Outcome MAR_D_1.1

Public policies and budgets at national and local levels are gender sensitive and are enhanced by comprehensive and dynamic normative frameworks and standards

Some progress was made towards the achievement of outcome 1.1 in 2021. In the area of public policies, 2021 saw the presentation of the New Development Model (“NMD”) by the Special Commission for the Development Model, based on a broad consultative process (including UN Women). The NMD places women's economic empowerment, both in urban and rural areas, as one of its priorities. It aims to strengthen the inclusion and activity of women in the economic, social and political spheres, while targeting the achievement of a level of women's participation in the labour force of around 45% by 2035 compared to 19.9% in 2020. The Gender Budget Report for the 2022 Finance Bill, presented to parliament in October 2021, included an analysis of the potential economic gains in terms of GDP growth to be achieved with the targets set by the NMD : the increased access to economic opportunities could contribute to a gain in terms of GDP growth of up to 5% per year between 2022 and 2035. In the domain of gender responsive budgeting, the budget circular issued in March 2021 by the Head of Government providing the general orientations for the three-year budgetary period 2022-2024 called all line ministries and institutions to adhere and actively engage in the national gender equality plan (PGE, Plan Gouvernemental pour l’Egalité), as well as the National Programme for Women’s Economic Empowerment (Maroc Attamkine). The circular invites Ministerial departments and institutions to identify gender-sensitive projects, and formulate objectives measured by gender-sensitive indicators in their performance-based budget programmes. For ministries having carried out a Gender Sector Analysis, the circular invites to consider the recommendations of these analyses. The impact of the 2021 budget circular will be observed in the 2022 Finance Law. Concerning the 2021 Finance Law, the analysis of the Ministry of Economy and Finance covering the budget programmes of 35 line ministries, revealed a slight increase of the number of gender-responsive and gender-sensitive programmes as compared to 2020. In terms of gendered objectives, their number increased from 27% in 2020 to 30% in 2021. With respect to the gender indicators, they slightly increased from 22% on 2020 to 23% in 2021. However, challenges remain to strengthen qualitative aspects such as the relevance of certain objectives and indicators with respect to the key gender gaps in the sector. With regard to the gender-sensitive territorial governance programme, 2 key results were achieved in 2021. The Morocco office organized 28 virtual training sessions for the benefit of 2 regional (Tanger Tetouan Al Hoceima and Rabat Salé Kenitra) and 30 communal Insatnces of the Equity, Equal Opportunity and Gender Approach Bodies (IEEGAGs). The trainings focused on gender concepts and aimed to clarify the role of the IEEGAGs at the regional and local levels. A gender-sensitive action plan (2020-2021) was developed by each IEEGAG as a result of these trainings. At the central level, 2021 is marked by the formal establishment of a gender unit at the DGCT (composed of gender focal points from each of the 12 departments). This new unit will enable the implementation of a "gender" action plan at the DGCT level. A retreat aimed at building the capacities of the members of this unit (in terms of gender concepts and gender-sensitive local planning) has been organized.

Public policies and budgets at national and local levels are gender sensitive and are enhanced by comprehensive and dynamic normative frameworks and standards

During 2022, outcome 1.1 was partially achieved. In terms of gender responsive budgeting (GRB), the 2022 gender analysis of the national budgets of 38 ministerial departments has indicated progress in mainstreaming gender equality in the strategic focus of budget programmes, objectives and indicators. Out of 396 objectives, 110 are gender sensitive (28 per cent), and 184 performance indicators are gender sensitive out of a total of 812 (23 per cent). While the number of gender sensitive budget programmes increased from 64 in 2020 to 68 in 2022, gender-sensitive indicator targets observed a varying degree of achievement, namely explained by the long-term repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, significant progress has been made towards achieving gender sensitive local governance. In 2022, local authorities and locally elected officials of the different regions of Morocco were supported in the implementation of gender-sensitive local planning and budgeting. UNW Morocco CO technically supported the development of a methodological guide on gender sensitive local planning and budgeting that was institutionnalized and disseminated at national level to serve as a standardized framework for gender sensitive local governance.