Morocco, UNFPA sign cooperation agreement to promote gender equality

Morocco and the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) sign in Rabat Friday a cooperation agreement to promote gender equality.

The accord, extended on three years, was signed by Moroccan secretary of state in charge of family, solidarity and social action (SEFSAS), Yasmina Baddou, UNFPA representative in Morocco, Georges Giorgi, and the president of the Democratic Association of Women in Morocco (ADFM).

Under the agreement, a budget of over US $623,500 (6 million Dhs) was dedicated to help implementing the national strategy to prevent violence against women, to disseminate the culture of gender equality and to reinforce the capacity of SEFSAS and its partners operating in the realm of women's rights, Baddou told MAP.

she added that the signing of the agreement comes in a period marked by fresh reforms in the family law as announced by king Mohammed VI in October. The draft family, submitted this week to parliament, grants more rights to women in marriage and divorce and bans polygamy save in rare cases.

The secretary of state said her department contributed with US $50 thousand to the implementation of the cooperation project with the UNFPA.