With the support of the South Programme IV, a new round¹ of capacity building sessions for Moroccan judges and prosecutors took place from 9 to 30 September 2021 in Rabat, Morocco. More than 100 professionals participated to these seven sessions focusing on the international and Moroccan human rights protection system. This initiative is part of an ambitious ongoing programme launched by the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Morocco, aiming at enhancing the understanding of human rights standards among judges and at improving their application at the national level.

Ivana Roagna, lawyer and specialist in human rights and the rule of law, and Carmen Morte-Gomez, principal legal adviser and head of division at the European Court of Human Rights presented the main Council of Europe conventions such as the European Convention on Human Rights and its additional Protocols as well as the European Social Charter, and the relevant Council of Europe standards. Also, distinguished national speakers from various backgrounds, such as members of the judiciary, legal practitioners, state representatives, academicians, members from committees, delegations and working groups provided comprehensive inputs to the participants, with visual presentations in Arabic. The presentations touched upon numerous themes, indicatively torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, racial discrimination, enforced disappearances, children’s rights, rights of persons with disabilities, rights of migrants. By the end of this training cycle, national justice professionals have now a clear image of the various international and national instruments and bodies committed to the protection of human rights. At the same time, Moroccan justice institutions actively showed their interest in international instruments and in reinforcing their legal professionals’ skills on human rights.

The level of participation exceeded expectations, demonstrating a genuine interest from justice professionals in deepening theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the field of human rights. The participants engaged also in meaningful debates and made the most out of this networking and exchange opportunity with their peers.

In October, a new round of sessions will start with the support of the South Programme IV, to reach out more participants. As a follow-up of these comprehensive capacity building cycles, a compilation of all the interventions will be prepared and distributed to participants and universities, as a useful reference guide for human rights protection in Morocco.

 

¹Previous sessions : Capacity building session on human rights for Moroccan prosecutors

 

The South Programme IV is a joint programme of the Council of Europe and the European Union, financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.