The construction of this animal pound requires an investment of over MAD 12.11 million, according to the call for tenders, the opening of which is scheduled for June 26.

The facility, which should be completed within 8 months of the start of construction, will provide a home for stray dogs and other animals.

The project is the subject of a partnership agreement between the Tangier municipality, the Ministry of the Interior and the Agency for the Promotion and Development of the North (APDN), which was ratified by the municipal council at its ordinary session in February.

According to a report by Tangier's Cooperation and Partnership Committee, this agreement aims to build a shelter for dogs, cats and stray animals, as part of the new public health approach, through the involvement of doctors, veterinarians, NGOs and civil society associations working in this field.

The aim of this partnership is to mobilize the financial and human resources needed to run the pound.

The project requires an overall budget of MAD 15 million, MAD 10 million of which to be provided by the Ministry of the Interior and the rest by the Tangier municipality. The latter will also provide the land on which the pound will be built.

When asked by MAP about this phenomenon, English-language book distributors and booksellers explained it in terms of various cultural and social factors.

According to them, young Moroccan readers are increasingly influenced by English-speaking culture and the tastes of literary influencers, and therefore flock to American and English bestsellers.

As for the most popular genres among readers, the stakeholders interviewed agree that Moroccans read all kinds of books, including those devoted to youth, fiction, personal development, psychology, and business.

With more or less affordable prices and several promotions launched throughout the year and on the occasion of SIEL, distributors and booksellers are trying to encourage Moroccans to read books in English, with the support of publishers seeking to strengthen their position in a market long dominated by Arabic and French literature.

Recognizing that this shift to English is a "fundamental trend," several players have opted for digital technology to get closer to their targets and facilitate access to literature.

With a wide range of genres and a much more diverse selection than French-language books, Moroccan readers are delighted to be able to buy English-language publications without having to spend a fortune.

Given that the number of bookshops offering English-language books has multiplied in recent years, readers believe that this trend will continue, given the importance attached to this literature by young people and the changes being promoted at the institutional level.

Organized under the high patronage of HM King Mohammed VI by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, in partnership with the Wilaya of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra region and the Regional Council, which runs until June 11, is marked by the participation of 661 Moroccan and foreign writers, intellectuals and poets, who light up the skies of this prestigious international fair with their intellectual contributions.

For the ideal of a prosperous Africa to become a reality, the countries of the continent should work hand in hand, said Jazouli, noting that these values of unity and solidarity are embodied by HM the King, who has placed the integration of Africa at the heart of His vision.

The Minister was speaking at a session dedicated to investment in Morocco, organized as part of the activities of the Africa CEO Forum summit being held in Abidjan on June 5 and 6.

Highlighting the 50 royal visits to more than 30 African countries, Jazouli recalled that since HM King Mohammed VI acceded to the throne, more than 1,000 cooperation agreements have been signed.

"Thanks to them, our economic relations have been considerably strengthened (...) and today, we are sparing no effort to deepen our cooperation so that the Kingdom can play an even greater role in the development of the continent", he said.

The Minister went on to say that under the Sovereign's leadership, the Kingdom has stood out as a true model of regional power, noting that Morocco has built a modern, widely diversified economy, with traditional sectors such as tourism, textiles and agri-food.

He also emphasized that Morocco had built up particularly high-performance industries in record time, and that its infrastructure was up to the best international standards, noting that Morocco was now entering a new phase in its development.

To support this transition, he added, Morocco has recently adopted a new Investment Charter, which offers unprecedented advantages in the Kingdom's economic history.

In a statement to the press following his talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, Nemeth praised "the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco, which will help stabilize the Mediterranean and resolve the conflict in the Sahara".

He welcomed the United States' support for this autonomy plan.

With regard to cooperation between Rabat and Budapest, Nemeth pointed out that the friendly relationship between the two countries is developed through two channels: the foreign ministries, on the one hand, and the parliaments, on the other, stressing that parliamentary diplomacy and cooperation between Moroccan and Hungarian legislative institutions are "fruitful".

He added that as part of this cooperation, Hungary has increased the number of scholarships awarded to Moroccan students to 165 per year.

He also welcomed the academic cooperation, which he described as "fruitful", expressing his wish to deepen economic, social and cultural cooperation between Rabat and Budapest.

