Moroccan premier calls for co-responsibility to fulfil economic and social rights
Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi has called for international co-responsibility and cooperation to fulfil economic, social and cultural human rights.
Youssoufi, who was addressing here on Tuesday the Paris gathering commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, underlined the "substantial and decisive" role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in promoting and defending human rights. He deemed it most necessary to hold "a constructive and realistic" dialogue between these NGOs and governmental institutions.
The Moroccan premier said further that the civil society and the press can play a key role in promoting human rights. The press, he said, is the necessary tool to inform the public opinion, to mobilize it if necessary and make it exert an efficient pressure on public powers. "Without a vigilant public opinion, human rights protection cannot be guaranteed," the prime minister said.
He also touched on the situation of emigrant workers, deploring that the international convention on the protection of migrant workers has been ratified only by very few developing countries. He recalled in this respect that an international colloquy on migration, held in the Moroccan northern city of Tangier last November, adopted the "Tangier declaration" calling on host countries to ratify the convention and to adopt a new "humanist and comprehensive" approach in handling migration issues. Morocco is among the few signatories of the convention.
Youssoufi also stressed the need to intensify struggle against social exclusion and poverty and recalled that for the first time in Morocco an anti-poverty week was held throughout the kingdom to express solidarity with the poor.
The campaign enabled to raise $ 9 million that will be used for the rehabilitation of charity centers.
The ceremonies commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Dec. 7- 10) are attended by several Moroccan officials and politicians, including besides the prime minister, the speaker of the house of representatives (lower house of the bi-cameral parliament), and the ministers of justice and of human rights.
The Moroccan officials are among the 10 million signatories of the "Golden Book" who pledge to uphold human rights and to spare no effort so that the rights stipulated in the declaration become a reality everywhere across the world.