LAUNCHING “ARCHIVE, HISTORY AND MEMORY” PROGRAM: READING AND PRESERVING THE PAGE OF THE PAST TO GUARANTEE THE NON-REPETITION OF PAST HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

The “Archive, History and Memory” program was launched officially on October 5th, 2010, in Rabat. This program is implemented by the Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH), a national institution for the protection and promotion of human rights, in charge of the implementation of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER)’s recommendations.

Several governmental, institutional and civil society stakeholders and diplomatic and media leaders participated in the opening ceremony of the program. It is financed by the European Union as part of its support to the process of democratic transition in Morocco through the implementation of the IER’s recommendations, regarding archives, history and memory.

Mr. Ahmed Herzenni, CCDH President, stated that this program is implemented within the framework of the last part of the IER’s recommendations, indicating that the Council is almost done with the recommendations of truth revealing, individual compensation, community reparation and institutional and legislative reforms. “The program is a great defy for Morocco. Its implementation is a big challenge launched by the Council and its partners”, he stated.

Mr. Herzenni added that the preparation phase of this program was characterized by several reflection sessions, indicating that the program adopted a participatory approach that brought together several national stakeholders concerned by archives, history and memory. Many governmental and non-governmental committees, researchers, experts and victims of past human rights violations were consulted. Mr. Herzenni confirmed that these stakeholders will participate in the implementation of the program.

He called all program partners to double their efforts to guarantee success for this program so that “our archive meets international standards and our contemporary history becomes a subject for study and available for all and in order to preserve our memory”.

On his turn, Mr. Eneko Landaburu, Head of the European Union Delegation in Morocco, said that the European Union wished through this program to extend its cooperation with the Council, recalling cooperation between the Council and the Union in the community reparation program and the national plan of action on democracy and human rights. He indicated that memory and history are essential to build a society on strong basis.

Mr. Landaburu praised the Moroccan experience and described it as unique in the field, stating that Morocco “was audacious to open the page of history without leniency or partiality”. It reflects a “political maturity, unprecedented in the international contemporary history”, he added. Mr. Landaburu said that “the program is unique in Morocco and the Maghreb region”, stressing that its success necessitates the participation of all Moroccan society components, including the parliament, university, civil society, unions, etc.

Ms Naima Senhaji, program coordinator, presented the objectives, activities and organization of the project. She indicated that the project aims to strengthen the process of democracy and promotion of human rights. It facilitates the implementation of the IER’s recommendations regarding the archive, history and memory.

With a budget of 8 million Euros, the Program includes several activities, mainly: the examination of archives (IER and CCDH), its classification and inventory, creation of an archive institution in Morocco (Archives of Morocco), support operational creation and equipment of the "Archives of Morocco", valorization of the archives of the period of 1956 – 1999, teaching contemporary history, realization of studies and researches, production of communication materials, commemoration of victims’ names, creation of regional museums, creation of a national museum of contemporary history, equipment of museums, etc.

Implementing IER’s recommendations, the Advisory Council on Human Rights created an ad-hoc committee composed of experts and university researchers to deepen reflection on the subject of archive and preservation of memory and follow-up the national archive modernization workshop. The Council worked on the legislative framework of the archive organization.

CCDH efforts helped promulgating Law # 69.99 relative to the archive on November 30th, 2007, which defines the preservation conditions of archives, the delays and conditions under which they should be available for the public and sanctions due to their destruction.

Regarding archive, history and memory, the Council consulted the different national stakeholders, identified the main action fields and organized several thematic seminars.

The Council signed in April 2009 a convention with the Moroccan Cinema Center to promote human rights culture and encourage the realization of films on the preservation of memory and past human rights violations. It also concluded a cooperation convention with the Faculty of Arts and Humanities to create a contemporary history Master, in addition to a convention signed in September 2010 with the Ministry of Culture on the preservation of memory and cultural rehabilitation of community reparation areas.