The Association of Regions of Morocco and the Regions of France signed an agreement in Paris to renew their partnership framework.
The agreement was signed by the President of the Association of Regions of Morocco and President of the Guelmim-Oued Noun Region, Mbarka Bouaida, and the President of “Regions of France” and Occitanie Region, Carole Delga.
The signing ceremony, held on the sidelines of the French-Moroccan conference between regions chaired by Bouaida and Delga, was attended by several Moroccan and French regional presidents, including the President of the Marrakech-Safi Region, Samir Kodar, and the President of the Fez-Meknes Region, Abd al-Wahid al-Ansari.
Also present at the meeting was the Director General of the French Development Agency, Rémi Rioux, along with representatives from the Moroccan Embassy in Paris.
According to a joint statement from the Association of Regions of Morocco and “Regions of France” and Occitanie Region, the meeting provided an opportunity to assess the achievements of the training program “Regions 2021” and to draw lessons from it.
The same source clarified that this program is a result of an exemplary partnership involving the Association of Regions of Morocco, Regions of France, and Occitanie Region, with institutional support from the General Directorate of Local Authorities at the Ministry of Interior, and financed by the French Development Agency.
The statement indicated that the indicators of success for this project were clear, as more than 250 participants from elected officials and professionals benefited from it. It addressed strategic topics through seminars organized in both Morocco and France, focusing on major regional issues such as spatial planning, human resources management, and international relations, in addition to holding around 100 technical and coordination meetings related to the project.
According to the same source, the program fostered strong collective dynamics among Moroccan and French teams, translating into joint work at various levels that included elected officials, experts, technicians, and project managers, all committed to the common goal of achieving regional development.
Both parties praised the success of this partnership and reviewed the prospects for future cooperation between the two sides.
On the sidelines of this conference, a delegation of Moroccan regional council presidents visited several infrastructures developed by the Île-de-France Region in preparation for the organization of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as major sporting events.