AMI Series of Panels on Moroccan Human Rights, Democratic Reforms, and Civil Society
June 5-6, 2008
Jointly organized by the American Moroccan Institute, Human Rights Caucus at the US Congress, Brookings Institution, National Press Club, and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Guest Speakers:
Ahmed Herzenni, President of the Advisory Council on Human Rights & Fatiha Layadi, Member of the Moroccan parliament
Despite the raging conflicts and disturbing nationalist trends in the wider Arab world, Morocco's political and economic reforms over the past decade - since King Mohammed VI assumed the throne in 1999 - have continued unabated. Central to these reforms has been the emergence of a community of human rights activists centered around the Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH), which has led the truth and reconciliation commission to address past human rights infringements. This Commission, unparalleled in North Africa and the Middle East, has helped strengthen Morocco's civil and political institutions.
To recast the debate on Moroccan Human Rights and Political Reforms in the American and international context, the American Moroccan institute has invited Ahmed Herzenni, President of the Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH), and Fatiha Layadi, a prominent journalist and member of the Moroccan Parliament, to participate in a series of panels held at the US Congress, Brookings Institutions, the National Press Club, and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Entrusted with monitoring and expanding civil liberties in Moroccan society, Ahmed Herzenni and Fatiha Layadi, two of the most prominent public advocates for change, will discuss the achievements as well as challenges that characterize Morocco's path towards democratization. Through their work with the Moroccan government, parliament, and Human Rights movements, they bring together a particularly sophisticated insider's perspective on the reforms being made in the political, social, religious, and civil spheres.
Our keynote speakers will be joined by distinguished American policy-makers, Members of the US Congress, NGO leaders, American and International Journalists, Moroccan and US dignitaries, and academic experts.
Topics of discussion include: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; the growing integration of Morocco into the global economy - through trade agreements with the US and the European Union—the current diplomatic efforts to resolve the question of the Sahara; the question of sovereignty and autonomy in the Arab world; religious tolerance; women’s rights (moudawanna); global terrorism; the implication of American foreign policy in the MENA region; and American-Moroccan relations.