After calling for the development of a new model of development that meet the expectations expressed in a given society and that contribute in the protection of the dignity of all Moroccans, the Sovereign has announced the nomination of a special commission concerned with what has been said. The latter will have as a mission the examination and the suggestion of a new model "authentically Moroccan".

The main focuses of this commission contained in a royal speech addressed to the nation on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People constitutes a line of conduct for the missions of readjustment, anticipation, foresight that the Sovereign has highlighted and fixed for the said commission.

"Responsibility and growth" will be the watchword of the new stage and the new social contract wanted by the Sovereign. A contract based on the collective involvement of all the vital forces of the nation for "a unique national collective conscience" aiming at the mobilization of lasting synergies for the dignity and well-being of Moroccans and allow "to approach the future with serenity and assurance".

The slogan evoked by the Sovereign "responsibility and growth" encourages us to radically rethink our approach to public policies by setting up an institutional model of relevant public policies to meet the challenge of development.

It is imperative that strategic focus be given to the development and evaluation of public policies. Indeed, it is now important to know how the policy works and what its effects are and whether they are as high as the expected objectives.

New Model based on evaluation criteria

It also means, above all, that decision-makers wonder if they can do better and how they can do that. Evaluation alone is able to determine whether policy-makers will be able to modify a policy, to put an end to it or, on the contrary, to generalize it. Evaluation criteria are known and widely applied in other settings: achievement of objectives, relevance, coherence, effectiveness and efficiency to evaluate the effectiveness of public spending.

In Morocco, it is the legal and institutional vacuum in this area. The creation of a public body (a high authority of public policy or a higher council of public policies), independent, will have for mission the accreditation of the public policies before their launches, the follow-up of their execution, as well as the evaluation of the relevance and scope of these policies and their effective impact on citizens. The use of an independent evaluator, concerned with the scientific soundness of these results, is a guarantee of the success of the evaluation.

Parliament cannot yet negotiate its particularities for evaluating public policies

Such a body will be called upon to adopt a system of national ratings of public policies, like international rating agencies, to raise the level of performance and efficiency of public action and create new synergies that can contribute to the emergence of a new administrative generation.

Such a body could help inform the public debate on the main arbitrations and fuel the collective debate. It is thus essential as a democratic requirement. In fact, the independent public policy evaluation body asserts itself as a place of expertise serving policymakers in a complex economic world and as a component of the democratic process. An area of economic and social democracy that associates the various social actors in the development, implementation and evaluation of public policies as required by the Kingdom's Constitution (Article 13).

It is true that in addition to the exercise of legislative power and the control of government action, Parliament is constitutionally responsible for evaluating public policies (Article 70). Given the flagrant deficit in Parliament's economic and financial evaluation means, such evaluation is considered to be more of a myth than a reality.

Similarly, the monthly sessions reserved by Parliament for the discussion and evaluation of public policies often boil down to a boasting speech "... achievements, reforms and the many positive indicators (...)" where evaluation, its results and its teachings are totally absent.

The control mission of the regularity of the receipts and expenses of the organisms subjected to the control of the Court of Auditors are restrictive and do not allow it to assume the missions of evaluation of the public policies as they do not allow it to contribute in a participatory approach.

For all these reasons, it is therefore necessary to set up an independent public policy evaluation entity and also to adopt a framework law similar to the Organic Finance Act to frame the design of these policies.

New development model to become cornerstone for establishment of social contract in which all stakeholders are involved

HM King Mohammed VI said that the proposed development model should become the cornerstone for the establishment of a new social contract in which all stakeholders will be involved.

"I look forward to seeing the proposed development model become the cornerstone for the establishment of a new social contract in which all stakeholders will be involved: the state and its institutions as well as the driving forces of the nation, namely the private sector, political parties, trade unions, civil society organizations and the citizens," the Sovereign pointed out in a speech on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People.

HM the King said that the new development model will serve as the backbone of the new phase, "whose guidelines I set out in the last State of the Nation Address: a phase whose key features will be accountability and a comprehensive take-off."

The Moroccan citizen is at the heart of this development process, the Sovereign added, noting that an inclusive, participatory approach is necessary when addressing the major issues of the nation to make sure all key stakeholders are actively involved.

"It is the same objective I seek to achieve through the creation of the ad-hoc committee for the development model, which I will soon ask to tackle this crucial issue," the monarch added, noting that the committee’s mission will be threefold: remedial, proactive and forward-looking; the goal is to look to the future with great confidence.

The committee will be expected to propose appropriate implementation and monitoring mechanisms, in addition to measures to make sure Moroccans will fully embrace the proposed model and collectively seek to ensure its success, HM the King said.

The purpose of revamping the development model and of the projects and programs launched is to ensure Morocco’s advancement, improve the citizens’ living conditions, and reduce social and regional disparities, the Sovereign pointed out.

New development model based on royal vision that reflects the kingdom's singularity through its participatory approach

The new development model sought by HM King Mohammed VI is based on "a royal vision of which we are proud, as it stresses the singularity of our country through its participatory and inclusive approach," said, Thursday in Rabat, Head of Government, Saad Dine El Otmani.

The last State of the Nation Address as well as the speech delivered by the Sovereign on the 66th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People underlined important issues related to the new development model, namely "the preparation of the contours of the new development model and the establishment of next-generation sectoral plans," El Otmani said at the opening of the Cabinet meeting.

The government has resumed its weekly meetings by invoking the High Royal Guidelines set out in these two speeches, he added.

El Otmani noted, in this regard, that HM the King underlined that this development model should be a model that is one hundred per cent Moroccan. The Sovereign has set out the general framework of this model as well as the stages of its development and announced that this issue will be tackled by an ad-hoc committee, he added.

El Otmani also recalled that the Sovereign has urged the government to start working on major, integrated next-generation sectoral plans, which will form the backbone of the new development model.

In this regard, he said that the government will take advantage of accumulated experiences and will assess various sectoral plans and public policies. Regarding the reduction of social and regional disparities, El Otmani has expressed the government's determination to continue implementing the various policies and measures aiming at reducing these disparities and expanding innovation in this area in the future. He also underscored the need to support the middle class, the rural world, agriculture, youth, employment and vocational training, as HM the King pointed out in the Speech of the Revolution of the King and the People.