Speaking on Monday at the opening of the plenary session of the Oslo International Conference on "Protecting Children in Armed Conflict", Hilale stressed that Morocco "has a committed vision to protect and promote children's rights, thanks to the high guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and the personal involvement of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, President of the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child, United Nations Ambassador for Children and laureate of UNICEF's +The United Nations Champion Generation Unlimited+ Award".

On this occasion, he noted that the Kingdom has undertaken a series of measures to meet its national and international commitments, adding that on the legal front, Morocco has adhered to the entire legal arsenal of international human rights law and international humanitarian law protecting and promoting the rights of the child.

The Kingdom was among the first countries to sign and ratify the three additional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the one on children and armed conflict, while committing itself to systematically harmonizing its national legislation with international human rights law, said the ambassador.

In terms of soft law, Morocco has signed and ratified the Paris Principles, the Vancouver Principles and the Safe Schools Declaration, he added, pointing out that Morocco's national legislation regulates military enlistment in the armed forces, which is voluntary and set at the age of 18, in line with international law.

Regarding advocacy, Hilale pointed out that Morocco is actively working to ensure that children's rights are effectively respected and promoted both in the Kingdom and throughout the world.

In this context, Morocco continues to advocate the protection of children in all situations, including humanitarian ones, he said, recalling that the Kingdom hosted, in Rabat on March 22, 2022, the International Symposium on "Protecting children during humanitarian crises", marked by the "Rabat Appeal", which contains concrete recommendations calling on the international community to step up efforts to protect children and share best practices to prevent and combat the military recruitment of children and all other forms of child exploitation in crisis zones, in the light of international humanitarian law and human rights.

The diplomat also noted that on November 21, 2022, World's Children Day, Morocco organized a meeting in Geneva on "the recruitment of children by armed militias", with the participation of representatives of governments, UN agencies and civil society.

The ambassador, Morocco's permanent representative to the UN, also recalled the creation, in Rabat on February 12, 2022, of the Civil Advocacy Coalition for the protection of children in refugee camps, particularly in Tindouf, pointing out that Morocco is an active member of the Geneva-based "Group of Friends of Children Affected by Armed Conflict".

On an institutional level, the diplomat pointed out that the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child, chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, is a flagship and effective institution charged with monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with a view to promoting their protection on a permanent basis, in all instances, all fields, and in all situations.

He noted that the Children's Parliament in Morocco plays a crucial role in the participation of children as partners in development, adding that this inclusive institution underlines the importance of dialogue and communication among children on the one hand, and between children and the rest of the stakeholders on the other, and would raise awareness among future generations of the imperative to protect children's rights.

Recalling the creation of the International Center for Research and Prevention of Child Soldiers, in Dakhla, on March 31, 2022, Hilale specified that the mandate of this structure is to collect and provide accurate, qualitative and quantitative data, in order to deepen research and knowledge on the phenomenon of child soldiers in armed conflicts, and enable targeted and effective responses to eradicate this phenomenon.

At the regional level, the ambassador highlighted Morocco's active involvement in regional organizations to reinforce the prevention and fight against the military recruitment of children. At Morocco's initiative, the Council of the League of Arab States adopted a resolution in March 2022 on combating the military recruitment of children and a "Comprehensive Arab Plan to Reduce the Recruitment of Children in Armed Conflict and by Terrorist Groups", he said.

At the African Union, and during its presidency of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), Morocco put forward, in October 2022, a declaration on the "prevention of the recruitment and use of children in conflict situations", the ambassador added, noting that the latter strongly condemns the continued recruitment and use of children by armed forces, armed groups and terrorist organizations on the African continent, and highlights the importance of holistic national action plans to strengthen efforts to effectively end the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups, demobilization, family reintegration and compulsory education.

The declaration also stresses the need to integrate child protection into early warning mechanisms and intervention processes for conflict prevention and resolution, peacemaking and peacebuilding, as well as post-conflict reconstruction and development, he added.

Finally, Morocco's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN stressed that the Kingdom joins the global commitment to "do everything possible to ensure the protection of children in armed conflict and safeguard our common future".

