Maghreban consultative council: human resources committee adopts recommendations

The human resources committee of the Maghreban Consultative Council, the parliamentary body of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), adopted at the end of a two-day meeting in Algiers Sunday a set of recommendations geared towards the consolidation of Maghreban cooperation.

The recommendations, to be submitted to the council's 4th session, scheduled to be held in Rabat next September 5-6, deal with cooperation between the UMA member countries (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) in matters of human resources promotion, culture, information, education, scientific research, youth and sports and health, in addition to issues pertaining to the Maghreban community settled abroad.

The committee thus recommended to promote exchanges between Maghreban universities, ease students' access to Maghreban universities, devise an overall Maghreban strategy in higher education and standardize teaching methods.

Participants also called Maghreban countries to consecrate the principle of compulsory education and to foster youth exchange in the frame of summer camps and sporting, cultural and scout activities, and to encourage the setting up of cultural, scientific and professional associations.

The committee recommended that February 17 (inception date of the UMA) be celebrated as a national, official day and that June 10 be marked as the Maghreban associative movement day.

Other recommendations were related to cooperation between Maghreban countries in matters of information, communication and media, the adoption of a Maghreban official anthem, and the setting up of an appropriate frame to follow up the issues of concern to the Maghreban community settled in Europe.