Latest news with #Alaoui
Morocco World
10-07-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Seeks to Capitalize on Wheat Prices Decline to Secure Five-Month Supply
Rabat – Morocco aims to boost its wheat imports and stockpiling to cover local needs for the next three to five months. Abdelkader El Alaoui, President of the National Federation of Mill Owners, told SNRTnews that the North African country aims to capitalize on the decline in international wheat prices, especially soft wheat. Alaoui said that global grain prices have been declining since May, which could prove beneficial for the North African country to strengthen its stockpiles, especially in soft wheat, which is primarily used to produce bread and pastries. He said the reference price for delivering wheat to mills ranges between MAD 250 ($27.9) and MAD 255 per quintal, which halts the state subsidiary for the commodity as it is conditional that the cost per quintal exceeds MAD 270 ($30). The expert emphasized that the government subsidy is granted in the form of compensation that covers the difference between the import cost and the field delivery price of MAD 270 ($30) per quintal. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released an analysis in June, reporting wheat prices in the month of May. 'Global wheat export prices also declined month-on-month in May 2025, though less sharply than maize prices,' the analysis said, adding that the soft price tone was mainly driven by subdued global demand and generally good crop conditions. In May, Minister of Agriculture Ahmed Bouari expected cereal production to reach 44 million quintals, up by 41% compared to last year. Bouari said the sector appears to be regaining momentum, noting that the agricultural rate should stand at 5.1% this year, a significant turnaround from last season's 4% decline. The higher performance is due to the significant rainfall that Morocco witnessed in the March-April period, reaching 295 millimeters. This is positive news for Morocco, which has been suffering from alarming drought for six seasons in a row. The North African country has taken several measures to tackle the situation, including canceling the Eid Al Adha sacrificial ritual in June. Tags: Morocco wheatMorocco wheat import Ukraine
Ya Biladi
02-07-2025
- Business
- Ya Biladi
Morocco champions human rights in business at UN event in Geneva
مدة القراءة: 3' For Habib Belkouch, Interministerial Delegate for Human Rights (DIDH), Morocco's participation in the forum aims to «expand the circle of stakeholders in the human rights project» by fully integrating businesses. He emphasized that this topic, now central to United Nations debates, is part of ongoing discussions around a binding international treaty on business and human rights. According to Belkouch, «Morocco brings to Geneva the conclusions of the Morocco-Africa Forum in Marrakech», recently held to help forge a common approach between Africa and the Arab world. He outlined three key pillars of Moroccan policy: - Protecting workers' rights, through a new law on the right to strike, described as «a balanced law that protects both workers and business interests». - Combating child labor, reaffirming that «a child's rightful place is in school». - Promoting gender parity in corporate governance, with legal targets of 30% women on company boards by 2024 and 40% by 2027. CGEM at the Forefront Representing the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), Youssef Alaoui noted that 95% of the Moroccan private sector is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With over 90,000 members, CGEM has become a key player in social dialogue and economic governance. Since 2007, it has developed governance codes tailored to companies of all sizes, recently reinforced by an annual barometer for responsible governance. On the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) front, CGEM has awarded more than 150 Corporate Social Responsibility labels, now recognized at the European level through the Responsibility Europe network. A dedicated Responsible SME label has also been launched to support smaller businesses. On the social side, Alaoui praised the structured tripartite dialogue between the government, trade unions, and employers, which has led to a 20% increase in the minimum wage over the past six years. The constitutional right to strike is now regulated by a 2024 law that guarantees both union freedom and the right to work. Advancing Gender Parity in Governance Another key achievement, according to Alaoui—who also chairs the CGEM group in the Chamber of Advisors—is the extension of mandatory health insurance to 86% of the population, backed by a public contribution of 35 billion dirhams. CGEM has also launched a Social Academy, which has already trained over 100 managers in conflict prevention and collective bargaining, 42% of them women. Highlighting the link between diversity, economic performance, and sustainability, Alaoui called for a shift in mindset where women's representation in leadership is no longer symbolic but seen as a true growth driver. «Some companies already have 50 to 60% women in their governance structures», he noted. He also highlighted that child labor in Morocco has been reduced by 90% over the past two decades, dropping from 600,000 in 1999 to fewer than 60,000 today. Anti-child labor clauses, he added, will be integrated into CSR frameworks, especially in high-risk sectors like agriculture, construction, and textiles. International Recognition UN representatives praised Morocco's efforts. Pernille Fenger, Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) office in Geneva, commended the quality of strategic dialogue with the Moroccan government, particularly on gender equality and reproductive rights, with a focus on youth, women, and people with disabilities. Olga Nilova, a specialist in the UNDP's Business and Human Rights program, applauded Morocco for convening more than 300 participants, from governments, businesses, unions, and NGOs, and reaffirmed the UNDP's support for implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Through this high-level event, Morocco sought to present a model that reconciles economic development, social inclusion, and human rights—a complex challenge, but one rooted in a clear vision: a private sector that drives transformation in the service of shared prosperity.
