“Morocco's efforts to expand coverage, adequacy and integrality of social protection should be commended by all,” Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, told MAP on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of HM the King’s enthronement.

The senior UN official noted that social protection has proved to be an “efficient tool” to fight poverty and reduce inequalities, underlining the progress on many other Sustainable Development Goals achieved by the Kingdom under the Sovereign's enlightened leadership. 

 In this regard, he recalled that social protection measures adopted by the Kingdom have been salutary for vulnerable groups, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis.

To finance these major actions, Morocco relies in particular on a “solid combination” of general public revenues and social contributions from the formal sector employment, he stated. 

 According to him, “these efforts represent a good model for middle-income countries” in combating inequality, guaranteeing inclusion and inching towards universal social protection systems.

 Regarding Morocco's response to crisis situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the Al Haouz earthquake, Junhua cited in particular the direct aid to vulnerable people, the generalization of health insurance for workers in the non-formal sector, wage subsidies to employees in the tourism sector, support to businesses, in addition to the creation of a special fund to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. 

These measures have helped mitigate the social, economic and health impact of the pandemic, particularly for vulnerable people and their families, and to support economic recovery, he stressed.