The Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family, Aouatif Hayar, also called, at the 41st session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, for strengthening cooperation between member countries to reinforce the resilience of Arab societies to this kind of crisis.

"The economic and social situation, both nationally and internationally, has clearly deteriorated due to the Covid-19 pandemic, significantly affecting the economic and social indicators of the fiscal years 2020 and 2021", Hayar stressed, noting that the Kingdom of Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has managed with determination all stages of the health crisis, taking the necessary measures to alleviate its economic and social effects, on the basis of the high Royal instructions, the content of the New Development Model and the government program for the 2021-2026 period.

"On the social front, Morocco has focused on the implementation of the Royal project for the gradual generalization of social protection by 2025, through the development of a comprehensive action plan for the implementation of this reform, including the timetable, the legal framework and funding opportunities", said the Minister.

"The generalization of social protection includes four key areas, namely the generalization of compulsory health insurance during 2021 and 2022, the generalization of family allowances in 2023 and 2024, the expansion of the base of members to the schemes by 2025, as well as the generalization of the compensation for loss of employment by 2025", she underlined.

"Morocco has also decided to introduce a social income of dignity for people over 65 years, to allocate allowances to poor families whose purchasing power has been affected by the health crisis, and to allocate a lifetime allowance for people with disabilities, while strengthening policies to ensure their rights and facilitate their integration", pointed out Hayar, adding that the kingdom, which is determined to make a radical change to improve the quality of education, has strengthened public health services, through an ambitious plan to meet the relentless need in the short term.

"In addition, Morocco has moved towards a transformation of the national economy to achieve strong growth to create productive employment", she added, citing also the ambitious sectorial policies concluded, while developing and enhancing human capital and accelerating the pace of digital transition.

During this 41st session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, Morocco was represented by the ambassador of the Kingdom in Riyadh, Mustapha Mansouri.