"Our country has no other choice but to speed up the upgrading of its education system to ensure a fair and quality school offer, equal access to education, the educational advancement of pupils, the transparency of the training offer and the sustainability of financial resources needed by the education system in the long term," said Mr. Akhannouch, who was answering a question on "the state of education and the reform plan" during the monthly session on public policy at the House of Advisors.

Reforming education and training have become, more than ever, an essential issue to promote social cohesion, justice and peace, he said.

"This is an objective that must spur us all to show a real willingness to change management patterns and establish a clear and ambitious framework," according to the Head of Government.

In this regard, he pointed out that the government has established the development of human capital as one of the pillars for the consolidation of the welfare State, by focusing on the success of equal opportunity schools and by promoting interest in culture and sport, as essential access points for all citizens to enjoy their constitutional right to education and progress.

Mr. Akhannouch explained that the government program is built on a holistic approach to ensure equal opportunities for education through six main axes, namely generalization of primary schooling to all children aged 4 years; reinforcement of basic skills in primary education, especially reading, writing, mathematics and coding; generalization of communal schools, transportation and school canteens; development of the teaching profession and skill-strengthening by investing in higher education and scientific research, in addition to vocational training and continuing education.

These fundamental axes, he said, will allow implementation of the recommendations of the New Development Model aimed at making a real leap in the education system, while placing the public school at the heart of the societal project by 2035.

Mr. Akhannouch emphasized the need to overcome the multidimensional crisis affecting the national education system by regaining trust in Moroccan schools and teachers and restoring their role in responding to the rapid transformations that the world is experiencing today.

Speaking at the opening of the Morocco-Andean Community Parliamentary Forum, Sandoval stressed the importance of this "particular" cooperation in light of the current circumstances in the world and the Andean region, such as the slow post-Covid recovery and the current economic situation triggered by various global conflicts.

In this regard, he reviewed the trade cooperation between the two parties, saying that Morocco's imports from the Andean countries amounted to 41 million dollars in 2020, while the Kingdom's exports totaled 102 million dollars.

Emphasizing the role played by Morocco as a gateway to Africa and the Arab world, the Speaker of the Andean Parliament highlighted the commercial integration between the Kingdom and the countries of the Andean region in the areas of manufacturing, textile and agri-food.

This integration, he said, can be strengthened through a free trade area and through Morocco's active presence in trade fairs, business conferences, tourism forums, and other South-South cooperation mechanisms.

Sandoval stressed the importance of strengthening trade relations and joint action through the integration of various economic sectors and the signing of agreements that will benefit both regions.

This Parliamentary Forum, which addresses two major themes that are "economic cooperation and trade" and "energy security", is held in the context of the visit of members of the Andean Parliament in the Kingdom, from July 1 to 9, at the invitation of the Moroccan Parliament.

This visit is part of the strengthening of South-South cooperation advocated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, as well as the consolidation of the existing partnership between the Moroccan Parliament and the Andean Parliament, in addition to the consultation and exchange on a range of issues of common interest.

This initiative reflects the development of relations between Morocco and the Andean Community, as well as a clear and serious will to advance in promoting partnership given the significant global challenges imposed, namely in security, energy, climate change, migration, and other areas, Talbi Alami said in his speech at the opening of the forum hosted by the Moroccan Parliament.

The Forum is an opportunity to discuss numerous questions in order to coordinate legislation, consolidate cooperation between the Member States, support participatory democracy, and reinforce development for our peoples, he said, adding that Morocco aspires "towards advancing the economic ties that link us with Andean countries and to develop our position as a qualitative partner in Africa and the Arab world with your community," in a world where borders no longer have the same impact on the movement of goods, services, and investments.

Talbi Alami has also highlighted the strength of relations with member states of this regional organization. "We would have loved for our region to have the same opportunities and to reinforce the economic and commercial links with countries of the Maghreb," he stated.

"However, and unfortunately, all the attempts, including the call of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God aid him, to open borders with brotherly Algeria, have found nothing but its stubborn leaders who insist on keeping the borders closed in the face of the movement of goods, products, and people. This approach does nothing but harm the peoples of the whole region and force it to waste its chance at development, integration, and economic and social complementarity," the Lower House Speaker deplored.

The organization of this parliamentary forum lays "the ground today for a near future characterized by collective efforts to support the economic and commercial cooperation ties, provide decent living conditions for our peoples, and achieve their prosperity and growth," Talbi Alami added, welcoming the choice of energy security as a second theme for discussion in this Forum.

In this regard, he expressed the willingness of Morocco to put its pioneering experience in the field of renewable and clean energy at the disposal of Andean States, noting that national strategy, in this area, aims to achieve energy efficiency and autonomy, as well as contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

"The debate that gathers us today manifests the importance of creating multilateral initiatives similar to the one we are launching today, intending to exchange expertise, coordinate positions, and consolidate political consultation to reinforce communication and solidarity between our countries," he stressed.

