Context :

In Morocco, gender equality has become an increasingly important topic in public debates among various actors, including civil society, academicians, researchers, and the government. The 2011 Constitution established the principle of equality between men and women and the equal enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights and freedoms. However, despite advances in legal, legislative, and operational terms, inequalities between men and women, stigma, and discrimination still persist, both in terms of laws in force and in terms of economic, social, cultural, political, and sexual levels. The pandemic “Covid-19” has further highlighted these inequalities, as women were exposed to gender-based violence and more economic vulnerability. The High Commission for Planning (HCP) revealed that 18.4% of female heads of household were women, 7 out of 10 of them are widows or divorced, 65.6% are illiterate and the majority (75%) are inactive. In a recent report, HCP said that 57% of Moroccan women were subjected to gender-based violence during the twelve months preceding the survey. Morocco has launched several projects aimed at promoting equality between men and women, through the adoption of several structural reforms, such as the adoption of Law No. 103-13 to combat violence against women and the establishment of advisory bodies specialized in gender in territorial collectivities. However, disparities between men and women, favoring poverty and the exclusion of women, still negatively impact their enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social, or cultural rights and limit their participation in the management of public affairs.

Project Description :

Based on the context and recommendations presented, TALM focused on identifying inequalities, constraints, and opportunities to offer conclusions and specific recommendations on how USAID could achieve greater gender integration in its strategic planning and activities in Morocco. To do this, the team interviewed key decision-makers from the executive, parliament and territorial collectivities, as well as representatives from the private sector, civil society, political parties, and community leaders. The questions focused on identifying the shortages leading to the gender gap and finding effective ways to close it. The outputs of these interviews lead to specific recommendations on how USAID/Morocco could better address gender-related gaps, relevant gender norms, and incorporate gender equality and women’s empowerment objectives at the strategic level, as well as opportunities for collaboration between USAID and the GOM, other donors, and/or other relevant actors.

Project Objectives :

• Objective 1: Conduct an up-to-date analysis on other donors’ work on gender equality and provide specific recommendations on how USAID/Morocco can leverage its own comparative advantage to maximize the impact of this collective work.
• Objective 2: Engage key decision makers from the executive, parliament, territorial collectivities, private sector, civil society, political parties, and communities’ leaders in interviews and focus groups to identify shortages leading to the gender gap and to develop specific recommendations on how USAID can achieve greater gender integration in its strategic planning and activities in Morocco.
• Objective 3: Develop a vision for maximizing the impact of USAID programs in Morocco through a third webinar, focusing on the implementation and monitoring and evaluation processes that take into consideration sustainability along the projects’ cycle from design to closure.
• Objective 4: Facilitate the appropriation of the target organization by engaging participants in brainstorming exercises on how USAID’s work can have more impact and be more sustainable and how the GOM and Moroccan organizations can lead with or without USAID support.
• Objective 5: Adopt a national index to measure the economic gender gap by learning from the five components: (1) wage equality between women and men for similar work; (2) the ratio of female estimated earned income to male income; (3) the ratio of female labor force participation to male participation; (4) the ratio of female legislators, senior officials, and managers to male counterparts; and (5) the ratio of female professional and technical workers to male counterparts.

Project Team :

• Ahmed Jazouli: Team Leader and an expert on democratic governance and public policies. He has led gender mainstreaming in previous projects and will lead the team’s work on political inclusion and countering violent extremism (CVE).
• Stephanie Willman Bordat: Technical Leader and a Founding Partner at MRA Mobilising for Rights Associates. She has over 20 years of experience in promoting women’s human and legal rights and will lead the team’s technical direction and report on Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
• Saida Kouzzi: Gender Based Violence Expert and a Founding Partner at MRA Mobilising for Rights Associates. She has over 20 years of experience in collaborating with NGOs to promote women’s rights and will report on GBV with Stephanie.
• Fatine Mouline: Economic Inclusion Expert with over 10 years of experience in managing development projects and consulting on gender diversity. She will be in charge of economic inclusion.
• Rachida Akerbib: Gender and Political Inclusion in Territorial Collectivities Consultant and Logistics Manager with over 10 years’ experience in project management and organizational development of local governments and civil society. She has experience in integrating gender and human rights in programs targeting vulnerable populations.
• Daniel Lynx Bernard: Basic and Higher Education Consultant and a communication and democracy and governance expert. He has experience in reporting on gender and has written and edited several reports on gender equality.