VZCZCXRO1894
RR RUEHTRO
DE RUEHRB #1724/01 3121857
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081857Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7734
INFO RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 3666
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 9435
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 4581
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0223
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2218
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 0516

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RABAT 001724 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/FO-PATTON, NEA/MAG, NEA/PI AND DRL/NESCA 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PGOV EFIN KMPI SCUL MO
SUBJECT:  MEPI UPDATE FOR MOROCCO 
 
REF: A) Rabat 0399, B) 06 Rabat 2509 
 
¶1.  Summary:  This cable highlights MEPI programs and initiatives in 
Morocco from July 1-September 30.  A large MEPI grant (USD 450,000) 
made possible the first international observer mission in the 
history of Moroccan elections.  Other activities included an 
election survey by Akhawayn University and visits by representatives 
from MEPI's Regional Office in Tunis, and a congressional staffer. 
Highlights from existing programs included activities by the 
Advancing Learning and Employability for a Better Future (ALEF) 
literacy project, MEPI Alumni Network, International Research and 
Exchanges Board (IREX), American Bar Association (ABA), Financial 
Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC), Moroccan Center for Civic Education 
(MCCE) and MEPI Youth Summer Leadership Institute.  Implementers are 
partnering with local NGOs at the grassroots level to support 
numerous programs committed to reform in the four MEPI pillars.  End 
Summary. 
 
------------------ 
ELECTION OBSERVERS 
------------------ 
 
¶2.  MEPI funding of USD 450,000 made possible a significant 
pre-election assessment by a congressional staff delegation in early 
September, followed by the participation of a 45-member 
international elections observer mission.  Coordinated by the 
National Democratic Institute (NDI), this landmark effort was the 
first time in history foreign observers had been invited to watch 
Moroccan elections.  The mission concluded that the elections were 
conducted transparently, free from systematic fraud or widespread 
irregularities. 
 
--------------- 
ELECTION SURVEY 
--------------- 
 
¶3.  In the weeks before the September parliamentary elections, a 
MEPI small grant funded a public opinion survey conducted by 
students of Akhawayn University, supervised by faculty, which 
quantified attitudes toward electoral participation in sample urban 
and rural areas.  The survey results corroborated anecdotal findings 
about public ambivalence toward political parties and detachment 
from the political system. 
 
------------- 
MEPI VISITORS 
------------- 
 
¶4.  MEPI's Tunis Regional Officer Deputy Director Kirk Wolcott and 
Grants Financial Analyst Nadim Kourda visited Rabat on September 
10-13 to conduct monitoring site visits.  They discussed programming 
issues with MCCE, ABA, NDI, MTDS-Tanmia, and hosted a reception for 
steering committee members of the MEPI Alumni Network.  Kourda 
performed monitoring activities at the Association Action Jeunesse, 
Joussour and MTDS-Tanmia.  The Tunis visitors also visited Al 
Akhawayn University, an ALEF literacy site near Casablanca and 
Tanmia's Community Access Center in Sale.  They also provided 
training on MEPI issues for new emboffs as well as discussed ways to 
improve coordination efforts in MEPI programs. 
 
¶5.  Congressional staffer Michael Phelan from the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee visited Morocco from September 2-12.  Initially, 
he participated as a member of MEPI-funded  international 
pre-election assessment and election-day observation team. Then, 
Phelan spent his last three days discussing USG assistance programs, 
including MEPI, with emboffs and representatives from the Prime 
Minister's office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
 
--------------------- 
ALEF LITERACY PROJECT 
--------------------- 
 
¶6. The ALEF Project had numerous activities within its MEPI literacy 
portfolio, most of which involved the start of close-out efforts, 
anticipating the program's end in early 2008.  ALEF worked with 
consultants, the State Secretariat for Literacy and Non-formal 
Education (SSLNE) and several implementing partner associations to 
finalize its trainer guides and learning manuals.  The SSLNE was 
very impressed with the program and will adopt its teaching 
techniques in its ongoing work, representing a large vote of 
confidence for the ALEF Project.  Test data from ALEF students 
consistently showed significantly better levels of literacy 
acquisition and retention.  The Director of the Regional Education 
and Training Academy for Casablanca has officially requested that 
ALEF help him to adopt the pilot program for use with about 24,000 
 
RABAT 00001724  002 OF 003 
 
 
women and men who will be participating in the Academy's new 
literacy initiative. 
 