This Parliamentary Forum, which addresses two major themes that are "economic cooperation and trade" and "energy security", is held in the context of the visit of members of the Andean Parliament in the Kingdom, from July 1 to 9, at the invitation of the Moroccan Parliament.

This visit is part of the strengthening of South-South cooperation advocated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, as well as the consolidation of the existing partnership between the Moroccan Parliament and the Andean Parliament, in addition to the consultation and exchange on a range of issues of common interest.

The forum is also an opportunity to review opportunities and potential offered by the Kingdom, considered as a gateway to African continent and Arab world, as well as those offered by Andean countries as a platform to access the Atlantic economic space, in addition to taking advantage of the promising potential of Moroccan-Andean relations.

The Moroccan Parliament and Andean Parliament had signed, in July 2018 at the headquarters of the House of Advisors, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish channels of communication and parliamentary interaction through the exchange of visits, experiences, information and documents.

Under this MoU, the Moroccan parliament enjoys the status of advanced partner with this parliamentary organization created in 1979 with the aim of harmonizing legislation and accelerating integration between member countries of this group.

These transfers are up 5% (+1.83 billion Dirhams), said the Office in its bulletin on the monthly indicators of foreign trade in May.

This bulletin also reported a surplus in the balance of trade in services, up 78.3% to more than 30.63 billion dirhams.

This development is explained by an increase in exports of 44.8% to reach 67.73 billion dirhams, more important than that of imports (+25.3%), according to the same source.

The ministry urges all people aged 18 to 60 and over, as well as people with chronic diseases to get the booster shot, six months after receiving the third dose, said Mouad Mrabet, coordinator at the National Center for Emergency Operations of Public Health.

For six weeks, Morocco has been experiencing the fourth wave of contamination of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the second wave of Omicron, the official explained during the COVID-19 situation's monthly review. The latest reports of the national consortium of genomic monitoring show that the Omicron variant is still widespread with two main sub-variants BA.5 (70.5%) and BA.2 (23%), while other sub-variants account for 6% of the cases.

The rate of positive tests has reached 22.6% in the last two weeks, after recording an increase for five consecutive weeks, Mrabet explained, adding that the case reproduction index is now at 1. This means a potential peak in the number of new cases as the propagation of the virus has reached the red vigilance level in most regions of the Kingdom.

According to the official, the number of severe and critical cases admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has increased, but it did not reach the level of the 1st wave of Omicron.

In the last six weeks, 422 patients were admitted to intensive care and resuscitation, compared to the 1,925 admitted in the same period during the first wave of Omicron.

Regarding deaths, Mrabet observed that they are still stable at a low level, with a total of 42 deaths reported over the past six weeks.

Concerning the national vaccination campaign, the coverage rate of the booster dose has reached 18%, with a continuity rate of 27.6%.

The Ministry also calls on citizens to respect the preventive measures, especially during the period of Eid al-Adha. People with respiratory symptoms are urged to wear masks and stop all professional or social activity while going to health facilities for diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Morocco's trade gap widened to 116.8 billion Dirhams in May, the source pointed out in a release, noting that the coverage rate of imports by exports has reached 60.2%.

Exports amounted to 51.06 billion Dirhams (+40.7%), while imports rose by 39.2% to 82.55 billion Dirhams.

The increase in goods imports concerned almost all product groups. For its part, the energy bill has more than doubled to 54.64 billion Dirhams, due to the increase in supplies of gas-oil and fuel-oil (+MAD 14.02 bln), according to the same source.

Thus, the purchases of semi-finished consumer products increased by 53.9% while raw material purchases jumped by 76%.

Foodstuff imports posted a 31.8% increase, mainly due to the significant increase in purchases of barley (MAD 2.99 billion). 

As for exports, their increase concerned all sectors, mainly the sectors of phosphates and derivatives, automobile, agriculture and agribusiness.

A total of 24,859,694 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while the number of fully vaccinated people (1st and 2nd doses) has reached 23,345,904, the ministry pointed out in its daily COVID-19 bulletin, noting that 6,568,874 people have received the third dose of the vaccine while 926 people have received the fourth dose.

According to the same source, the number of COVID-19 cases reported since the start of the outbreak of the virus rose to 1,230,095, while recoveries increased to 1,188,619, i.e. a recovery rate of 96.6%.

The new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the regions of Casablanca-Settat (1.448), Rabat-Salé-Kenitra (946), Fez-Meknes (532), Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (218), Beni Mellal-Khenifra (167), Marrakech-Safi (137), Souss-Massa (124), the Oriental (98), Draa-Tafilalet (97), Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra (34), Guelmim-Oued Noun (31) and Dakhla-Oued Eddahab (17).

As for coronavirus-related fatalities, they increased to 16,131, with 11 cases reported in the past 24 hours in the regions of Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, Fez-Meknes, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima and Beni Mellal-Khenifra.

The number of active cases has dropped to 25,345, while 45 severe or critical cases have been reported in the past 24 hours, bringing their total number to 179.

