Placed under the theme: “Strengthening women’s economic empowerment: employment, entrepreneurship, training”, this meeting, organized under the project “Support for developing the role of Parliament in consolidating democracy in Morocco”, which is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Council of Europe, was an opportunity for participants to point out the obstacles hampering women’s empowerment and to propose suggestions and ways to promote their integration into the labor market.
The chairman of the Moroccan-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee Lahcen Haddad stressed, during the first session of this parliamentary meeting, that women’s economic empowerment is a “fundamental” measure to achieve gender parity, emphasizing the right of women to have access to a dignified job and to enjoy a salary equal to that of their male counterparts.
“Women must have a voice heard given their increased role and strong participation in decision-making, whether locally or in the international arena,” he added, drawing attention to the importance of women in increasing productivity at work.
“Companies in which three or more women hold positions of responsibility and management, get more marks for achievements,” Haddad said, praising the government’s willingness to improve women’s integration in the labor market.
“Women’s financial empowerment is a precondition for equal access to rights in all areas,” said Jean-Pierre Grin, Swiss parliamentarian and member of the Commission on Equality and Non-Discrimination.
This is a “primordial” issue of equality and freedom, he said, noting that women’s empowerment guarantees them the opportunity to enjoy all their rights and freedoms, because in the absence of employment, income and financial autonomy, “the freedom of any person is compromised.”
