The three-day event is attended by Moroccan and international experts from 63 countries and 20 international organizations.
The Congress aspires to promote the participation of rural women as an essential partner in the process of development, discuss ways to preserve their dignity, achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and shed light on the efforts undertaken by the Kingdom for this purpose.
For his part, the head of government, Abdelilah Benkirane, thanked HRH Princess Lalla Meryem for chairing this international forum, noting that her generous presence "reflects her continuous efforts in favor of women's issues, since her accession to the presidency of the Moroccan Women Union."
Mr. Benkirane also paid tribute to Moroccan women who have made March 8 an opportunity to build on their achievements and open new projects towards more stability, in accordance with the Constitution's provisions.
The choice of the theme of rural women denotes a message of great significance, as promoting the conditions of this social group remains below expectations in spite of the efforts made, he said, noting that the government, aware of the importance of the contribution of rural women in the development process, has made the promotion of their situation a priority to allow them to fully enjoy their social and economic rights.
In her capacity as Chairwoman of the Scientific Committee of the Congress, Ms. Bahija Simo, Policy Officer at the Royal Cabinet and Head of the Royal Archives, highlighted the important role played by women both during the struggle for independence and after, welcoming the steps taken towards the promotion of their living conditions.
On this occasion, Her Royal Highness attended the screening of a film entitled "Women in the heart of rural development."
After that, the Princess presided over the signing ceremony of six agreements on the implementation of awareness raising programs on women's rights, the integration of rural women in the Green Morocco Plan projects, the collaboration, coordination and implementation of programs of common interests, on vocational training, strengthening of cooperation with UN Women in the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.