Speaking at the opening of the high-level symposium celebrating the 5th anniversary of the adoption of the Action Plan for religious leaders and actors to prevent incitement to violence that could lead to criminal atrocities, Mr. Ouahbi said that in the context of the implementation of the Plan of Action, it is important to take into account the specificities of each country.

In that regard, the minister noted that tOuahbi stressed that to strengthen its national approach to the dissemination of the values of religious moderation, tolerance and the fight against violence, the Kingdom has continued its efforts to reform and restructure the religious field through training programs and upgrading the knowledge of imams, mourchidines and mourchidates on the social functions of mosques and the diffusion of a healthy understanding of open-minded and tolerant Islam.

In the same context, new initiatives have been taken regarding the revision of religious education programs in public and private institutions, he said, adding that the Kingdom has also continued its serious involvement in the fight against extremist discourse through the organization of forums and seminars, such as the first forum of mediating ulemas (Religious scholars) on the prevention of violent extremism in 2016.

In response to the various challenges posed by extremism and the necessary renewal of religious discourse, the minister noted that Morocco had taken several pioneering initiatives on the African level to publicize its religious model and consolidate its cooperation and exchange of experiences, including the creation of the Higher Council of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulemas in 2017.

The Kingdom of Morocco, which is very involved in the implementation of the United Nations counter-terrorism strategy, has accumulated a rich national experience which makes it a model for many countries, thanks to an effective security policy based on vigilance, monitoring, anticipation and prevention of acts of terrorism and violent extremism.

Beyond the security field, the national strategy to combat extremism and terrorism focuses on capacity building and training to combat the phenomenon. This successful experience has been rewarded by the creation in Morocco of a UN program office for counter-terrorism and training in Africa, the minister noted.

In the same context, the "Moussalaha" program initiated in 2017 to monitor and mentor people detained in cases of terrorism and extremism, continues to be implemented as a model program in which institutional actors are involved to ensure psychological rehabilitation and strengthen the religious knowledge in these people, Mr. Ouahbi added.

In accordance with the requirements of the fight against the causes of violence and violent extremism, Morocco has adopted a new development model, which aims to create the conditions for the participation of all citizens in the process of sustainable development and their involvement in all aspects of public life, he added.

Mr. Ouahbi also noted that the high-level international symposium, celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Fez Action Plan is a very important opportunity to assess the achievements of the implementation of the plan and review the efforts made to combat the phenomenon of incitement to violence and hate speech.