Rabat - Links between Morocco and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) resulted in a 'long' and 'fruitful' cooperation, Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch said in Rabat on Wednesday. Speaking at the closing of the Morocco-OECD Country Program II and the launch of the Organization's new economic study on the Kingdom, Akhannouch noted that since joining the MENA-OECD regional initiative, Morocco had always worked towards strengthening this relationship. In this respect, the Head of Government pointed out that 'the process of connection with the OECD has accelerated, the Kingdom being among the first four countries worldwide to ink a memorandum of understanding for a country program with the OECD'. As part of its commitment to adopting international best practices and building an open, transparent economy, Morocco has signed up to some thirty OECD legal instruments and participates in ten of its bodies and committees, he recalled, reaffirming the Kingdom's determination to strengt hen its cooperation with the OECD through the signing of a memorandum of understanding for a second country program, after expressing its satisfaction with the results of the first country program. This program aims to implement strategic actions in support of Morocco's objectives in various fields, notably public governance, economy and investment, social inclusion and territorial development, Akhannouch explained, adding that the program also aims to develop a process of intensive and reinforced dialogue between Morocco, the OECD and its member states, and to anchor Morocco's public policies to the Organization's best practices. Welcoming the achievements made with the OECD through the country programs, which will open the door for new prospects and consolidation of cooperation between the Kingdom and the OECD, Akhannouch stressed that through the action plans to be drawn up jointly, Morocco will further its work within OECD committees and bodies, and new initiatives will be created, such as the developme nt of triangular OECD-Morocco-AU collaboration or the study of an exchange program for Moroccan civil servants. In addition, the Head of Government noted that Morocco, under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, has become a regional model, thanks to building modern and democratic institutions, the adoption of the 2011 Constitution and the Family Code reform. These forefront reforms, he noted, are in the service of equality and human rights as well as advanced regionalization, which strengthened participatory democracy at territorial level. In addition, Morocco has built infrastructure up to the highest international standards, providing air-land-sea connectivity unrivalled in the region, the Head of Government underlined, stating that the Kingdom boasts 2,000 km of highway network to be increased to 3,000 km by 2030, Africa's first high-speed rail line, the continent's largest port on the Mediterranean and soon one of the largest on the Atlantic, as well as 19 international airports offering considerable African projection capacity. Morocco has built relations of trust, particularly in Africa, as HM the King made above 50 visits over the past 20 years, resulting in the signing of over 1,000 cooperation agreements, he highlighted. 'Thanks to free trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, and through the establishment of the AfCFTA, investing in Morocco offers access to a market of 2 billion consumers', he continued. After noting that Morocco has become one of the world leaders in sustainable development, being the economic and human challenge of the new generation, Akhannouch pointed out that renewable energies account for 38% of the Kingdom's energy mix, with the aim of an increase to over 50% increase by 2030. This ambition will culminate in the development of the green hydrogen sector, which will make Morocco 'a major player' status in the decarbonization of the global economy. The Head of Government also emphasized that, despite a turbulent global context, Morocco continued to wo rk towards laying the foundations for a major socio-economic transformation, supported by reforms in social protection, health and education, noting that these reforms had notably made it possible to make health insurance available to the two-thirds of the Moroccan population who had not previously benefited from it, in addition to direct financial aid for the most disadvantaged families. 'Morocco is aware of the challenges ahead, in particular drought and its social and economic repercussions, notably on job loss in the agricultural sector leading to a rise in the unemployment rate', he added, stressing that to overcome these challenges, Morocco is working to diversify water supply sources through a national plan mobilizing a budget of over $14 billion and the launch of several desalination plants. Under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the government is also making structural reforms to revitalize the job market and boost the economy, notably through the ongoing deployment of investment mec hanisms, already effective through the new Investment Charter, to be supplemented by the SME Charter before the end of the year, for investments of less than MAD 50 million. These ambitious reforms, coupled with macro-economic stability, are regularly praised by international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. To support the national investment model, the government has striven since the beginning of its mandate to accelerate a number of projects designed to facilitate the act of investing, including tax reform, land mobilization, the implementation of deconcentration, simplification and digitization of administrative procedures, the reform of the public procurement decree and revision of the law on payment deadlines, Akhannouch said. On another front, he added, Morocco has reached a new historic milestone with the country's removal from FATF's grey list on an unanimous decision in February 2023, followed by the European Union in May 2023. 'These decisions re flect Morocco's full compliance with its commitments, as well as the efficiency and transparency of its model in terms of the fight against money laundering and financing terrorism', the Head of Government underscored, adding that the Kingdom thus enjoys a privileged international attractiveness as an investment platform in Africa. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse