Morocco institutes human rights prize
Morocco, Culture, 12/9/2000

Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Saturday announced the creation of a human rights prize that will be extended annually to a national or foreign personality or organization.

"We have decided to institute an annual human rights prize, while entrusting the (Human Rights Advisory) Council with proposing the national or foreign personality or organization that qualifies to be the recipient," King Mohammed VI said in a speech on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Human Rights Advisory Council (CCDH).

The king, who was accompanied by Prince Moulay Rachid, also outlined the broad-lines for the revision of the attributions and composition of the Council, set up 10 years ago by the Late King Hassan II.

" For the Council to fulfil its noble missions, the expected reform should deal with the revision of its composition and the membership conditions, while seeing to it that the Council become a body assuming a mission of reflection, advice and of human rights promotion," King Mohammed VI said, underlining that the CCDH should gather "an elite chosen and proposed on the basis of impartiality, moral integrity, intellectual competence, sincere adhesion to human rights and commendable contribution to their consolidation."

The king also stressed the need to rationalize the instances of the Council and its working methods.

"Such a reform, shored up by the rationalization of the instances of the Council and its working methods, will undoubtedly help our country be in the heart of the dynamism of its epoch, in accordance with the international commitments in matters of human rights and in perfect harmony with its lasting heritage," he said.

Here follows the translation of the Royal Speech:

"Praise be to God, peace and prayers be on the prophet, his kin and companions, Ladies and gentlemen,

We pledged to our loyal people, since We acceded to our glorious ancestors throne, to tread the straight path they had taken making of justice the foundation and end of our government system and to complete the building up of a modern state, the rule of law and institutions, an undertaking to which unanimously adhered our grandfather and father, the late Kings Mohammed V and Hassan II -May God bless their souls- and the entire components of the Moroccan nation within the frame of a constitutional, democratic and social monarchy, based on adhesion to human rights as universally recognized.

Considering that protection of human rights, freedom of citizens, collectivities and organizations and the guarantee of their exercise are a constitutional responsibility which is at the core of our high prerogatives, we committed ourselves to promote human rights and preserve citizens' dignity as part of an overall approach to human rights as a powerful development lever with inter-dependent political, economic, social and cultural dimensions.

We soon set up an independent arbitration body which looked into compensation for prejudices caused by forced disappearances and arbitrary detention.

We would like here to congratulate the wisdom, impartiality and objectivity displayed by the members of this body in their scrutiny of a thorny issue, saying our strong resolve to strengthen this body endowing it with all human and material means to close the file in the most equitable, the most fair and the most civilized way possible and mobilize all energies to complete the edification of the rule of law, the best protection against all forms of abuse.

The Advisory Human Rights Council, whose members and representatives of stemming bodies, we rejoice in meeting on this blessed day, has contributed since inception ten years ago by our venerated father, may God bless his soul, through consultative pronouncements originating from virtues of dialog, probity and adhesion to law and equity to helping the first servant of Morocco to protect civic and political rights, becoming thus an essential structure in the national institutional backbone and a body worthy of respect at the international scale.

We insist on telling all members our high benevolence and our immense satisfaction for the positive capital piled up in this realm.

In our ceaseless concern to modernize and rationalize all our institutions, to enable them take up challenges of Morocco of the XXI century and pave the way to the implementation of initiatives we have announced in the Throne-Day speech relating to revising the Dahir setting up the council, We would like to seize the opportunity of the celebration of the Human Rights Universal Declaration anniversary to underscore the major orientations We have defined in the prospect of the reform we consider aimed at widening the scope of the council attributions, renewal of composition, rationalizing of its working methods to enable it better consecrate civic and political rights granting major importance to economic, social and cultural rights.

To this end, it is important to expand the council attributions to encompass, besides matters we hand for advice, dealing with human rights violations and proposing recommendations for cases dealt with, harmonizing national legislation with human rights international conventions, dissemination of human rights culture and channeling of the kingdom's international cooperation in the field as well as care to grant our loyal subjects sequestrated in Tindouf and lifting the siege on them and coordination with similar foreign bodies to preserve Moroccan immigrants dignity.

Entitling the Council to submit advisory opinions and recommendations as well as an annual report to Our Majesty regarding the situation of human rights, is likely to help us have an objective conception on mal-functioning and the shortcomings that should be corrected, and also to note the progress made with a view to consolidate and fructify it.

Starting from our will to encourage noble actions in this field, we have decided to institute an annual human rights prize, while entrusting the Council with proposing the national or foreign personality or organization that qualifies to be the recipient.

For the Council to fulfil its noble missions, the expected reform should deal with the revision of its composition and the membership conditions, while seeing to it that the Council become a body assuming a mission of reflection, advice and of human rights promotion and gathering an elite chosen and proposed on the basis of impartiality, moral integrity, intellectual competence, sincere adhesion to human rights and commendable contribution to their consolidation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Such a reform, shored up by the rationalization of the instances of the Council and its working methods, will undoubtedly help our country be in the heart of the dynamism of its epoch, in accordance with the international commitments in matters of human rights and in perfect harmony with its lasting heritage founded on the Honor God bestowed on men.

The Materialization of human rights is a long-term struggle and requires a tremendous effort to which all parties are called to contribute --regardless of trends, intellectual and political inclinations and of the acuity and complexity of issues posed-starting from the concern to avoid any reducing approach of human rights to the mere elimination of the scars of a certain juncture, and in the perspective of consecrating these rights as a culture whose consolidation requires a daily struggle and a constant edification effort.

To entitle the council, with its new composition and attributions, be of valuable help to Our Majesty to ensure the protection of human dignity, the consecration of right, the struggle against injustice, the perfection of a democratic society where nobody should be victim of injustice or privation, we urge all formations, called to present proposals for membership in the Council, to observe the above-mentioned criteria in these proposals and to take into account the general guidelines that we have announced and which will be stipulated in the Dahir that we will, God willing, see to its elaboration very shortly.

You will find Our Majesty constantly at the vanguard of the defenders of the consolidation of human rights, the unwavering protector of these rights and the warrant of the implementation of the advisory opinions of the Council in view of the legal force that our approbation gives to them.

May Peace, Blessings and Mercy be upon you."

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