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Claiming Human Rights - in Morocco

The Kingdom of Morocco is a member of the United Nations, but not of the African Union. It has ratified many UN Human Rights Conventions (compare list on the right) and thus has made binding international commitments to adhere to the standards laid down in these universal human rights documents.

Morocco is an Arabic-speaking country in North Africa. The middle-sized country with an area of 446,550 square km has a long coastline to the Atlantic Ocean and to the Mediterranean Sea. On a global scale, its population density is medium. The capital of the country, which became independent on 2 March 1956 from France and on 7 April 1956 from Spain, is Rabat. Morocco is a member of the regional economic communities AMU and CEN-SAD.

With a Human Development Index of 0.65 Morocco ranks 130th of 182 countries ranked in the UNDP Human Development Report of 2009. Life expectancy of the 31.2 million inhabitants at birth is 71 years, population growth is 1.2 percent per year. GNI is 2,580 US-$ per capita. External debt is 27.3 percent of gross national income. Primary school enrolment is 88.8 percent.

In as far as Morocco has ratified the Optional Protocols for UN Human Rights Conventions or has accepted the Competence of the corresponding UN Treaty Bodies (compare list on the right), the inhabitants of Morocco and their representatives are able to invoke their human rights through these bodies.

All inhabitants of Morocco may turn to the UN Human Rights Committee through procedure 1503, to the Special Rapporteurs for violations of specific human rights or to ECOSOC for women's rights violations.

Since Morocco is a member state of UNESCO, its citizens may use the UNESCO procedure for human rights violations in UNESCO's fields of mandate.

Employers' or workers' and certain other organizations (not individuals) of Morocco may file complaints through the ILO procedure in the cases of those conventions which Morocco has ratified.

They may also file complaints according to the EU guidelines (on Human Rights Defenders, Death Penalty and Torture) to Embassies of EU Member States and the Delegations of the European Commission.

In cases of human rights violations by multinational enterprises, they may also invoke the National Contact Point in an OECD member state.

Morocco has not yet joined the International Criminal Court.

Signature: 1977 Ratification: 1979 Reservations: no/non Signature optional protocol:   Ratification optional protocol:   Reservations:   Last State report: 2004 Last concluding observations: 2004  
Signature: 1977 Ratification: 1979 Reservations: no/non Last State report: 2005 Last concluding observations: 2006  
Signature: 1967 Ratification: 1970 Reservations: yes/oui Competence CERD acknowledged: yes/oui Last State report: 2009 Last concluding observations: 2010  
Signature:   Ratification: 1993 (accession) Reservations: yes/oui Signature optional protocol:   Ratification optional protocol:   Reservations:   Last State report: 2006 Last concluding observations: 2008  
Signature: 1986 Ratification: 1993 Reservations: yes/oui Article 22 competence acknowledged: yes/oui Last State report: 2009 Last concluding observations: 2011  
Signature: 1990 Ratification: 1993 Reservations: yes/oui Last State report: 2003 Last concluding observations: 2006  
Signature: 1991 Ratification: 1993 Reservations: yes/oui Last State report:   Last concluding observations:    
Signature: 2007 Ratification:   Reservations:   Last State report:   Last concluding observations:    
Signature: 2007 Ratification: 2009 Reservations: no/non Signature optional protocol:   Ratification optional protocol: 2009 (accession) Reservations: no/non Last State report:   Last concluding observations:    
Ratification Banjul Charter:   Ratification Protocol African Court:   Ratification Children's Charter:   Ratification Maputo Protocol:   Last State report:    
International Criminal Court joined: no/non  
Country Rapporteur: no/non  
National Human Rights Institute: yes/oui  

Last change: 28.01.10 - 12:12