The ceremony, which opened with a group of children singing the national anthem, was marked by a speech delivered by Meriem Amjoune on behalf of the child parliamentarians, where she expressed heartfelt gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, for His constant commitment to making the Kingdom a role model in the field of child protection, and to HRH Princess Lalla Meryem for her tireless efforts to establish the Children's Parliament as a genuine platform for aspiring youngsters to express their opinions.
On this occasion, she highlighted the noble initiatives undertaken by the late Sovereign, HM King Hassan II, in favor of the promotion and protection of children's rights, notably through the creation of the ONDE, which monitors the implementation of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Her Royal Highness then attended a screening of institutional films retracing 25 years of action by the Children's Parliament, featuring testimonials and experiences of former young parliamentarians and highlighting dynamics and prospects of the Children's Parliament Alumni Club with a view to reinforcing values of citizenship and solidarity.
HRH Princess Lalla Meryem also attended a video recounting highlights of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, an initiative launched by ONDE to train 395 child parliamentarians in entrepreneurial approaches, offering them support through various training courses.
HRH Princess Lalla Meryem then presented the “Voix d'Avenir”, “Cœur Citoyen” and “Young Change Makers” awards to the children with the three best projects submitted following the Bootcamp, as well as two Choice awards “Voix de la Liberté” and “Briller sans limites” to two child parliamentarians whose projects stood out for their originality during the training.
Her Royal Highness then chaired the signing of three bilateral agreements. The first, inked by Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills Younes Sekkouri Oubbahessou, and ONDE's Vice-President Ghizlane Benjelloun, concerns assisting child parliamentarians in their professional projects.
The second, signed by Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid and Benjelloun, concerns strengthening cooperation and coordination to assist activities of the Children's Parliament.
Inked by Mohamed Methqal, Ambassador, Director General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) and Benjelloun, the third agreement establishes a collaboration to pool resources and skills, with a view to ensuring the success of Africa-oriented projects in the field of the Observatory's activities and AMCI's field of intervention.
Upon her arrival at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, HRH Princess Lalla Meryem assisted to members the Auxiliary Forces making the honors, before being greeted by Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi El Alami, Supreme Council of the Judicial Power Deputy President, First President of the Court of Cassation Mohamed Abdennabaoui, and Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports Mohamed Saad Berrada.
Her Royal Highness was also greeted by Minister of Health and Social Protection Amine Tehraoui, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills Younes Sekkouri Oubbahessou, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family Naima Ben Yahya, Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and Governor of the Rabat Prefecture, Mohamed Yacoubi, Secretary General of the Presidency of the Public Prosecutor's Office Hicham El Blaoui, Ambassador and AMCI's Director General Mohamed Methqal, as well as a number of other prominent figures.