Mediator of the Kingdom: Spatial Justice is a Real Horizon in Public Policies and Requires Multi-disciplinary Academic Thinking
Hassan Tarek, the Mediator of the Kingdom, emphasized that spatial justice is no longer merely a slogan in public discourse but has transformed into a genuine horizon within public policies. This necessitates continuous accompaniment and advocacy, alongside deep academic contemplation rooted in universities, particularly through knowledge areas concerned with administration.
Tarek clarified that addressing spatial justice issues necessitates a reevaluation of administrative sciences, urging a move beyond the narrow view of administration reliant on texts and standards. He posited that spatiality and administration intersect in a rich cognitive axis, making discussions about spatial justice closely linked to sociology and geography, both of which are essential for understanding spatial transformations.
The Mediator stressed that thinking about spatial issues requires referencing robust scientific contributions regarding Morocco, highlighting the significant input of Moroccan geographers, including Mohamed Nasiri, who has amassed substantial scientific production in this domain.
He further added that comprehending the relationship between power and space, and transitioning from a perspective of monitoring space to its development, hinges on opening up to the contributions of geographers and economists. Tarek asserted that issues of territorial development and spatial justice demand continuous advocacy and openness to adjacent fields of knowledge to construct a comprehensive and practical vision.
This statement was made during a study day organized on Friday at Mohammed V University in Rabat, focusing on public management and public finance, under the title “Territorial Development and Spatial Justice in Morocco: Challenges to Reduce Disparities and Build Sustainable Spatial Balances,” supervised and coordinated by Radwan Amimi, coordinator of the Master’s program in public management and public finance, along with Jawad Nouwahi, head of the public law and political science department.
For his part, Abdel Aziz Dariouch, president of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal and Regional Councils, asserted that territorial justice forms a pivotal entry point for achieving spatial justice through the fair distribution of investments, resources, and essential services across various regions, ensuring equitable economic and social opportunities.
Dariouch pointed out that disparities between the center and periphery, as well as between urban and rural areas, remain among the most pressing issues. He noted that territorial justice represents a strategic approach to overcoming narrow spatial divisions and achieving balanced development aimed at improving the living conditions of residents and optimizing the use of local resources.
He added that despite the mobilization of significant resources by various stakeholders, the results achieved still fall short of expectations, particularly in rural areas, which constitute a large portion of the national territory and suffer from evident spatial imbalances.
In this context, Dariouch recalled the remarks made in the Throne Speech on July 29, 2025, where King Mohammed VI highlighted the existence of entrenched structural social disparities, primarily manifested in the differences in human and territorial development. He affirmed that there is no place for a Morocco that operates at two different speeds, where some areas keep pace with modernization while others remain under the weight of marginalization.
