The King of Morocco was in Casablanca Wednesday to inaugurate a drop-in support center for female victims of violence. The facility is part of King Mohammed VI’s agenda to make women’s issues as important as men’s.
The support center, which cost 6 million dirhams, or $693,000, includes a library, a reception area, a multipurpose hall, workshops, an infirmary, a hosting space, a kitchen and other outbuildings.
It will give legal assistance and psychological support for the women.
The facility is part of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH).
In Casablanca Monday, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI stopped by the Oukacha reformatory, which is a school for juvenile delinquents. He did this for his foundation for Inmates Reinsertion. Back in May 2006, the King signed agreements to improve the lives of prison inmates once they have completed their sentences.
Maghreb Arabe Presse
During his visit, Mohammed saw the reformatory’s vocational training center and the workshops. He even to the took the time to award certificates to ten of the best laureates.
His Majesty also toured a school built by the Education Ministry as part of an agreement with the Mohammed VI Foundation for Inmates Reinsertion. He also gave a high school degree to an inmate.
King Mohammed asked several questions during the tour. He asked about the results of the socio-professional reinsertion system, and about the achievements of the post-prison support centers.
At the end of his visit, the King oversaw the signing of a partnership agreement between his Foundation, the General delegation of the penitentiary and reinsertion administration (DGAPR) and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM). The agreement aims to train inmates in certain professional fields so they could earn employment once they are out of a reformatory.
During the weekend, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI celebrated the eleventh year of his reign. The festivities, known as Fête du Trône, took place in Tangiers and Tetouan.
Maghreb Arabe Presse
To begin the celebrations, the King did what he normally does on national or religious holidays: pardon prisoners. Last year to mark a decade on the throne, Mohammed excused 25,000 prisoners. This year, however, it was only 980. Five were to be released immediately while the others saw their sentences reduced.
Then the King took to the airwaves to address his subjects with a lengthy speech. In it, he discussed Morocco’s development process and said it could only be done through four major guidelines. The first one, “should make sure the state, under my supervision, plays its strategic role in determining the nation’s basic options, implementing major projects, boosting, organizing and encouraging free enterprise and wisely-managed liberalization,” the monarch said.
He went on to say: “We need to consolidate the nation’s democratic system of governance. In this respect, I have sought to strengthen the rule of law, introduce thorough legislative and institutional reforms, as well as review legislation related to human rights protection. I have also endeavored to expand the scope of freedoms and encourage effective political practices by ensuring the citizens’ active participation in public life and close cooperation with the decision-makers.”
King Mohammed added that the third guideline concerns the pressing need to place the citizen at the heart of the development process. “This is why I launched the National Initiative for Human Development, which has enabled us over the past five years to achieve tangible results in the fight against poverty, social exclusion and marginalization.”
“Under the fourth guideline, our economy should be provided with the necessary ingredients for take-off and development, mainly in terms of infrastructure and planning. This has started to bear fruit with respect to strategy, and in the sectoral and social fields,” the King said, adding that “these infrastructure projects and plans have enabled us to upgrade our economy, boost productivity, enhance competitiveness, increase public investment, and create integrated, regional development hubs.”
Maghreb Arabe Pressse
The next day, in Tetouan, King Mohammed chaired an oath-swearing ceremony. With his brother, Moulay Rashid, and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, the King oversaw the graduation of military students, who are to protect and fight for their country.
In a speech, Mohammed highlighted the works of his grandfather – Mohammed V – during World War II. He also named the graduates after General de Gaulle due to the French leader’s “exemplary commitment to the values and ideals of bravery and of dedication to the safeguard of national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Next, King Mohammed – along with his brother, son, and daughter Princess Lalla Khadija – chaired the officers’ mess of the Tetouan Royal Guard, a luncheon on the occasion of the oath-taking ceremony by the newly-graduated officers.
Afterward, the King met with several expatriates, mostly from Europe, who were suffering from chronic illnesses.
Morocco’s Princess Lalla Salma, who is Chairwoman of the Lalla Salma Association for the Fight against Cancer, was in Casablanca Friday to lay the foundation stone for a gynecological oncology center. The facility is meant to detect breast and cervical cancer and deal with pain treatment.