"Morocco is a very important partner for us in managing migration together," stressed Johansson at a press briefing dedicated to the presentation of the EU's new action plan for managing migration routes in the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic.

In this respect, she expressed her thanks to the Moroccan authorities for their "very constructive commitment" to migration and the fight against human trafficking, stressing that the EU and Morocco "maintain a solid and reliable partnership on migration".

"We want to support Morocco's efforts to combat human trafficking," said Johansson, expressing the EU's readiness to back these efforts through its agencies and resources.

The EU's new action plan for managing migratory routes in the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic includes efforts to prevent irregular migration by combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking, particularly by implementing the operational partnership with Morocco to combat migrant smuggling.

The Commission presented this action plan ahead of the next Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on June 8-9 and the European Council on June 29-30.

Last July, Rabat and Brussels, aware of the new challenges of the international context and the dangers posed by networks of human smugglers and traffickers, decided to reinvigorate their migration partnership based on shared responsibility, by laying the foundations for a renewed partnership.

The EU, which appreciates the colossal effort made by Morocco, a "strategic and committed partner" of the EU, had pledged to work with the Kingdom to promote an operational partnership in the fight against human trafficking, which could include support for border management, strengthening police cooperation, including joint investigations, raising awareness of the dangers of illegal migration, and stepping up cooperation with the European Union's home affairs agencies.

The two partners rely in particular on the National Immigration and Asylum Strategy (SNIA), which today represents one of the most advanced models of migration management, both in legislative and institutional terms.

The meeting brought together chairman of the National Museums Foundation, Mehdi Qotbi, and HM the King's Ambassador in Abidjan, Abdelmalek Kettani, with the Ivorian Minister of Culture and Francophony, Françoise Remarck, and her close collaborators.

"Holding this working session on the sidelines of an economic forum and my presence among the members of the Moroccan delegation led by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, demonstrates that Morocco attaches great importance to culture in line with the far-sighted Royal Vision," stressed Qotbi in a statement to MAP.

Culture plays an essential role in economic development. It is a key element and player in economic development, he noted.

"During the meeting with the Ivorian minister, we tried to work together and see how we could continue to build on and consolidate this friendship and fraternity between Côte d'Ivoire and Morocco, which share a common heritage and language," said Qotbi.

He added that the Ivorian official expressed her admiration for the achievements made in Morocco thanks to the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who gives great importance to culture in the Kingdom.

Françoise Remarck added that she hoped Morocco would share its experience, which has been acclaimed worldwide, with Côte d'Ivoire.

Côte d'Ivoire and Morocco are linked by age-old relations that were initiated by the founding father of the nation, the late Felix Houphouët-Boigny, and the late HM Hassan II, and which have been extended with HM King Mohammed VI and president Alassane Ouattara, he said at the end of this meeting held on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum summit (June 5-6).

These relations, he stressed, are growing as the two countries' private sectors get to know each other better and better, and more and more investments are being made.

"Mr. Akhannouch and I believe that the potential of the two countries put together would enable Ivorian and Moroccan companies not only to carry out win-win projects, but also to conquer markets elsewhere, in Africa, Asia, Europe or the West in general," he added.

According to Achi, this meeting was a good opportunity to take stock of a whole range of relations that the two countries can develop on an economic and social level.
 

The previous day, the MASI had closed with a loss of 0.89%.

During this meeting, the two parties welcomed the relations that have continued to grow closer between the two legislative institutions, thanks to the memorandum of understanding, the exchange of visits, the support for the efforts of the friendship groups in the two bodies.

They also welcomed the strengthening of parliamentary and administrative relations and the reinforcement of dialogue, consultation and coordination on issues of common interest, according to a statement from the House of Representatives.

The two sides also underlined their mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries, as well as the centrality of the UN process to resolve conflicts by peaceful means.

On this occasion, Troch expressed his convictions and his constant support to the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco to resolve the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara as a serious and credible solution, in accordance with the principles and resolutions of the United Nations.

For his part, Talbi El Alami thanked the member of the National Council of the Austrian Parliament for his visit to Morocco and his support for the autonomy plan. The Speaker of the House of Representatives took this opportunity to review the history of Morocco and the efforts made to complete its territorial integrity.

He also reviewed the main projects and achievements in the Southern Provinces under the wise leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, the statement added.