---------------------------------- 
THE MEPI ALUMNI NETWORK ACTIVITIES 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7. The MEPI Alumni Network in Morocco was officially launched on 
July 13 at a gathering of more than one hundred MEPI alumni from 
businesses, NGOs, political parties and development associations. 
Ambassador Riley spoke at the event.  The goal of the network is to 
support MEPI alumni in their efforts continue to promote reform in 
Morocco.  During the quarter, the network organized workshops for 
MEPI alumni members that discussed grant writing, job hunting, 
stress management, and marketing.  Each workshop was attended by 
20-25 participants. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
MARKET RESEARCH SURVEY FOR MOROCCAN MEDIA 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. On July 16-17, IREX hosted a meeting for independent media 
organizations to discuss the findings of a market research survey it 
financed to help Moroccan media companies better understand and 
identify target audiences.   The goal was to provide data on 
audiences and markets to media outlets, advertising agencies and 
advertisers; and to train these groups in the use of market research 
to better understand and respond to their audiences and advertisers. 
 
 
--------------------------- 
WORKSHOP OF JUDICIAL ETHICS 
--------------------------- 
 
¶9. ABA's MEPI-funded Legal and Judicial Development Project 
orchestrated the participation of six members of the Moroccan 
National Judges' Association to attend a regional meeting of judges 
in Algeria.  The gathering focused on Algeria's recent success in 
adopting a charter of judicial ethics and Morocco's steps to realize 
a similar judicial ethics charter.  ABA convened a meeting of judges 
from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, during which the participants 
raised, for the first time, the suggestion of forming a Maghreb-wide 
judges' association.  ABA considered this development to be a 
significant step forward in sharing experience among judges of the 
region and for helping the respective judges' associations assume 
increased institutional effectiveness and influence. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
WOMEN'S RIGHTS JUDICIAL CURRICULUM PROJECT 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶10. During the quarter, ABA and the Institut Superieur de la 
Magistrature, finalized the e-learning judge training modules of the 
MEPI-funded Women's Rights Judicial Curriculum Project.  Judges in 
Rabat and Marrakech tested the computer-based teaching modules.  The 
judges were impressed with this new learning technique.  Even those 
with little computer experience found them to be easy to navigate. 
Morocco's innovative e-learning judicial curriculum will be shared 
with judicial counterparts in Algeria, Bahrain and Jordan during the 
next few months 
 
------------- 
FSVC PROJECTS 
------------- 
 
¶11. In July, FSVC organized a workshop for Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM) 
supervisory staff on international accounting standards (IAS) issues 
for financial securities.  The volunteers advised BAM supervisory 
staff on accounting methodology to classify and value securities 
portfolios under the International Financial Reporting Standards, 
which is being applied by BAM to the banking sector.  The advice 
supported BAM's formal accounting guidance governing bank portfolio 
valuation, and application of IAS, now a regulatory requirement by 
BAM.  IAS implementation seeks to bring Moroccan accounting 
practices into line with international standards and improve 
transparency.  FSVC also provided similar bank regulatory accounting 
oriented training to the Chartered Accountants Association, whose 
membership is responsible for auditing bank accounts. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
THE MOROCCAN CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶12. MCCE organized the third Project Citizen pre-service Summer 
Institute from August 28-September 1.  The institute involved 22 
 
RABAT 00001724  003 OF 003 
 
 
recent graduates of teacher training institutes who have just been 
placed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in middle and high schools 
throughout Morocco, and six university students who are actively 
engaged with youth NGOs. The workshop featured training sessions in 
Project Citizen concepts and presentations by MOE officials and 
Emily Higgs, Program Coordinator at the Center for Civic Education 
in Washington D.C. The event has attracted much media attention 
despite coinciding with the parliamentary elections. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
MEPI YOUTH SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶13. Eight Moroccans traveled to the U.S. to participate in a 
six-week leadership training program for undergraduate students -- 
the MPI Youth Summer Leadership Institute.  They each cme from 
underprivileged families and had proven eadership skills.  The 
Institute consisted of ledership training workshops, academic 
sessions, site visits, community service projects, optional home 
stays, cultural activities and other opportunities for interaction 
with Americans peers.  The program ran July 5-August 19 and included 
a two-day orientation in Washington D.C., a four-week academic 
residency program at a U.S. university or college, and a two-week 
eductional study tour to other regions of the U.S.  There will be 
follow-on activities of this program, with a MEPI grant to be 
awarded to the student with the best design of a community 
assistance project. 
 
¶14.  A detailed description of MEPI programs in Morocco can be found 
on the Mission unclassified internet web page at www.usembassy.ma. 
 
JACKSON