mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Community participation and crisis management towards development: What is the role of civil society?

mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Written by: Youssef Dahwai

mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">President of Al-Anwar Society for Education and Culture

 

 

Civil work in Morocco is extremely important, thanks to a number of factors. External and internal, which gave associations a distinguished position in local and national development, as well as in the public policy-making process, which imposed the transition from representative democracy to participatory democracy, as the current Moroccan political discourse now emphasizes the role of the civil actor, as one of the most prominent actors participating in achieving development goalsIn general, and the collective subject in particular in Moroccan Constitution of 2011, [2]  

Community participation can be defined as "the participation of citizens in local development projects to develop the community on the basis of awareness and belonging so that they do not do anything that conflicts with the interest of the local community and so that they benefit from their participation"[3], while another considered that community participation is "the process undertaken by individuals through free and conscious contributions in shaping a lifestyle for the better in all economic, social and political aspects"[4].

The importance of the topic of community participation in managing crises and achieving development lies in the fact that civil society has become a partner of the state and an actor that imposes itself within Moroccan society. This research was based on the problem: How effective is community participation in managing crises?

To answer the problem at hand, the topic was divided into two parts, where we discussed the aspects and mechanisms of community participation in Morocco(first),and then we highlighted the challenges facing civil society in achieving development(second)

 

First: Manifestations and mechanisms of community participation in Morocco

After the waves of protest witnessed by the Moroccan street during the first decade of the second millennium, under the name "Arab Spring", and the emergence of a group of activists to demand reform and change, one of the responses of the Moroccan political system was a comprehensive constitutional amendment through a popular referendum in 2011. This period was also known for its openness to all segments of society and their involvement in the solution in order to achieve popular demands through a sectoral social dialogue that brought together official bodies and representatives of society. Civil.[5]

The Moroccan Constitution of 2011 stipulated mechanisms for involving civil society in decision-making, whether at the local or national level, through Chapter 12 of the Constitution relating to associations, Chapter 13 relating to public consultation bodies, then Chapter 14 relating to the right to submit petitions in the field of legislation by male and female citizens, in addition to the right to submit petitions to the public authorities stipulated under Chapter 15 of the same Constitution. 139, has given the right to male and female citizens and associations to participate in territorial participation through the mechanism of submitting petitions to territorial community councils.[6]

In the midst of the conflict between the civil actor and the political actor, the latter tried to include the civil actor and overcome the conflict, through the national dialogue on civil society held in 2014, where civil society activists expressed during this dialogue their dissatisfaction with the conditions of community participation within the state, the frequent restrictions on the part of the administrative authorities, and the lack of clarity in how to exercise the tasks assigned to civil society through the 2011 Constitution. [7]

The thing that the Moroccan legislator reacted to by issuing regulatory laws related to community participation mechanisms, the most prominent of which was Regulatory Law No. [8]14.64 regarding the method and conditions for submitting petitions in the field of legislation by male and female citizens, then the law [9]14.44 regarding the method and conditions for submitting petitions to public authorities, not to mention issuing the regulatory laws for territorial communities, which include the methods and conditions for exercising the right to submit petitions at the territorial level.[10]

Consequently, civil society in Morocco has become aware of a kind of dynamism and movement in a group of fields and contributing to managing a group of crises and achieving development, and the growing roles of civil society organizations with the increasing need for the involvement of additional parties in development tasks and programs and crisis management, especially after the failure of state agencies in meeting the increasing economic needs of citizens. It has become necessary to work to achieve these requirements, and the scope for civil society organizations must be expanded to become a partner in the process of development and crisis and disaster management, in a group of Domains.[11]

Civil society plays a prominent role in the process of construction and social change, and this has led to an increase in its role in the field of advancing local development, especially in the last two decades, with the decline of the state’s role in this field as a result of the large burdens it bears in the field of financing. As a result of this situation, many countries have given an approach to civil society as one of the important actors that plays a prominent role in contributing to advancing local development and managing crises through a partnership based on correct directions and strategy.

Second: Civil society's constraints in achieving development

There is no doubt that civil society in most Arab countries today still suffers from fragility  weak growth, and weak cooperation between it and official actors. Among the factors that lead to the obstruction of cooperation between governments and civil society in order to overcome crises is the governments’ control over the economy and the obstacles they impose on civil society organizations due to their ability to mobilize the masses and spread social capital in addition to their ability to change Societal culture and its practice of external accountability for government policies and practices[12] .

Many international organizations affiliated with the United Nations have called for promoting and activating the participation of citizens with governments in comprehensive development programs and equitable use of wealth, which serves social peace and economic growth, as well as overcoming crises, in view of what the effective participation of citizens can provide through their free, voluntary and independent organizations in light of the major transformations from the directed economy to the free economy within the framework of partnership and integration between civil society institutions, the government and the private sector, which is the main trio of the development process[13].

These challenges appear if we look at   achieving community participation in the Arab countries, we find that this factor remains far from the required level, and perhaps the internal factors driving change in traditional roles and functions are still not available in the political, economic and social arena, but the external factors are strong and strong towards changing those roles, which makes the question urgent about the wealth of the national state in light of the winds of those factors and the winds of change and globalization, and whether Community participation contributes to the advancement of countries and achieving development, especially Arab countries, in order to build social states that depend on participation in decision-making and crisis management. [14]

Conclusion:

يمكن القول أن العمل المجتمعي التطوعي أصبح أحد أهم مرتكزات تنفيذ أهداف واستراتيجيات المشاركة المجتمعية في تدبير الازمات وتحقيق التنمية في مختلف البلدان على حد سواء، حيث برزت مفاهيم جديدة حول المشاركة الشعبية والتطوع مثل "المشاركة المجتمعية" ، "الجهود الذاتية" ، "الاعتماد على الذات" ، وأصبحت هناك علوم تهتم بتقييم أعمال الجمعيات والهيئات التطوعية من خلال معايير وأسس علمية تهدف إلى تصحيح مسارها وضمان تحقيق أهدافها وفق أفضل الأساليب ، كما تدرجت تلك الجمعيات من محلية على مستوى الحي إلى وطنية ثم إقليمية فدولية. غير أن المجتمع المدني لازال يعاني من بعض الاكراهات خلال المشاركة المجتمعية يستوجب معها حل يجعل من المجتمع المدني شريك حقيقي للدول.