Women's World Day: prime minister sets up body to promote women's status

Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi announced in Rabat Monday a project to set up a national commission in charge of promoting women's status.

The commission will propose programs meant to consolidate the role of women in society, conduct investigation and research, follow up the enforcement of programs, set part of the national strategy and supervise the work of regional standing committees, said Youssoufi at an information day.

Youssoufi said a society in which women do not enjoy civil, social and political rights on an equal footing as men will not be able to achieve socioeconomic development.

The socialist prime minister, who has been leading for a year a coalition government, added that his Cabinet has drawn a strategy geared to promote women's "effective participation" in priority sectors through combatting illiteracy, promoting girls schooling, improving reproductive health and upgrading empowerment of women.

For another member of the government, Human Rights Minister Ahmed Aujjar, one of the top priorities of the government is the promotion of women's rights, through consolidating women's status at the legal, social, economic, cultural and political levels.