The 35th anniversary commemoration of this national institution of human rights, created three years before the adoption of the principles of Paris, is an opportunity to celebrate a process of institutional transformation and an important step in the dynamics of building the human rights system in the kingdom, indicates the CNDH in a press release.
“This commemoration is an opportunity to celebrate our institutional development and our role in strengthening promotion and Human rights protection in a constantly evolving Morocco, ”said the president of the CNDH, Amina Bouayachcited by the press release. He added that “this 35th anniversary marks a long journey of transformation, construction and transition from an advisory institution to a national constitutional institution with local representations at the regional level, in 2011, then to an institution with a broader and more complete mandate in terms of human rights from 2018”.
Morocco “was committed, from the first years, in a process of sovereign and voluntary reform, the most important of which were the treatment of past violations and the launch of the process of truth, equity and reconciliation of which we commemorated the 20th anniversary in 2024,” said Bouayach. The CNDH is “an institution placed at the heart of major dynamics and major sites including the reform of justice, the revision of the Constitutionthe revision of Mutethe observation of the elections and the reform of criminal justice, “she noted, adding that this commemoration is an opportunity to celebrate relevant reforms, in a spirit of mobilization and commitment of all the components of the nation.
The CNDH president recalled, in this sense, that “the kingdom of Morocco was among the pioneering countries to set up a national institution of human rights, as a keystand for the process of building a national human rights system”. This institution, she noted, was designed to offer a global approach combining torture preventionof ill -treatment and infringement of rights and freedoms, protection of victims Potential, accounting for accounts with a view to restoring justice and dignity and promotion of human rights culture.
According to the press release, the CNDH Commemorate this anniversary throughout the year 2025 under the theme “35 years: rights, freedoms, effectiveness”, by showing a firm commitment to continue to fulfill its constitutional mandate in matters of prevention of violations, protection and support of potential victims and promotion of a culture of human rights, thus contributing to the strengthening of the rule of law and the anchoring of the effectiveness of rights and freedoms, in the context of independence based on independence law and constitution.
Amina Bouayach: The CNDH, a central platform in the national human rights system in Morocco
Thirty-five years after its creation, the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH) asserted itself as a central platform in the national human rights system in Morocco, said on Wednesday at the headquarters of The African Union In Addis Ababa, its president, Amina Bouayach. The president of the CNDH who intervened, during a panel on the occasion of the seventh political dialogue between the African Union Commission and the Network of National African Human Rights Institutionsstressed that the CNDH regional commissions, present in the twelve regions of the kingdom, had been set up according to a logic aimed at ensuring effective proximity to citizens.
CNDH’s mandate and prerogatives have evolved to the rhythm of the dynamics at work in Morocco, thus making it possible to offer innovative solutions, in line with the transformations in progress and adapted to emerging challenges, reaffirmed Ms. Bouayach. These dynamics have given rise to a Moroccan approach to human rightsbased on a constant interaction between civil society and the State, and characterized by three key elements, namely consensus between all stakeholders, rather than compromise, innovation capable of developing the appropriate responses best suited to the national context, and the inclusivity of all actors, in a participatory approach including the 12 regions of the kingdom, highlighted Ms. Bouayach.
“Our approach in terms of CNDH strengthening has always been pragmatic and it strives to find adequate and adapted answers, which, taking into account the specificities and the particular dynamics and which can ensure effectiveness and efficiency in the exercise of our mandate, “she highlighted. The president of the CNDH also emphasized the mechanisms of cooperation and collaboration with public authoritiescivil society organizations and international actors. THE CNDH In particular was at the heart of the Moroccan experience of transitional justice, having been responsible for monitoring the implementation of the recommendations of the Truth Commission in Morocco (equity and reconciliation body), which served as the basis for institutional and legal reforms aimed at preventing future violations, noted Bouayach.
In this same approach to cooperation and partnership, “we have shared with our sisters and brothers of the African continent the creation of the network of national mechanisms for the prevention of torture in Africa in Marrakech, and whose permanent secretariat is based in Morocco,” underlined the president of the CNDH. Beyond institutional reforms, the CNDH strength lies in his ability to position himself as an essential player in national and international debates on human rights. His reports have made it possible to bring out key issues relating to the practices of the public authorities in matters of human rights, she added.
