King Mohammed calls for more efforts to protect childhood
Morocco, Culture, 2/16/2001

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has called for more efforts at international, Arab and national levels to shield childhood and protect children against all the dangers looming on them and urged childhood activists in the Arab world to make rational and realistic recommendations likely to help devise national and Arab strategies to promote the Arab childhood.

This came in a message king Mohammed VI addressed to the Arab regional civil Society Forum on childhood held in Rabat February 15-19.

"You undoubtedly share our belief that the fulfillment of the noble goals we aspire to requires us to pool efforts, at international, Arab and national levels with a view to emancipating childhood from all handicaps, protecting it from the dangers looming on it such as deprivation from family, propagation of diseases, lack of schooling, shameful exploitation, sufferings resulting from immigration in addition to the sufferings endured by the children in some of our Arab countries in view of the destructive impacts of embargo, banishment and slaughter, and in the first instance our dear children in occupied Palestine," said the sovereign in the message that was read out by advisor to the king Zoulikha Nasri.

He added "We are aware of the need for the civil society to shoulder all its responsibility, as an efficient mobilizing and suggestive power in the fields of child care, in close cooperation and sound coordination with the competent governmental authorities, referring in this connection to our radiant civilizational heritage and to the universal values of our time, which advocate to honor childhood."

The sovereign urged the participants in the Forum to comprehensively and thoroughly assess the issues to be debated so as to submit to Arab governments objective concepts and rational and realistic recommendations likely to help devise national and Arab strategies to promote the Arab childhood and to soundly distribute roles and responsibilities between the governmental bodies and the civil society.

He also stressed the need to associate other actors from the various private sectors concerned by economic, social, cultural and information development in the endeavor with a view to materializing this strategy and reach the expected goals.

After he surveyed the efforts made by Morocco to promote the situation of children, the sovereign expressed hope that the Arab civil society will shoulder its responsibilities in promoting the situation of the Arab childhood and contributing efficiently to the shaping of an international position that is more open onto the dismal reality of large numbers of children in the countries of the south. The monarch also expressed hope that the forum will be an efficient contribution on the part of the Arab World the World Child Summit, slated for September 19-21, 2001 at the United Nations in New York City.

Here follows a translation of the full text of the royal message:

"Praise be to God,

Peace and Blessings be upon the Prophet, his Kin and Companions

Ladies and Gentlemen

We are happy to see Morocco host a meeting of the Arab Regional Forum of Civil Society Organizations, concerned by childhood issues, to debate the situation of the Arab child and assess and consolidate the efforts made to deal with the problematic related to promoting child's capacities, education and the exercise of his rights and we welcome all the representatives of the organizations and the distinguished personalities, participating in this forum. We actually deem your meeting as a landmark towards the materialization of an efficient Arab contribution to the United Nations Summit on Childhood and we appreciate the vanguard role played by the civil society organizations in national and international decision-making. We laud the spirit of loyal cooperation that the Arab Childhood and Development Council, the Regional Office of the UNICEF, the Arab Human Rights Institute and the Moroccan National Child Rights Observatory have shown to convene this Forum.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The World context in which the Forum is held is marked by the intensification of international efforts to consolidate human rights and consecrate human dignity through enforcement of the relevant international conventions and treaties, especially those pertaining to women and child's rights.

Women and child's rights are organically inter-dependent, as continuous care to perfect the maturity of a child and promote his creativity and production skills, depends on the promotion of women's rights and women's integration in development.

You undoubtedly share our belief that the fulfillment of the noble goals we aspire to requires us to pool efforts, at international, Arab and national levels with a view to emancipating childhood from all handicaps, protecting it from the dangers looming on it such as deprivation from family, propagation of diseases, lack of schooling, shameful exploitation, sufferings resulting from immigration in addition to the sufferings endured by the children in some of our Arab countries in view of the destructive impacts of embargo, banishment and slaughter, and in the first instance our dear children in occupied Palestine.

We are aware of the need for the civil society to shoulder all its responsibility, as an efficient mobilizing and suggestive power in the fields of child care, in close cooperation and sound coordination with the competent governmental authorities, referring in this connection to our radiant civilizational heritage and to the universal values of our time, which advocate to honor childhood.

That is why we expect this Forum, given the capacities of the participants, to comprehensively and thoroughly assess the issues to be debated so as to submit to our Arab governments objective concepts and rational and realistic recommendations likely to help devise national and Arab strategies to promote the Arab childhood and to soundly distribute roles and responsibilities between the governmental bodies and the civil society.

Other new actors from the various private sectors concerned by economic, social, cultural and information development should be involved in this field with a view to materializing this strategy and reach the expected goals. This will help our Arab World to efficiently contribute to the World Child Summit, based on on-field knowledge of the reality of our children and the requirements of their future's build-up.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Morocco is today resolutely continuing its march to promote the situation of women and children. Our Glorious father, King Hassan II, may God rest his soul, had laid down the foundations of this march, being keen on Morocco's attachment to the World Declaration on Children that he personally signed, and had set up the necessary mechanisms to follow up the implementation of Morocco's commitment to the Declaration, through creating the National Observatory of Child's Rights. The Observatory managed, thanks to the effective chairmanship of our cherished sister Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meriem, to promote these rights in complete harmony between the teachings of our religion and our international commitments.

Since we ascended the Throne of Morocco, we have continued this social march, opening before it wide horizons and bestowing on it our full care, based on our strong faith that care for children and women is a part and parcel of a comprehensive development and the construction of a modern democratic society.

We entrusted women and children's issues to a special ministry and made of the child parliament a permanent institution to teach our children the democratic practice, while seeing to it that our government and the civil society organizations join efforts in this regard. We likewise reinforced the National Preparatory Commission of the World Child Summit by entrusting its chairmanship to our dear brother His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, and conferring to the civil society a prominent rank amongst the Commission components.

We hope that your Forum will find in Morocco an extension of the Arab World with all its concerns and aspirations, energies and possibilities, a country putting all its experience and expertise at the disposal of its brothers and benefiting from them in the working out of a comprehensive national and Arab policy, wherein the Arab civil society will shoulder its responsibilities in promoting the situation of the Arab childhood and contributing efficiently to the shaping of an international position that is more open onto the dismal reality of large numbers of children in the countries of the south.

We pray God to grant you help and crown your efforts with success.

God's Peace and Blessings be upon you."

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