The Moroccan National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) was announced in a royal speech on May 18, 2005, in which King Mohammed VI acknowledged that social problems were “the main challenge we must face to achieve our project for society and development”. The INDH was launched to mobilize the country’s institutional and financial resources and to improve living conditions among the population and raise national social indicators; it seeks to establish partnerships between central government institutions, local government actors, NGOs, and community groups to fight poverty and social marginalization. The goal of the INDH program aims at creating jobs and activities that will generate income, sponsoring cultural and recreational activities for people who are most in need (youth who are at risk, women, homeless, and elderly people), and expanding infrastructure (clean water, electricity, roads). The planning and implementation of these projects will involve both civil society and local authorities and will require full collaboration from the communities that will play the role of facilitators.
The INDH is a departure from previous government-sponsored initiatives in that it seeks to promote good governance and encourage transparency in the bureaucratic process. Key to ensuring the success of this program will be the continued foreign assistance from the United States, France, Germany, Belgium, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, combined with the cooperation of multilateral international organizations such as the World Bank. It should, however, be understood that the INDH is not only a long-term project, but that by mid-2006 some 50% of the projects launched under the auspices of the INDH had been achieved. In accordance with the objective of transparency, Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa has stated that offices have been created that will serve to oversee and assess the progress of various INDH-related endeavors. Moreover, an overarching regulatory commission, the INDH Observatory, has been created and will serve to ensure that the INDH adheres to the international standards for human development. This body will also serve as the intermediary between the government and populace concerning the progress of the INDH plan and its associated projects.
The INDH gives top political priority to people’s living conditions and their access to basic social infrastructure and services. The program has become Morocco’s main focus after nearly two decades of total focus on liberalization, modernization and macroeconomic reforms. The continued genuine commitments of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the government of Morocco, and local communities combined make this initiative one of top priority for the country, both a national and an international campaign to raise Morocco’s socioeconomic standards. Therefore, it will need the full support of the national international aid community to ensure that Morocco provides a model for social and economic reform in the MENA region, Africa and the developing world as a whole.