Maroc
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Maroc
UNOC/Nice: Academy of Kingdom of Morocco Hosts Side Event on Africa-Mediterranean-Europe Cooperation for 'Sustainable Ocean Governance'
Sunday 12 October 2025 The Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco organized on Wednesday in Nice a side event dedicated to Africa-Mediterranean-Europe cooperation for "Sustainable Ocean Governance," on the sidelines of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), being held in Nice until June 13. Held under the theme "Cooperation for Sustainable Ocean Governance Bringing Together Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe," this scientific meeting brought together key stakeholders from Africa, the Mediterranean, and Europe to contribute to building a strengthened partnership based on the "Roadmap to 2030: Co-piloting the Africa-Europe Ocean Partnership." On this occasion, the Academy's Executive Director, Bachir Tamer emphasized that the stakes of this partnership—and more broadly, regional cooperation and South-South and North-South collaboration—are at the heart of Morocco's priorities under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. He highlighted in this regard the powerful message addressed by the Sovereign to participants of the "Africa for the Ocean" Summit, held on Monday as part of UNOC3 and delivered by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Representative of His Majesty the King, who co-chaired the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. In this message, he recalled, His Majesty the King underlined Morocco's call for a strategic reassessment of Africa's maritime role, built around three pillars: blue growth, enhanced South-South cooperation and regional integration around oceanic spaces, and effective maritime action through Atlantic synergies. Echoing this message, the president of the Moroccan Institute of Strategic Intelligence (IMIS) Abdelmalek Alaoui, stressed that "in line with the Royal message at UNOC, we must rethink the ocean not just as a resource to protect, but as a space to govern." Speaking at a roundtable on "Governance Facing the Challenges of the Blue Economy in Africa," Alaoui identified three key failures that currently hinder African ocean governance efforts: "fragmented and non-inclusive governance," "a lack of technological and informational sovereignty," and "the absence of a coordinated blue diplomacy." Alaoui also joined other voices who advocated for the promotion of research and science within public-private partnerships and interdisciplinary approaches to support African countries in facing ocean challenges, especially in terms of observation with open data to inform policymakers. Training and capacity-building for African countries in this area were also among the recommendations, with a special emphasis on involving youth and local actors in these efforts.
LeMonde
02-06-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
In Suwayda, Syria's Druze confront the pull of Israel
With its cannon pointed toward the desert horizon, an aging tank, hidden behind mounds of earth, awaited the enemy's approach. At the entrance to Suwayda Governorate, obstacles erected across the road from the outskirts of Damascus forced the few motorists traveling this route to slow down. About 10 heavily armed Druze militiamen nervously watched the comings and goings. Since the intercommunal violence that struck the Druze population from April 28 to 30 – leaving 134 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights – this region, the heartland of Syria's Druze community, had barricaded itself in anticipation. Just a hundred meters away, the small hamlet of As Sawara Al Kubra, emptied of its inhabitants, bore the scars of the fighting. On Khaled Alaoui's terrace, the spring breeze that swept the arid hills and orchards of the country's south stirred up ashes. His three-story home was consumed by flames, after being looted and set alight amid the violence. "When they entered the village, they destroyed cars, looted houses and stole whatever they could – even the children's toys," Alaoui, a 40-year-old Druze businessman with light eyes and a graying beard, said indignantly. Who are "they"? Radical "takfiri" and "Salafist" groups, he explained, who came to support local Bedouin who had stopped Druze militiamen from Suwayda trying to join their coreligionists in Damascus – with, according to him, the blessing of the Interior Ministry's security service. Many buildings were ransacked or destroyed, including the village's Druze shrine and the mausoleum of Issam Zahreddine – a former Druze commander in the Syrian national army, killed in 2017 by a landmine explosion. For Alaoui, it did not matter that Zahreddine had been a key figure in suppressing the Syrian opposition, the executioner of the Damascus suburbs and central Homs. The destruction of his tomb was nothing more than an "excuse" to "attack us," he said.
Morocco World
06-03-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Aims to Welcome One Million German Tourists in 2025
Rabat – Zohour Alaoui, Morocco's Ambassador to Germany, talked highly of the relationship between the two countries during a Moroccan themed gala dinner organized by the Agadir Souss-Massa Regional Tourism Council (CRT) this evening in Berlin. The event is taking place on the heels of the International Tourism Fair of Berlin (ITB), which began on March 4 and wrapped up today. Alaoui talked about tourism between Morocco and Germany as a vital part of their excellent relationship and designated it as a 'lever' that can contribute to deepening friendship and achieving the countries' highest ambitions. The diplomat said that Morocco, in line with its values of hospitality and coexistence, considers tourism as an exceptional compass for bringing people together, allowing for a better exchange of knowledge and creating deep cultural ties. 'It is this very wealth that we wish to share with our German friends. Each German tourist who visits Morocco contributes to further strengthening the bonds of friendship that unite our two countries,' she said Alaoui further commented that Morocco's participation in ITB Berlin 2025 demonstrates the country's rising interest in the German tourism market, which is already marked by a 40% influx of German tourists to Morocco in 2019. The diplomat also revealed Morocco's ambitious target of reaching one million German tourists in 2025 as part of the strategy aimed at strengthening the country's position as a tourist destination. This is especially important, given that the tourism sector has become a key driver for Morocco's economy, representing 7.2% of the gross domestic product in 2024. Different factors that contribute to the growth of the sector, the diplomat added, include Morocco's geostrategic position, its economic performance, robust development, political stability, as well its culture of openness and tolerance. All of which are reinforced by concrete government measures and stakeholder participation in the tourism sector, under the guidelines set by King Mohammed VI. The gala was attended by several renowned Moroccan personalities and tourism officials, including Director General of the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT); Achraf Fayda, President of the Agadir Souss-Massa CRT; Salah-Eddine Benhammane, the Director General of the Moroccan Society of Tourist Engineering (SMIT); Imad Barrakad, as well as the President of the National Tourism Confederation (CNT); Hamid Bentahar, among others. ITB Berlin 2025 gathered tourism professionals from over 170 countries, including Morocco, who presented their tourism offerings on an impressive 730-square-meter pavilion. Tags: Africa TourismDiplomacyGermanyMoroccan Tourism