Maghreb Arabe Presse
Costing nearly $4 million, the center will take about 14 months to build, and will be located at the Ibn Rochd University Hospital Center.
The center will also be equipped with a surgical service that will allow around 2000 cases per year with the aim of improving quality, develop new surgical techniques and ensure training for specialized surgery.
Moreover, the facility will include a screening service for cervical cancer for 252,000 women, between the ages of 30 and 50 years old, plus breast cancer, with an estimated 155,000 women between the ages of 45 and 70 years old. It is even aimed at reducing the number of advanced cancer patients, improving therapeutic results and cutting the cancer mortality rate.
Morocco’s Princess Lalla Salma was in the outskirts of Rabat Monday to host the World No Tobacco Day celebrations. As chairwoman of the Lalla Salma Fight Against Cancer Association and goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization, it was natural for the Princess to take part in such an event.
Maghreb Arabe Presse
The ceremony included reports of anti-tobacco efforts and a presentation on how to successfully combat tobacco. Awards were given out to companies who ban the use of tobacco. Maroc Telecom won the golden label, while BMCE Bank and ONCF got the silver labels.
Lalla Salma also gave out awards from the cancer association that bears her name. The first went to the 20th August Hospital in Casablanca as a “tobacco free hospital”. The second went to Amira Lalla Salma High School in Rissani for being a tobacco free high school while the Jamal Eddine Afghani Junior High School in El Haouz got the award for being a tobacco free junior high school.
World No Tobacco Day 2010 was organized by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Lalla Salma Fight against Cancer Association, under the slogan, “Let every day be a World No Tobacco Day.”
King Mohammed VI’s sister, Princess Lalla Meryem, received an award from the World Women Leaders Association in Paris Thursday evening. The Princess won the prize for her work on womens’ issues in her country, Morocco.
Maghreb Arabe Presse
“Such a distinction is all the more important as it is granted, as today, to a country from the South,” Princess Lalla Meryem said.
Simone Veil, former speaker of the European Parliament and member of the Académie Française, personally handed Lalla Meryem the award after Nicole Barbin, the association’s chairwoman paid tribute to her.
“In all areas, the struggle of women is part of their condition, but there is one in which they invest their energy, imagination and affection. It is the education of children who tomorrow will support a changing world, “the Princess said in her acceptance speech.
“Be assured, ladies and gentlemen, that this trophy is now presented to me through my person, is dedicated to all those in our country are convinced that the world we want for our children is a world of peace , tolerance and dialogue in respect for differences and similarities of the statement.”
Lalla Meryem won the award over many other distinguished women, some of whom were once presented with the Legion of Honor, France’s highest decoration.
The Association was founded in 2000 “to highlight the women of responsibility and solidarity to promote the role and impact of women in society in order to boost the value of complementarity between men and women can strive for a harmonious mix of powers.”
Sheikha Fariha al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sahad of Kuwait is making a visit to Morocco this week. The trip was part of Kuwait-Morocco relations in regards to the disabled. In her country, Fariha is the chairperson of the Committee of the Ideal Mother, which deals with women’s issues.
Maghreb Arabe Presse
She arrived in Rabat on Sunday and was greeted by Princess Lalla Hasna, sister to King Mohammed VI, and Princess Lalla Soumaya. Upon arriving, the Sheikha and the Princesses inspected the honor guard before heading off to one of the royal palaces, where the Moroccan royal women threw a dinner party for their guest.
On Monday, Fariha paid a visit to the Mohammed VI National Center for the Disabled. She was given a tour of the facility and was briefed on how it helps those in need, such as social and medical benefits. The Sheikha also met with the children and gave them gifts.
In a press release, she praised the King and his wife, Princess Lalla Salma, on their work with those facing mental and physical challenges.
Sheikha Fariha also visited the tombs of King Mohammed V and King Hassan II on Monday.
Not too much is known about Fariha, but she is the daughter of the late Emir Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, who ruled Kuwait from 1921 to 1950. His son, Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Fariha’s brother, is the current Emir.
