The steering committee of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) held a meeting in Rabat on Tuesday, which coincides with the mid-term of phase III of the Initiative, launched in September 2018 by King Mohammed VI.
During this meeting, the members of the steering committee discussed the state of progress of the implementation of INDH programs, as well as they examined the new proposals aimed at strengthening convergence between the different stakeholders, says a statement from the Ministry of the Interior.
The agenda focused on three points, namely: the assessment of the INDH’s achievements since the beginning of phase III, the new strategic positioning of the INDH and the priorities set for the last period of this phase.
Thus, the assessment of the achievements of the last three years has confirmed that phase III of the INDH has created a new dynamic of human development in Morocco, which has made it possible to preserve the achievements of the two previous phases.
The evaluation of the new programs contained in phase III, relating in particular to the economic inclusion of young people (programme 3) and the boosting of human capital for the rising generations (programme 4) have made it possible to note the great progress made with regard to these two important goals.
As part of program 3, the INDH has created 99 youth platforms at the level of all the regions of the Kingdom in order to welcome young people, listen to their concerns, and provide guidance services to researchers. of employment and project leaders with a view to improving their income and ensuring their economic inclusion, underlines the press release, specifying that these platforms have welcomed more than 100,000 young people.
With regard to program 4, great progress has been made in the generalization of pre-school education in rural areas. The partnership established between the INDH and the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports has enabled an increase in the schooling rate for children, from 47% in 2018 to 73% in 2021. This increase has been more noticeable in rural areas, with a rate that has increased from 33% to 62% (more than 137,000 children) since the launch of phase III.
In addition, the implementation of the community health system – created to facilitate access of the poor population to health services and to fight against infant and maternal mortality, malnutrition and stunting – is experiencing remarkable development, in particular with the activation of this system in three priority regions, despite the negative repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since its launch in 2005 by HM King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, the INDH has continued to prove its effectiveness in the field of human development in the Kingdom. Considered as a pioneering royal project, the INDH enjoys a particular positioning between the institutional and the societal, which allows it to follow a policy of proximity aimed at supporting the poor population and meeting the major challenges of human development with a view to prepare future generations to play their role in society. In the field, the INDH acts as a catalyst for innovative projects and as a mobilizer of the human development mechanism.
Along the same lines, the INDH is constantly working to guarantee all the conditions necessary to achieve “strong convergence” between the various stakeholders. In this regard, the steering committee approved the proposals for the creation of five thematic committees comprising the ministerial departments and bodies concerned, and which will be responsible for addressing issues relating to areas of high priority, including early childhood, nutrition, school support, the fight against precariousness and economic inclusion, according to the same source.
This meeting took place in the presence of the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Economy and Finance, the Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, the Minister of Health and Social Protection , the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Waters and Forests and the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Jobs and Skills.
Also taking part in this meeting were the Minister of Tourism, Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, the Minister of Youth, of Culture and Communication, the Minister for Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family, presidents of associations, presidents of the councils of local authorities and the secretary general of the National Observatory for Human Development.
.