This commitment is part of the long-term goal of creating a culture of open, participatory, and inclusive governance at the territorial level, which strengthens local democracy, improves the quality of public policies, and restores trust between citizens and institutions.
Tangier - Tetouan - Al Hoceima, Morocco
Fostering Inclusive Leadership and Citizen Participation through Enhanced Transparency and Engagement (MATTH0012)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Not Attached
Inception Report: Not available
Commitment Start: May 2025
Commitment End: Dec 2026
Institutions involved:
- Regional Council of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
Primary Policy Area:
Primary Sector:
OGP Value:
- Civic Participation
- Technology and Innovation for Transparency and Accountability
Description
Commitment ID
MATTH0012
Commitment Title
Fostering Inclusive Leadership and Citizen Participation through Enhanced Transparency and Engagement
Problem
The Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region faces significant local governance and citizen participation challenges hindering inclusive development. These interconnected issues affect democratic quality and public trust.
Limited citizen participation in decision-making results from inaccessible channels, limited awareness of mechanisms, and disengagement from past experiences where contributions weren't considered.
Transparency deficits restrict public information access, preventing citizens from understanding decision processes, budget allocations, and policy outcomes. This opacity breeds institutional mistrust and limits democratic oversight capabilities.
Institutional capacity gaps affect local authorities who lack knowledge, skills, and tools to implement open government principles effectively. This particularly impacts rural areas and resource-limited municipalities despite political commitment.
Service innovation remains insufficient as traditional approaches fail to meet citizens' expectations for quality, responsiveness, and accessibility. Limited digital adoption perpetuates inefficiencies and access inequalities.
Existing Regional Council participatory mechanisms show limited effectiveness, highlighting needs for new engagement forms including marginalized groups—women, youth, disabled individuals, and remote rural populations.
Status quo
Local and regional governance in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima shows progress but also persistent gaps. Since Morocco’s 2011 Constitution, the legal framework has advanced citizen participation, transparency, and accountability. Organic laws introduced tools like petitions, consultative bodies, and public consultations. The Regional Council integrated citizen participation during the Regional Development Plan’s design, yet this remains occasional, not covering all policy phases. Consultative bodies on equity, gender, and equal opportunity exist but face challenges in impact, resources, and recognition. Transparency has improved through websites and document publication, but available information is often partial, technical, and not easily accessible. Open data use by civil society is rare. Training for elected officials and civil servants on open government is limited, often lacking practical implementation tools. Digital participation tools are underused and lack interactive features for co-creating policies. Vulnerable groups—including women, youth, persons with disabilities, and rural populations—remain underrepresented due to linguistic, educational, geographic, and socio-cultural barriers. These issues call for systematic, inclusive strategies to enhance openness and citizen participation in governance.
Action
To strengthen participatory democracy and citizen engagement across the region, the following actions are planned:
Organize Training Sessions: Provide training on the principles and values of the Open Local Government Partnership for local authorities, integrated into the Regional Master Plan for Continuing Education.
Capacity Building: Enhance the capabilities of local authorities and consultative bodies, including the Regional Council's Bodies of Equity, Equal Opportunities, and Gender Approach, to develop effective openness programs.
Regional Caravan of Openness: Organize a regional caravan to promote openness and engage with communities, fostering direct interaction and encouraging participation.
Establish Thematic Consultation Committees: Create specialized committees within the Regional Council, such as the Regional Advisory Mechanism on Disability and the Regional Advisory Body for Environment and Climate Action, to focus on critical areas of regional governance.
Create a Children’s Council: Establish a Children’s Council within the Regional Council to ensure young citizens’ voices are included in decision-making processes.
Host the Annual National Forum: Organize the Annual National Forum for Participatory Democracy to facilitate dialogue, collaboration, and the sharing of best practices.
How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?
Local and regional governments' participation in the Open Government Partnership will help:
Strengthen Transparency: Improve information access, enhancing citizen participation and governance accountability.
Build Capacities: Develop Regional Council consultative bodies and Bodies of Equity, Equal Opportunities, and Gender Approach within local authorities to effectively contribute to public policy development and monitoring.
Motivate Engagement: Encourage active citizen participation, fostering inclusivity and shared governance responsibility.
Improve Decision-Making: Involve civilian actors and experts in decision-making, resulting in more informed, inclusive policies.
Enhance Public Services: Improve service quality and efficiency by incorporating citizen input, ensuring policies align with community needs.
Encourage Youth Participation: Establish platforms like Children's Council to engage young citizens, ensuring their voices are heard and preparing them for future civic involvement.
Facilitate Policy Implementation: Co-create policies with citizen input to gain broader support and reduce implementation resistance.
Leverage Local Knowledge: Use local expertise to find sustainable solutions to regional challenges.
Build Trust: All planned actions contribute to creating mutual trust between local authorities and citizens.
These comprehensive measures transform governance by making it more open, participatory, and responsive to citizen needs.
What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?
Primary Policy Area
Civic Space, Regulatory Governance
Primary Sector
Citizenship & Immigration, Policing & Corrections
What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?
| Civic Participation | This commitment places citizen participation at the core of its approach by establishing and strengthening various mechanisms that enable residents to actively engage in public decision-making. Initiatives such as the regional openness caravan, thematic consultation committees, and the Children's Council provide diverse platforms for citizens to express their views, contribute to policy development, and take part in monitoring implementation. This participatory approach ensures that citizens’ voices are heard and considered at every stage of the public policy cycle, thereby enhancing the legitimacy and effectiveness of decisions. |
| Technology and Innovation for Transparency and Accountability | This commitment greatly strengthens transparency by making information accessible and open to the public. Through training on open government principles and technical support for territorial authorities, it promotes proactive transparency—ensuring that data on decisions, budgets, and performance is regularly shared in clear, user-friendly formats. This improved access to information helps citizens better understand how local institutions function and serves as a key foundation for informed participation and meaningful accountability. |