Cablegate: Mepi Update for Morocco

VZCZCXRO5809
RR RUEHTRO
DE RUEHRB #2347/01 3621718
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
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.

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MEPI TRAINING
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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.

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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.

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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.

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IRI's ACTIVITIES
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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