The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) has officially invited Director Sabra Bano that Gender Concerns International´s Gender Election Observation Mission is welcome to observe and report on free and fair elections in Morocco. Expressing her gratitude to the invitation and admiring the work of CNDH, Bano has responded positively to this honourable invitation by confirming that a Pre Need Assessment Mission will visit Morocco before the beginning of Ramadan to determine the scope and scale of the Gender Election Observation Mission 2015 and 2016 in Morocco.
The National Human Rights Council (CNDH and civil society organisations in Morocco are demanding constitutional and electoral reforms as the country moves towards municipal elections scheduled for autumn 2015, followed by general elections in 2016.
Plans for the harmonisation of the national legal framework to bring it in line with international standards for human rights were recently presented by the National Human Rights Council of Morocco, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, the Ombudsman of the Kingdom and the High Authority for Audio-visual Communication. Key initiatives in this effort are the Authority for Parity and Fight against All Forms of Discrimination (APALD), the Advisory Council on the Family and Childhood, and a draft law on combating violence against women. Having conducted a 2011 Gender Election Observation Mission (GEOM) in Morocco, Gender Concerns is following these developments with genuine interest.