Speech of the Head of Government on the occasion of the signing of the annex to a partnership agreement to activate the official character of Amazigh within the justice system

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family and companions
Mr. Minister of Justice.
Mr. Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication.
Ms. Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administration Reform.
Mr. President Delegate of the Supreme Council of the Judicial Power.
Mr. Chief Public Prosecutor.
Mr. Dean of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture.
Officials of the central administration of the Ministry of Justice, executives, and representatives of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture.

Activating the official character of Amazigh in areas of public life falls within the framework of the priorities of government action, believing that the Amazigh language and culture must be given the place it deserves in building the national identity, which was established and endorsed by His Majesty the King in 2001, followed by the constitutional recognition of the entire cultural and linguistic heritage of the Moroccan people, as an essential component of national unity.

Proceeding from the fact that the delineation of the Amazigh language in the Constitution was a decision and a royal will, without which the desired breakthrough for Amazigh would not have been achieved, we are obliged, as a government, to accelerate the priority strategic projects stipulated in Organic Law 16-26 on the activation of the official character of the Amazigh language, and the modalities for its integration into all aspects of life: education, culture, justice, and administration, as well as the need to mobilize efforts and human, logistical and financial resources to ensure the implementation of the requirements of this organic law, especially with regard to the completion of workshops. Legal, regulatory, and institutional for the successful implementation of the two organic laws on the activation of the official character of the Amazigh language and the National Council for Moroccan Languages and Culture.

The Government has inaugurated its mandate with bold and concrete measures to promote the Amazigh language, through:

•    The Allocation of 200 million dirhams in the 2022 Finance Law to activate the official character of the Amazigh language, with a commitment to gradually raise the ceiling until reaching one billion dirhams in 2025.
•    The Creation of two new prizes within the Morocco Book Award, namely the Morocco Incentive Award for Amazigh Creativity and the Morocco Incentive Award for Studies in Amazigh Cultures.
•    The regular annual support for Amazigh books and Amazigh cultural associations benefiting from support for projects in the various fields that benefit from the support.
•    The Translation into Amazigh of a series of works on tangible and intangible heritage, among other measures.

I am honored to participate in this event, which is a first step to implementing the vision of the government program for these workshops and translating them on the ground, by promoting the integration of the Amazigh language within the justice system within the framework of the partnership between the Ministry of Justice and the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, which will facilitate the reception and guidance of Amazigh speaking companions, as well as the translation of their administrative and legal documents and texts, we hope that other measures will be gradually implemented in the future, such as ensuring simultaneous interpretation from The adoption of Tamazight as the language of litigation, including translation during investigation proceedings, pleading, testimony, notification procedures and the possibility of pronouncing judgments in Amazigh.

 Therefore, I take this opportunity to appreciate the spirit of cooperation and partnership between the Ministry of Justice and the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM), and to reaffirm our determination in the government to implement our commitments throughout this mandate, so that the constitutional purposes, the royal will, and the popular aspirations related to this national workshop are realized.