Program Description

Current Situation

The U.S. supports the democratic progress of Morocco with assistance that promotes a democratic, well-governed nation. Over the last decade, Morocco has made significant progress in elaborating and implementing democratization and good governance reforms. The centralized government, under the authority of a Monarch who both rules and reigns, is evolving into a state where the policy interests and priorities of citizens take precedence. Policies are framed and defined by maturing political parties and are expressed in a popularly and proportionally-elected representative body through a consensus based approach to participatory governance.

The centralized model of public administration, distant from the concerns of individuals and their communities, is giving way in Morocco to a ”policy of proximity,” with key functions of public administration being devolved to local and regional authorities in accordance with best practices in governance. This shift is concomitant with Morocco’s efforts to improve transparency and accountability in government. The Moroccan effort to restructure the local government system and to tie local government more closely to the priorities of the governed, directly complements the U.S. interest in promoting the emergence of a democratic and well-governed Morocco that is better able to respond to the needs of its citizens.

 Program Focus

• Improving the national enabling environment with a particular emphasis on the capacities of representative democratic institutions such as Parliament and political parties;
• Encouraging transparency in governance by building the capacities of executive branch and local government audit and oversight institutions;
• Enhancing the capacity of local government in meeting the needs of its citizens by working to establish the policies and practices that will increase the access of local government authorities to financing for local development

 Successes

• With USAID support, the Parliament installed verbatim transcription equipment changing the length of time to enter debate into the official record from three years to twenty-four hours.
• Development of a series of operational audit guides and compendiums of international norms to support the inspectors from the general inspection for local authorities in conducting their audit and advisory missions.
• In Casablanca, elected officials and communal staff have initiated, with USAID support, a process to develop codes of conducts that lay out the values and commitment that underpin their public actions.
• For the first time in Morocco, three cities (Casablanca, Marrakech and Salé) are being rated by an internationally recognized credit rating agency in order to improve their access to capital financing.
• In four rural communes in the Province of Errachidia, USAID enabled the participation of nearly 7 000 people (among whom more than half were women or children) in determining local priorities within the framework of the national initiative for human development. USAID also supported the creation of human development center in one of these communes as well income generating activities for women and low-income populations.
• In Nouaceur, Mohammédia, Casablanca, Meknès and Kénitra, USAID supports the participation of slum dwellers in housing upgrading projects. In Nouaceur, for example, and thanks to the work of local facilitators, the needs of vulnerable populations were taken into consideration when new housing units were attributed.
• The Casablanca city council initiated, with USAID support, a series of forums open to the public, civil society and elected officials to discuss key governance issues. This initiative will lay the foundation for the development of a common vision for the future development of the city .