La Conférence régionale de croissance globale organisée à Marrakech à l’initiative du FMI, du FMA, FADES et du Royaume du Maroc
For a couple of days, Marrakesh has been the epicentre of the MENA region and its twenty or so member countries.
The reason being was that, amidst strong media interest, the city played host to a glittering array of leaders, senior bureaucrats, eminent personalities from civil society, experts and specialists, at a ‘high-level’ conference organised 29-30 January upon the initiative of the Kingdom of Morocco, the International Monetary Fund and the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development.
This distinguished audience, hailing from North African and Middle Eastern countries, had gathered to debate a theme that is highly relevant to each State: ‘Opportunities for everyone: growth, employment and inclusion in the Arab world’.
In addition to the Prime Minister, Mr Saad Eddine El Othmani, the Minister of Economy & Finance, Mr Mohamed Boussaïd, who gave the opening and closing keynote speeches respectively, the Presidents of the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) and the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development (AFESD) and the Tunisian Prime Minister, a number of leading personalities from the Arab world participated, including Hanan Ashrawi, a tireless activist on behalf of the Palestinian cause, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, President of Zayed University in the UAE and Samir Samar Mezghanni, a novelist and activist on behalf of youth causes.
The Moroccan delegation included Mrs Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun, CGEM President, Mrs Nezha Hayat, AMMC Chairperson, Abdelatif Jouahri, Bank Al-Maghrib Governor and Noureddine Bensouda, Treasurer General of the Kingdom, amongst others.
And, unquestionably, given her personal charisma, the importance of her role and her global influence, Mrs Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director, was one of the stand-out personalities at this high-level conference. Unabashed at going beyond her role as representative of the IMF, she moderated a couple of highly sensitive panel discussions in a professional, straightforward and effective manner.
‘Double-speak’ by some
After listening to the official speeches given by our Prime Minister and the Tunisian Prime Minister, the lively discussions by the various panels and the closing remarks, two things come to mind.
Neither Mr El Othmani nor his Tunisian counterpart, in their respective speeches, were unable to avoid what could be described as ‘double-speak’, which, alas, afflicts public officials all too often.
Heavy with platitudes, wishful thinking and broad statements, their speeches offered little insight to an audience which hoped for a more realistic and candid approach to tackling the social problems that besiege almost every country within the MENA zone – employment, inclusion, the youth and the place of women in our societies.
The Tunisian PM, Mr Chahed, spoke primarily about the issue of growth in his country and the consequences of the Jasmine Revolution, without daring to criticise the IMF’s policy, which has subjugated the decision-making process as a pre-condition for providing financial assistance to this country, which is hardly conducive to reducing unemployment.
His Moroccan counterpart, Mr El Othmani, had preceded him by deliberately focusing his speech on the reforms undertaken and their macroeconomic impact without really elaborating on the social aspects and the wave of discontent sweeping the country. He managed to carefully sidestep the issue of Moroccan women’s place in society and their role, preferring instead to pay tribute to Mrs Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun who, as we all know, is particularly immune to this kind of flattery. But can one really expect more from a politician who belongs to a party, whose leading personalities recently compared women to “bright beams of light illuminating our homes”?
It is worth noting, however, that Mr El Othmani made a point of emphasising that the idea of adopting a flexible exchange rate regime had been a ‘sovereign’ decision taken by the Kingdom, rejecting accusations that our government was simply toeing the IMF line. Such clarification was made in the presence of Mrs Lagarde, who spoke just after him, commending the “intelligence in adopting a flexible exchange rate regime, a positive decision made by Morocco”.
Candour from others
It was in fact the panellists and the IMF officials who spoke in a more realistic and pragmatic manner, most likely because, in coming to Marrakesh, they were not thinking about their political careers.
Mrs Lagarde, in her opening address, did not hesitate to point out the “seething” social discontent affecting most Arab countries. She roundly criticised the official government policies that have been pursued for aeons, whose sole impact had been to widen budget deficits, restrain growth and render every type of job creation incentive ineffective, thereby turning unemployment, particularly among the youth, into a ticking tomb which could go off at any time or place.
The IMF boss, as a staunch feminist, also referred to the discrimination and marginalisation of which women in the Arab countries are victim. To illustrate her point, she paid tribute to two Moroccan women in the conference hall, each of whom had made their mark in their respective disciplines due to their dynamism and competence, Mrs Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun, CGEM President and Mrs Nezha Hayat, Chairperson of the Moroccan Capital Markets Authority (AMMC).
Mrs Lagarde was even more forceful in emphasising the conditions required to generate inclusive growth within the MENA region.
In the opinion of the head of the International Monetary Fund, the guardian of liberal economic orthodoxy, public policy-making must change if the region is to deliver growth and development, reduce the glaring social disparities, give women their rightful place and rescue youngsters from a sense of despair and a lack of direction.
Such a change can be achieved, in her opinion, by reducing the tax burden on businesses, introducing powerful incentives to invest, especially FDI, abandoning policies of doling out subsidies which weigh heavily on budgets, ending massive recruitment into the civil service and adopting policies which promote private sector job creation.
Nothing really revolutionary, in fact, except that the policy of reducing the tax burden, in particular, provides a genuine alternative that has proved successful in a number of developed economies which have returned to growth. This, therefore, ought to inspire official decision-makers within the region.
Pragmatism and realism, the credo of civil societies
This emphasis on alternative solutions, deemed urgent by the IMF so as to avoid social explosion or implosion, was strongly endorsed, if not in content, then in spirit by the various panels which provided substance to this high-level conference.
Therefore, when it came to exploring how to create millions of jobs in the Arab world, the problem of youth employment rapidly came to the fore in the panellists’ discussions. By way of example, the Saudi, Khalid Alkhudair, outlined the various paths his country had taken, finding imaginative and courageous solutions to enable SMEs to create jobs and to offer job opportunities to Saudi women.
Others, such as Morocco’s own Nezha Hayat emphasised a pragmatic approach to implementing training and job creation policies as well as the need to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship in school children from a tender age. She also pointed out, in a highly articulate manner, that countries should not be obsessed about creating the next Silicon Valley but, instead, focus on less skilled profiles who are far greater in number and who have legitimate aspirations for a better future.
It was in a similar vein that the participants in the second round-table discussion debated the issue ‘Enhancing inclusion and boosting job opportunities in the Arab world’.
For the panellists, particularly the Egyptian, Ashraf Sabry, founder and MD of Fawry Mobile Banking, the most appropriate and viable solutions were often the most straightforward. They are often found by observing people’s everyday behaviour and needs and by applying the latest technology.
Lastly, one of the most interesting moments of the day was the discussion on ‘Women’s empowerment in the Arab world’ with a number of leading female personalities participating. Expertly moderated by the very amiable Christine Lagarde, the speakers, Hana Ashrawi, a Palestinian, Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun, a Moroccan, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi from the Emirates and Samar Samir Mezghanni, an Iraqi-Tunisian, each spoke about their individual experiences which had enabled them to make their mark and succeed in disciplines which were as diverse as they were male-dominated in their respective countries.
These moments of insight and candour were a pure delight, proving that sheer will-power and personality are powerful drivers to overcoming any obstacle.
A lesson and a beacon of hope for millions of women living in our Arab world…
Fahd YATA, Marrakesh
Original article : https://lnt.ma/croissance-inclusion-emploi-a-marrakech-entre-langue-de-bois-pragmatisme/