The talks took place in the presence of the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the UN, Omar Hilale, said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans abroad.

On this occasion, the Moroccan delegation recalled the constants of Morocco's stance in favor of a political solution, based exclusively on the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, within the framework of the Kingdom's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as reaffirmed by HM King Mohammed VI in his speech on the occasion of the 46th Anniversary of the Green March, on November 6, 2021.

The delegation also reiterated Morocco's commitment to the political process of the round tables, in accordance with resolution 2602, which calls for a "realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and compromise-based" political solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, the statement said.

Morocco represents for several centuries a model of coexistence and convergence of civilizations, cultures and religions, said the Ambassador of the Kingdom to the Holy See, Rajae Naji Mekkaoui, who spoke at a conference on interfaith dialogue, held recently at the Grand Mosque in Rome.

The ambassador welcomed the uniqueness of the Moroccan religious model, based on the Commandery of the Faithful, which is "a factor of unity and a guarantor of respect for the principles and values of Islam in Morocco," highlighting the efforts of HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, in promoting the values of tolerance and interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

Noting that "the Commandery of the Faithful, as proven by history and reality, provides Morocco with immunity against all kinds of extremism and ignorance, through the consecration of a moderate Islam," the diplomat noted that "the Kingdom draws its foundations in the true values of Islam, including tolerance and coexistence.

Naji Mekkaoui also reviewed the initiatives launched by the Sovereign to restructure the religious field and fight against extremism, including the establishment of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulemas, the Higher Council of Ulemas, the European Council of Moroccan Ulemas, the Mohammed VI Institute for the training of Imams Morchidines and Morchidates, the religious talks ''Dourouss Hassania'' and the mediation and support efforts.

In addition, the ambassador stressed that the secular relations between Morocco and the Holy See, which date back to the 11th century, continue to strengthen, recalling the historic visit of Pope Francis to Morocco in March 2019.

Naji Mekkaoui has, thus, recalled that this visit, placed under the sign of the promotion of interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding, was marked by the signing by HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, and by the Pope, of the Al-Quds Appeal which has "contributed significantly to promoting the values of brotherhood, peace and tolerance."

The ambassador also highlighted "Morocco's reputation as a moderate Muslim country and reliable partner."

Speaking at the opening of the Moroccan-Andean Community Parliamentary Forum at the headquarters of the Moroccan Parliament, Mayara said that the Andean countries are the western gateway to the Atlantic economic space, while Morocco is the gateway to the economic system and the Mediterranean value chain.

This situation, added Mayara, facilitates trade and the establishment of a range of industries, services, logistics activities and export processing zones.

In this context, he pointed out that the Moroccan-Andean common market includes about 195 million consumers, while the continental common market includes about 2.1 billion consumers, including 1.3 billion on the African continent and about 700 million in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In addition to these demographic indicators, Mayara said, it is worth highlighting a range of natural assets, including large coasts that would facilitate the development of an integrated system for the maritime economy, the availability of strategic natural resources such as phosphate, which is a central element in the equation of global food sovereignty, as well as oil and gas and enormous natural potential that will allow Morocco and the Andean Community to confirm their leadership in the production of green hydrogen, which would be the real fuel for the future.

However, the Moroccan official noted that despite all these important capabilities, the level of economic cooperation and trade between the Kingdom and the Andean Community remains below the common aspirations, believing that the development of economic and trade relations between the two parties must be placed at the center of common interests.

In this regard, he said that Morocco could open an important market of 1.3 billion consumers to the benefit of Andean countries under a continental free trade agreement, and that the Andean countries constitute about 32% of the Latin American market, noting that both parties have the capacity to build a common value chain, especially in the agri-food and electronics industries, fertilizers and marine industries.

In this sense, he called to reflect on the possibility of creating a mechanism for consultation and political cooperation to promote development, trade and exchange of best technological practices, and to work for the emergence of a practical and effective cooperation framework that can reach the level of a free trade area or an advanced economic space in the future.

He also stressed the need to encourage the creation of investment funds between Morocco and the Andean Community to promote the joint establishment of industrial, agricultural and service activities, and to consider the creation of a joint development financing institution, in addition to the importance of coordinating efforts to develop innovative plans to keep pace with the major transformations of the global trading system.

It is also about putting in place practical measures to strongly access the dynamism of the fourth industrial revolution and digital transformation, and to continue to strengthen logistical cooperation between the airports of the Andean countries and Morocco, as well as between the ports of Tanger Med and Dakhla Atlantic in the Moroccan Sahara, and the Andean port system.

This Parliamentary Forum, which addresses two major themes that are "economic cooperation and trade" and "energy security", is held in the context of the visit of members of the Andean Parliament in the Kingdom, from 1 to 9 July, at the invitation of the Moroccan Parliament.

This visit is part of the strengthening of South-South cooperation advocated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, as well as the consolidation of the existing partnership between the Moroccan Parliament and the Andean Parliament, in addition to the consultation and exchange on a range of issues of common interest.