training content and targets women.  During this period 
USAID/ALEF also recruited a second round of grantee associations to 
implement its literacy program this school year.  These associations 
will target 4,000-6,000 additional beneficiaries. In addition, 
through ALEF support, Anis Birrou, State Secretary for Literacy and 
Non-Formal Education, represented Morocco during First Lady Laura 
Bush's conference on global literacy held in New York in September. 
The meeting was an opportunity to attract attention on the efforts 
of the GOM to combat illiteracy. 
 
------------------------------------- 
PROMOTING EDUCATION AMONG RURAL GIRLS 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. USAID's MEPI contribution to the Committee for Promoting 
Education Among Rural Girls (CSSF) Scholarship for Success program 
continues to successfully build dormitories that provide housing for 
rural high school-aged girls who otherwise would not be able to 
continue their education.  Two new dormitories were created through 
funds from the Motorola Corporation and AMCHAM.  To date, twelve 
local partner associations have demonstrated their sustainability 
and "graduated" from financial support through the CSSF, by 
collecting funds directly from other partners and even the girls' 
parents. It was determined that despite challenges at the schools 
that the girls attended (lack of teachers, teacher absenteeism, and 
over-crowded classrooms), the average academic performance of the 
girls for grade nine exceeded the national average by ten percent. 
 
--------------- 
JUDICIAL REFORM 
--------------- 
 
¶11. MEPI-funded Moroccan association Adala "Justice," established 
with the support of the American Bar Association (ABA) and dedicated 
to promoting judicial independence, convened a national symposium on 
July 21-22 in Rabat on the implementation of the recommendations of 
the Moroccan Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER). The IER's 
final report included a number of important recommendations 
concerning needed constitutional, institutional, and judicial 
reforms, including the need for greater judicial independence, which 
were submitted to and endorsed by the king in late 2005. 
Substantive sessions during the symposium addressed how lobby the 
GOM to implement the IER's judicial reform recommendations.  The 
participants stressed the importance of the independence of the 
judiciary for democratic transition and emphasized the involvement 
of NGOs, media and public in implementing these recommendations. 
 
¶12. In addition Adala printed and began distributing the 
recommendations of its earlier judicial independence conference. 
The 167-page booklet entitled "Judicial Independence in Morocco in 
the Light of International Standards and the Mediterranean Basin 
Experience" is printed in both Arabic and French, and is being 
distributed to judges, judicial leaders and judicial independence 
activists throughout Morocco.   The booklet forms one of Adala's 
growing advocacy and outreach tools to support greater judicial 
independence in the country. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
 
RABAT 00002347  003 OF 004 
 
 
GLOBAL RIGHTS COURT ACCOMPANIMENT PROGRAMS 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶13. Global Rights worked with eight NGOs in rural and underserved 
areas to create effective permanent structures for Court 
Accompaniment Programs.  Under these programs, volunteer Court 
Advocates provide legal advice to women in their communities, 
accompany women to court, and ensure application of the laws through 
monitoring and documenting of judicial decisions. A workshop in July 
launched the Global Rights' Ensuring Access to Justice through Court 
Accompaniment Program.  Representatives of the eight NGOS assessed 
current court accompaniment activities, the needs of women in their 
communities, technical assistance needs, priorities for training and 
implementation plans. 
 
¶14. Global Rights also created the National Young Women's Activist 
Network to mobilize the next generation of women's human rights 
activists.  They held a workshop to analyze previous networking 
initiatives among NGOs in Morocco, identify technical assistance 
needs and priorities for expert assistance and training, and 
elaborate plans for future program implementation. 
 
----------------------------- 
ARAB CIVITAS' PROJECT CITIZEN 
----------------------------- 
 
¶15. In June, Arab Civitas' Project Citizen which seeks to enhance 
the quality of education and strengthen democratic processes by 
fostering public awareness and acceptance of civic rights and 
responsibilities, held a national conference to showcase the 
students' projects. Attendees of the conference included the 
Governor of Casablanca, Ministry of Education officials, NGOs and 
civil society leaders, city council members, Parliamentarians, 
educators, business leaders and parents' associations and it was 
reported on TV, radio and newspapers. In a second Project Citizen 
activity, 24 recent graduates of Moroccan teacher-training 
institutes received civics training to share with their students. A 
special session featured the Deputy Minister of Education in 
Benslimane and the Director of the Regional Academy in Casablanca 
who stressed the importance of integrating civic education in 
Moroccan schools and the positive impact of implementing Project 
Citizen. 
 
--------------- 
FSVC PROJECTS 
--------------- 
 
¶16.  Between June and September, FSVC implemented three projects in 
Morocco. First, in the Developing Equity Financing Sources for 
Moroccan SMEs program, FSVC volunteers consulted with the Moroccan 
private equity association, Association Marocaine des Investisseurs 
en Capital (AMIC), and two Moroccan investment companies on fund and 
portfolio management strategies to improve small firm portfolio 
performance. The consultations built on past FSVC collaboration with 
AMIC and fund managers to improve capacity of this emerging new 
source of financing for growth and export oriented Moroccan SMEs. 
Second, in the Bolstering Morocco's Central Bank's (BAM) New 
Accounting Regime program, FSVC continued support of BAM's reform 
agenda with a seminar highlighting the Supervision Department's work 
on transitioning Morocco to international accounting standards. 
Finally, FSVC's program Supporting Basel II Implementation consulted 
with BAM staff on their application of the Basel II capital adequacy 
accord and market risk issues faced by commercial banks. FSVC 
organized a one day round table for BAM and the Moroccan banks' 
working group on market risk issues, and the global application of 
Basel II. 
 
-------------------- 
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT 
-------------------- 
 
¶17. The International Executive Service Corps, through its Morocco 
Fast Track Trade (MFTT) Program, arranged several meetings for MFTT 
clients with American firms during the Fancy Food Show New York in 
July. Several orders are under negotiation as a result. Whole Foods 
has already finalized an initial order for argan oil. As a 
consequence of continuing feedback, Dari Couscous has completed a 
new packaging design to fulfill U.S. market needs, particularly 
those of Whole Foods. 
 
¶18.  A detailed description of MEPI programs in Morocco can be found 
on the Mission unclassified Internet web page at www.usembassy.ma. 
 
 
 
RABAT 00002347  004 OF 004 
 
 
RILEY