Morocco's approach to sustained development inspires Sub-Saharan African countries

Morocco has become a model for many sub-Saharan African countries in the development policy combining the notion of sustained development to environment protection and preservation of life quality.

The statement was made Tuesday by head of French College of environment high studies, Jacques Bregeon at a colloquy cosponsored by the Moroccan employers association (CGEM).

The event is part of the year-long event on Morocco held in France "Le Temps du Maroc."

Bregeon stressed that Morocco has been applying a global approach to sustained development combining rational management to the use of technologies in the training of human resources.

For the speaker, this global approach is in line with international standards of lasting development as this notion means, first of all, the pursuit of balance between social, economic and political issues and then the quest of solutions to all development and governance problems.

He explained that sustained development also implies the integration of precaution and prevention while enforcing the rule of "more polluter, more payer," in addition to involving the community in the development process and the preservation of the eco-system.

Another environment searcher informed participants on the existence of a "Mediterranean blue plan," which is a research structure meant to help authorities and decision-makers of the region in the struggle against pollution in the Mediterranean basin. He added that both Morocco and France are concerned by the plan as they both have two sea shores and therefore share the same problems. The French environmentalist also warned that the Mediterranean region is facing a water scarcity problem as 80% of water resources are used for irrigation.

Participants in the colloquy that compared Moroccan and French approaches to lasting development called all nations to join efforts to protect the eco-system.

In this vein, the local council of Haut-de-Seine, France, devised a project to help populations of the Moroccan southern town of Essaouira to improve life quality, through actions in education, rural electrification and exchange of expertise.