The Tadhafur project, component n. 2 of the Supporting Citizen Participation Programme launched by the European Union, held a ceremony on June 24, 2024 in Rabat to launch the financing agreements for the first 10 joint projects between civil society organizations and the project’s partner territorial communities.

The event was attended by representatives of the European Union, the Belgian Embassy, the Directorate General for Territorial Communities of the Ministry of the Interior (DGCT-MI), The Ministry delegated to the Head of Government in charge of relations with Parliament (Directorate for relations with civil society), the Belgian Development Agency (ENABEL) and groups and associations benefiting from grants. 

This event is an opportunity to showcase projects, highlight the co-creation process carried out at the territorial level, and promote synergies and exchanges between actors involved in the implementation of these projects in the 10 partner territorial communities. It will also highlight the network dynamic between associations and territorial communities and exchange experiences in the field of citizen participation and co-creation.

The Tadhafur project is implemented by the Belgian Development Agency (ENABLE), in collaboration with the General Directorate of Territorial Communities of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Relations with Parliament (Directorate of Relations with Civil Society); It aims at strengthening local dynamics by reinforcing spaces for dialogue and disseminating best practices in the field of citizen participation.

The Tadhafur program also aims to reinforce the role of civil society and citizen participation in five regions to strengthen local governance. The project targets sixty communities in the following regions: Casablanca-Settat, East, Souss-Massa, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, and Beni Mellal-Khenifra.

A co-creation project refers to projects that are implemented, monitored and evaluated collectively between territorial communities and civil society organizations that contribute to the promotion of citizen participation and local development.

Civil society plays a key role in societal dynamics and it is recognized in the framework of EU-Morocco cooperation as an essential actor and partner in the service of civil, political, economic, social and cultural development. As such, civil society plays an important role in the convergence of values that bind the EU and Morocco.

In this regard, Mr. Daniel Duto, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation says: “In the European Union, we recognize the importance of citizen participation in the formulation and management of public affairs at the local and national levels. As part of our support for civil society in Morocco, we encourage all forms of open governance that allow the participation of civil society actors. These participatory projects between CSOs and local communities selected under the Tadhafur project are the best example of this.”

The Tadafar project is one of the components of the Citizen Participation Support Programme launched by the European Union in 2022 in Morocco. It aims at reinforcing the role of civil society and citizen participation in five regions to strengthen local governance; it is conducted in the framework of the partnership between the Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union, which aims to support efforts to promote participatory democracy and citizen participation in Morocco. This partnership is enforced at the level of 60 territorial communities in the following 5 regions:  Casablanca-Settat, Sharq, Souss-Massa, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, and Beni Mellal-Khenifra.

The EU’s support to civil society in Morocco reflects the mutual commitment enshrined in the 2019 Morocco-EU Joint Declaration, which is based on the convergence of the values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, good governance and equality between women and men. This support aims to strengthen the role of civil society in governance, in particular through the consolidation and strengthening of spaces for consultation, cooperation and co-creation between civil society and administrations at the local, regional and national levels. Particular attention is paid to the participation of youth and women. To push this support even further, the Programme to Support Citizen Participation in Morocco aims to support national reforms related to the work and role of civil society, strengthen the capacities of civil society, as well as reinforce partnerships between civil society actors and groups.