Morocco’s Princess Lalla Salma is currently on an official visit to Qatar. It began on Wednesday and it is expected that it would last until this weekend. The Princess was invited to this Persian Gulf nation by Sheikha Mozah, wife of the Emir.
Maghreb Arabe Presse
Lalla Salma’s first stop in Doha was to the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) where she met with its Deputy Board Chairperson Dr. Juheina Al Issa, and SCFA Secretary General Nour Al Maliki. They explained to her the SCFA’s role in promoting and enhancing the family, how the Council functions and what it has achieved since its inception in 1998. Their achievements include legislating family laws, banning children from being camel jockeys and lobbying laws for those with special needs. Lalla Salma expressed her appreciation for the SCFA.
Later, the Princess was given a tour of the Museum of Islamic Arts, which opened in late 2008 to house artwork from the 7th century up until the 19th century.
Maghreb Arabe Presse
On Thursday, Lalla Salma went to the Sidra Medical Research Center, which is meant to be the Persian Gulf’s first international academic medical center living up to global standards in the study of health issues when it opens in 2012. Lalla Salma was briefed on the center’s ambitions and given a tour of the facility.
Following that visit, the Princess stopped by Qatar’s Diabetes Association where she learned about how it educates and helps people with the disease.
It is not known how long exactly will Princess Lalla Salma remain in Qatar. It is rumored that she will be attending the wedding of Sheikha Hind, the daughter of the Emir and Sheikha Mozah, this Friday. But there is no confirmation on this.
The body of an Abu Dhabi Sheikh was found in a Moroccan lake Tuesday morning, after his glider crashed into it four days ago.
REUTERS/WAM/Handout
Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s remains were recovered after a rescue search involving about 225 people from four different countries, according to Morocco’s state media. The Sheikh was 41 years old.
In the United Arab Emirates, state television was interrupted with readings from the Koran and banners reading, “Sheikh Ahmed…is in the care of God.” The state news agency WAM announced the country will have three days of mourning starting Wednesday, for the younger brother of the President of the UAE and the head of a sovereign fund that made him one of the most powerful people in the world.
Sheikh Ahmed’s the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), is one of the world’s biggest sovereign funds. The news agency Reuters says it is believed ADIA has assets of between $500 billion and $700 billion. It gets its funds from the UAE’s oil exports.
Last year, the Sheikh was ranked as number 27 on Forbes magazine’s most powerful people list.
Despite his influence, Ahmed was elusive to the media, rarely gave interviews and did not particularly care for being called “Your Highness.”
“He was extremely well respected as part of the work he did for ADIA and it was expected that he would play a vital role in the future development of the emirate as a leading member of the ruling family,” a source told Reuters.
The ruling family of Abu Dhabi owned property in Morocco. It was likely Sheikh Ahmed was vacationing there when he was in his glider over the artificial lake formed from the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah Dam. When the glider crashed, the pilot was rescued but no trace of the Sheikh was found until Tuesday.
Ahmed was the son of the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan. He worked for ADIA as an analyst before assuming its head. Though the younger brother of the current Abu Dhabi ruler and President of the UAE, Ahmed was not in line to the emirate.
Experts say ADIA will remain within the al-Nahyan family. A successor could be named in about a week.
The wife of the King of Morocco oversaw the official launch of the national plan for cancer prevention and control. As chairwoman of the Lalla Salma Association Against Cancer, the Princess was the likely person to chair this event.
Maghreb Arabe Presse
The national plan aims to give quality health care to those suffering from the disease throughout the country. It has come together through the partnership between Lalla Salma’s cancer organization and the ministry of health. The plan will span 10 years and cost close to $1 billion dollars.
As part of cancer prevention and control, the national program intends to include 78 measures of prevention, early detection, diagnostic care and therapy, and palliative treatment.
There will also be a program for the early detection of breast and cervical cancer that would be done in over 30 cancer screening centers all over Morocco.
The prevention programs will the fight against tobacco, plus promote healthy living and seek to reduce behavioral risks.
In addition, there will be more facilities built, such as four regional oncology centers in Safi, Laâyoune, Meknès and Tangier, two gynecological oncology centers in Rabat and Casablanca, and two pediatric oncology centers in Fez and Marrakech.
Recent Comments