The President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), Ahmed Réda Chami, stressed the need to carry out a “parametric” reform of the pension system, which will be able to ensure continuity and a better technical balance.
Speaking during the virtual program “Aji Ndakrou CESE Talks” organized on Wednesday evening by the Council, Ahmed Réda Chami noted that the establishment of a national solidarity pension system, which will be able to guarantee the rights of current and future generations of active and retired, requires both formalizing and accelerating the process of consolidating balances and bringing the financing, benefits, regulatory framework and governance of existing pension schemes into line.
In this sense, he emphasized the significant gaps between existing levels of social protection and needs, as well as the rights of the population in terms of social security.
Ahmed Réda Chami also identified a set of priority actions through which Morocco can, like middle-income countries, make social protection a lever for social inclusion, cohesion and solidarity between its different socio-professional categories and between generations as well as a lever for economic growth.
Referring to the social security and assistance system, Ahmed Réda Chami underlined the need to overhaul it, in order to provide citizens with decent coverage at all stages of their life cycle.
This need, he said, stems from a fourfold requirement which is also a fourfold opportunity, within the reach of the country and its means, namely respecting fundamental human rights of which the right to social security is a component. inseparable, reducing inequalities through transfers that improve the redistribution of income and safeguarding and strengthening social cohesion through stable and structured mechanisms of solidarity.
Ahmed Réda Chami also advocated the establishment of social protection for children and people who are unemployed and disabled, as well as other protection against accidents at work and occupational diseases.
For his part, Fouad Benseddik, member of the ESEC, and expert in social protection, noted that 4 years ago, the council had adopted a self-referral opinion on social protection in Morocco, noting that the council had drawn up, for this purpose, an inventory of fixtures of the social protection and had reviewed the strong points, the difficult points and the points to be improved and that a report was published the same year in this direction.
Two years later, he continued, a framework law was adopted by parliament at the instigation of King Mohammed VI, adding that this text took up a number of recommendations that had been formulated by the Council.
“We are delighted with this, and of course there are also a number of recommendations from the council which have not been completely or fully taken up by this framework law”he pointed out, noting that it is the role of the council to explain what has been done in this direction, what has been taken up, and to continue its effort to disseminate knowledge and analyzes but also to try to advance these recommendations so that social protection becomes a reality in the country and so that all citizens can benefit from it.
“Aji Ndakrou CESE Talks” aim to share the reflection on crucial subjects, previously addressed by the CESE, with a view to bringing, in the light of the conclusions of its work, additional light to current debates in society.
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