DRAFT CHARTER FOR THE PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS CULTURE

The new partnership between the Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH) and the Moroccan Coalition of Culture and Arts (CMCA) was an opportunity to present a draft charter on the promotion and protection of human rights.

This charter is open to any stakeholder who wants to participate in the efforts made to promote human rights culture.

The provisions of the carter are as follows:

"- Considering the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the United Nations Decade for Education 1995/2005 for Human Rights, the World Program in the field of Human Rights, and other instruments related to human rights;

- Considering the commitments of the Moroccan State under various international and regional conventions relating to Human Rights and various international treaties;

- Considering the commitment of the Kingdom, in accordance with the declaration of the World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in 1993, inviting all States and institutions to include human rights, humanitarian law, democracy and the rule of law in the curricula of all educational institutions;

- Pursuant to the declaration on the right and responsibility of individuals, groups and bodies of the society to promote and protect human rights and universally recognized fundamental freedoms;

- Considering the political will of the kingdom to disseminate, on a large scale, human rights culture and protect human rights through the promotion of this culture;

- In line with the provisions of the Citizenship Platform for the Promotion of Human Rights Culture and the objectives of the National Plan of Action on Democracy and Human Rights;

- Given the roles culture, media, arts and various fields of human creation play in spreading and promoting human rights;

In order to create a dynamic involving all governmental, non-governmental, political, economic, social and cultural stakeholders and with the aim to coordinate and amplify the current and future efforts to promote human rights culture;

The Parties (public-private institutions, civil society and individuals), to this charter shall undertake:

1. to ensure, through artistic creation, that all Moroccans enjoy their rights and their fundamental freedoms without race, sex, language or religion based discrimination;

2. to ensure respect for the rights and freedoms by means of education, arts and various cultural, artistic, educational, sport and environmental activities, and take measures necessary to ensure the recognition and exercise of these rights;

3. to give due importance to the field of human rights at the preschool, primary, secondary and university education, taking into consideration all types of education, and training whether at or outside the school, in the public or private sector, namely vocational training, training of trainers, continuous training and informal education, in addition to information and awareness of the general public;

4. to contribute to the improvement of the Moroccan society so that it can unite around a platform of shared values, where the principles of dignity, freedom, equality, justice, solidarity, tolerance and acceptance of differences are the foundations of relationships between individuals in their public and private life;

5. to be committed to publish the provisions of this charter on the basis of the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other treaties to:

a. raise awareness on human rights issues, including international, regional and national standards and the necessary principles, laws and guarantees;

b. implement human rights in their indivisibility;

c. develop a universal human rights culture to allow all individuals to be aware of their rights and obligations, respect the rights of others and contribute to the development of the individual as a responsible member in a peaceful, pluralistic and tolerant society;

d. ensure equal opportunities without any discrimination;

e. and ensure the consolidation of the spirit of participation, integration and accountability in the life of every Moroccan citizen;

6. to comply with the principle of equality between boys and girls and between men and women;

7. to guarantee the fundamental rights of the vulnerable categories in society, including people with special needs, foreigners and immigrants, fight against the causes of exclusion and marginalization and allow all persons to fully enjoy their rights;

8. to take into account the diversity of civilizations, cultures and traditions to contribute to the consecration of the universality of Human Rights;

9. to take into account the basic human needs and use language and adequate means for the target groups in the field of Human Rights, stressing the interdependence of these rights so that they become a development tool;

10. to ensure the effective implementation of the right to freedom of expression and the right to information, facilitate access for all to media and contribute to media development, particularly the press, radio and television and ensure integration into the digital age to encourage the creation of new educational facilities in order to achieve equality in access to information and communication technology;

11. to contribute to end human rights violations and to eradicate domestic violence and all forms of social violence, particularly against women, girls and children;

12. to give value to the national cultural heritage in all its aspects in the different regions of the Kingdom by encouraging arts, literature and audio-visual creation, as well as various cultural, artistic, sport and environmental activities, as they are tools for awareness and dissemination of human rights culture;

13. to ensure the implementation of the principles of human rights within the framework of private initiatives or through joint projects with the public authorities;

14. to join the national strategy of the promotion of human rights culture and mobilize human and financial resources on the basis of determined commitments and targets;

15. to strengthen the role of national institutions for the protection of human rights in the field of awareness and mobilization of governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders and strengthen their coordination and evaluation role;

16. to mobilize the public, local authorities and all bodies in the society including the civil society, private sector, religious institutions, associations, political parties, unions, professional organizations, educators, associations of pupils’ parents, businesses, commercial, industrial and cultural institutions and the media;

17. to facilitate access to training and internships to various stakeholders in the field of human rights culture;

18. to participate in all awareness campaigns for the promotion of human rights culture in the kingdom;

19. and to contribute effectively to the promotion of human rights culture through "goodwill ambassadors" caravans."