His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, addressed a message to the participants in the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII), which kicked off on Wednesday in Marrakech under the theme: “Adult learning and education for sustainable development – A transformative agenda.”
Here follows the full text of the Royal Message, which was read by the Head of Government, Mr. Aziz Akhannouch:
"Praise be to God, and peace and blessings be upon His Prophet, His kith and kin.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives us great pleasure, first of all, to express our pride in the convening of the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII) under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in the Kingdom of Morocco, the first Arab and African country to have this honor.
As we welcome the prominent figures and personalities participating in this important gathering—government officials, representatives of active international organizations and institutions, experts, and specialists in this field—we express our appreciation for the tireless efforts you are all making, each from your respective positions and within your areas of competence, to promote and develop adult learning and education.
We cannot fail, on this occasion, to commend the outstanding relations of partnership and cooperation that have always bound the Kingdom of Morocco and UNESCO, reaffirming our constant keenness to further intensify and strengthen them to encompass various scientific, educational, and cultural fields.
The convening of this conference, which we have placed under our High Patronage, as a confirmation of the paramount importance we attach to this sector, and its chosen theme for this year: 'Adult learning and education for sustainable development – A transformative agenda', certainly constitutes a renewed opportunity for reflection, study, and exchange of views on all issues related to this topic.
It also provides a favorable opportunity to assess what our countries have achieved in this field, and to explore the most effective ways to develop efficient adult learning and education policies, in connection with the concept of lifelong learning, in order to contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
In light of the rapid transformations the world is witnessing, it has become essential to provide adults with lifelong opportunities to acquire new skills that ensure their optimal qualification to improve their living, health, and working conditions, and enable them to secure a decent livelihood.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We consider the organization of this international conference on the soil of the Kingdom of Morocco as a support for the relentless efforts made by our country to provide quality lifelong education for all its citizens, starting from pre-school education, which constitutes a fundamental pillar for lifelong learning and a crucial entry point for achieving quality in education and training.
From this perspective, the Kingdom of Morocco attaches special importance to the education of young people, providing them with multiple and renewed learning opportunities that ensure they enjoy their right to appropriate qualification, guaranteeing their economic integration, cognitive achievement, and social advancement, thereby protecting them from the scourges of ignorance and poverty, as well as from the tendencies of extremism and reclusion.
The Kingdom has also worked to enhance its efforts to upgrade the vocational training of young people, adopting training programs in various specialties that meet the needs of enterprises and the public sector, and keep pace with scientific and cognitive developments, as well as changes in society and professions, thus offering them better opportunities for professional integration.
Moreover, to enable young people to continue learning and training for as long as possible, especially those who have dropped out of school, the 'Second Chance School - New Generation for Education and Qualification' initiative was created. This initiative relies on an alternating training approach between the school and the enterprise, to prepare and accompany the individual professional project of each young man and woman.
Within the same framework falls the national program adopted by our country to promote literacy, targeting a broad segment of citizens. Its objectives go beyond simply learning to read and write, to facilitating the integration of the target group into the labor market through training courses that enable beneficiaries to develop their skills in certain crafts and strengthen their capacities to create cooperatives and income-generating projects.
The Kingdom of Morocco also ensures the facilitation of women's access to education and their economic empowerment throughout their lives, so that they can contribute effectively to development, as well as develop themselves and achieve their personal and professional ambitions.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Kingdom of Morocco's hosting of this conference consolidates its effective engagement in anchoring the principle of lifelong learning. This has materialized on the ground through the integration of the cities of Chefchaouen and Benguerir into the Global Network of Learning Cities, and Morocco's acquisition of a UNESCO Chair, thanks to the establishment of an Observatory for Lifelong Learning, and its contribution to the development of mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the level of learning, in partnership with the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.
In addition, the Kingdom is distinguished by a remarkable dynamic, thanks to the cooperation and combined efforts of all actors, from the public and private sectors, as well as universities, territorial authorities, civil society organizations, and international partners, who ensure the implementation of policies and programs targeting adult learners.
In this regard, we have always been, and remain, extremely keen to provide quality education for all Moroccans, across all segments and ages; an education that ensures integration into the world of knowledge and communication, qualifies them for professional life, and contributes to individual and collective advancement.
It should be noted here that this development project has been given a strong boost and a new start, within the framework of the New Development Model adopted by our country, which aims in its educational component to trigger an educational renaissance, the ultimate goal of which is to strengthen and secure the human capital that will contribute to development, while opening up promising prospects for the future.
Achieving this goal also requires raising awareness of the growing status of science and knowledge as determinants of development and economic growth, in an era characterized by the acceleration of technological transformations, with all that this requires in terms of acquiring new and renewed competencies and qualifications. All of this is reinforced by placing citizenship education and civic sense at the heart of the Moroccan educational project, supporting the mechanisms of education, training, integration, accompaniment, and funding dedicated to women, and strengthening the channels of lifelong education and training, in support of the capacities of every individual in our country.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The seventh edition of this conference provides a prime opportunity to foster dialogue and discuss the challenges related to the future of adult learning and education.
It gives us great pleasure to propose during this session the adoption of a new framework for action, under the name 'Marrakech Framework for Action', named after the city hosting your proceedings, to guide and develop adult learning and education in the coming decade. As a reference document, it will serve as a roadmap for the next 12 years, placing the adult learner at the center of educational policies, and consolidating the principle of lifelong learning as a key lever for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Convinced of the need to strengthen and coordinate the monitoring of the implementation of the guidelines that will emerge from the 'Marrakech Framework for Action', and to ensure the continuity of the dynamic that this global conference will launch, the Kingdom of Morocco wishes to propose the creation of a post-CONFINTEA VII ministerial committee. This committee would meet once a year and oversee the effective implementation of all recommendations resulting from the conference, particularly at the regional level.
Within the same vision and orientation, and to strengthen our country's commitment to lifelong learning, Morocco also proposes launching an initiative with an African dimension, aimed at strengthening South-South coordination and cooperation in the field of adult learning and lifelong learning, through the creation of the 'African Institute for Lifelong Learning'.
This institute will serve as a regional center to strengthen the capacities of regional actors, institutions, and organizations in the field of lifelong learning. It will also allow for the exchange of successful experiences, knowledge transfer, and sharing of expertise regarding adult learning and education, particularly at the level of African learning cities, and through them, forging ties of cooperation with their counterparts around the world.
This institute will also target local actors, from political decision-makers to practitioners, heads of non-governmental organizations, and researchers, to evaluate public policies for lifelong learning on a continental scale, according to an approach that places learners and trainers at the heart of priorities.
We are confident that this conference will be an excellent opportunity to discuss best practices, devise new and realistic solutions based on advanced visions, and present proposals and recommendations that will contribute to improving the future of adult learning and education, as well as guaranteeing the right to lifelong learning for all.
As we renew our welcome to you, distinguished guests in your second home, Morocco, we pray to God Almighty to guide your steps and crown your work with success.
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI stated that Morocco is entering a new phase focused on strengthening national sovereignty, supporting economic recovery, and implementing the New Development Model. He also called on the government and Parliament to fully assume their responsibilities.
The United Nations praised His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s forward-looking vision for future generations, highlighting the importance of collective action to build a human-centered and sustainable development model. It also noted that this vision has become even more relevant in light of the challenges exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly social inequalities and the spread of misinformation.
The Council of the League of Arab States praised the efforts of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, to protect Al-Quds Al-Sharif and support the resilience of the Palestinian people. It also highlighted the fieldwork of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency in preserving the city’s Arab and Islamic identity.
