Marrakech - H.M. King Mohammed VI highlighted the "importance of the demographic factor as a compass for public policy formulation," with the aim to face the global crisis which threatens to roll back the progress achieved in the area of human development.
"The global crisis threatens to roll back the progress achieved in the area of human development. The current and future impact of this crisis will be determined basically in light of population considerations and criteria, a fact which underscores the importance of the demographic factor, which should therefore serve as a compass for public policy formulation," the Monarch said in a message addressed to the 26th international Population Conference, which kicked off Sunday in Marrakech.
In this message read on his behalf by High Commissioner for Planning, Ahmed Lahlimi Alami, H.M the King underlined that one of the characteristic features of Morocco's population policy stems from his firm belief that the "impact of the demographic factor cannot be determined in isolation from economic, social, cultural and political factors."
That is why, the sovereign said, "we have therefore sought to apply a comprehensive strategy based on a participatory approach which focuses on three main axes." "The first being "investing in infrastructure and productive sectors in an open, liberal environment," he noted.
The second consists in fighting poverty and social inequalities through better sharing of the benefits of growth and through improved living conditions; hence the launch of the National Initiative for Human Development, a vast open-ended project that is consistent with the Millennium Development Goals, H.M the King added.
Third provides for introducing political and social reforms aimed at increasing the scope of democratic participation and ensuring the advancement of women, especially through the adoption of a Family Law which is a piece of groundbreaking legislation as far as the legal equality between women and men and the protection of the rights of the child are concerned, he went on to say.
In today's global context, which is marked by an unprecedented economic and financial crisis, population policies cannot afford to ignore climate change, which must be given due consideration, both in economic and demographic projections, according to the Monarch.
Noting that demographic studies and economic indicators converge in highlighting a particularly important fact, namely the widening inequalities characterizing our world, H.M the King stressed the need for sustainable human development, whose prime objective should be to close these gaps by fighting poverty, guaranteeing access to healthcare and education in particular, and paying closer attention to environmental protection.
Food security, desertification, farmland depletion and sea level rise are pressing issues for demographers to ponder on so as to address their severe implications, he said, noting in this regard "the serious problem of migration movements, which is set to take a more critical turn in the future."
Located at a point where North meets South, Morocco feels very much concerned about migration issues, H.M. the king said. "To face up to the impact of migration movements, we have been working with our Euro-Mediterranean partners on the strategies that need to be developed to bring this phenomenon under control," he went on to say.
© Agence Maghreb Arabe Presse 2009
