Assahafa.com
Under the presidency of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, the National Observatory for Children’s Rights (ONDE) held, on Monday March 30, 2026 in Rabat, its annual meeting with its institutional public and private partners.
This event, which forms part of the dynamic of the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, for the protection of childhood and the promotion of its fundamental rights, provided an opportunity to take stock of the achievements of 2025 and outlining the prospects for the future, by forging structuring agreements, the Observatory said in a statement.
A 2025 Report Placed under the Sign of Health and Innovation
Health
ONDE has made child health a primary strategic focus. This dedication has been reflected in targeted advocacy efforts, a drive to boost measles vaccination, and backing for the national HPV immunization program.
In addition, ONDE has introduced free psychotherapy services for child abuse victims utilizing the Observatory’s helpline, alongside a digital campaign to raise awareness about anxiety at school.
Through the training framework of the Child Psycho-trauma Mechanism (DNPTE), ONDE successfully enhanced the skills of professionals in contact with children (1,290 in 2025, up from 929 in 2024).
Digital Innovation
In addition to digitizing the health record, which began with an initial online version for parents, ONDE has launched a continental platform for the African child rights network and implemented an internal procedures platform.
In doing so, the Observatory has reaffirmed its commitment to providing protection tailored to the challenges of the digital world. It is also taking this opportunity to announce the launch of “Tofoula,” a new platform dedicated to tracking child rights indicators in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Justice
ONDE has trained child psychiatry experts in child-adapted forensic interviewing based on the NICHD protocol. Furthermore, it has incorporated new modules focused specifically on considering the child’s testimony into both the foundational and ongoing education of judges and magistrates.
17th National Congress
Organized under the effective presidency of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, this major national event brought together a panel of leading national and international experts. It enabled a rigorous assessment of the current situation and the formulation of strategic recommendations, designed to enrich national reflection and inspire future child protection programs and public policies looking ahead to 2030.
Strengthened Participation of Children
In line with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, who created the noble Moroccan institution, the “Children’s Parliament,” over 25 years ago and entrusted its presidency to Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, President of ONDE, the voice of the child parliamentarians has been considerably amplified, establishing itself as a central proposing force.
This dynamic has led to a profound overhaul of the selection criteria for the Children’s Parliament, ensuring a more inclusive and equitable representation. This was achieved by reducing the number of children selected based on academic excellence in favor of children elected to class councils, children with special needs, and children from traditional education and foreign missions.
Morocco, Hub of South-South Cooperation
The international influence of ONDE was crowned by the hosting of the first-ever African Children’s Parliament Forum in Rabat in November 2025.
This landmark summit resulted in the signing of seven partnership agreements with brotherly nations, as well as the unanimous adoption of the “Rabat Declaration” by the 28 other participating African countries. The declaration formalizes the establishment of the African Child Rights Network and bolsters national frameworks for participation and collective advocacy at the continental level.
Ten New Agreements to Accelerate the Promotion of Children’s Rights
Following the presentation of the activity report and the broad outlines of the 2026 action plan, the annual meeting of the ONDE partners’ committee was marked by the signing of 10 partnership agreements. These agreements fall within the necessary synergy between the various stakeholders, in line with the Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect Him.
The agreements were signed with:
The Ministry of Education, Preschool and Sports: This agreement aims to deploy a national program dedicated to the prevention, detection, and early intervention of neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically targeting preschool establishments.
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection: It focuses on three main axes: the early prevention of psychological disorders, the training of healthcare professionals, and the regional deployment of the National Psycho-trauma Mechanism.
The Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication: It aims to establish a national program for the prevention, detection, and early intervention of neurodevelopmental disorders in nurseries, as well as to strengthen the training of early childhood professionals.
The Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family: This is a structuring partnership designed to support ONDE’s action program, most notably the Child Psycho-trauma Mechanism (DNPTE).
The High Commission for Planning (HCP): It pertains to the production and analysis of statistical data that will feed into the “Tofoula” child indicators monitoring platform launched by ONDE, alongside the realization of thematic surveys and publications.
The National Observatory for Human Development (ONDH): This agreement is dedicated to conducting the first major study on the prevalence of mental disorders among children and adolescents in Morocco, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the Ministry of Education, Preschool and Sports.
Entraide Nationale (National Mutual Aid): It is intended to strengthen the synergy of interventions in the childhood sector. Among other goals, this agreement aims to enhance the integrated care of children in vulnerable situations and bolster the reporting mechanisms for abuse cases, ensuring a safe and protective environment.
The OCP Foundation: This entails a collaboration to structure the socio-economic model of a major project: the African Academy for the Emergence of Young Civic Leaders.
This support will endow the Academy with a robust and sustainable business model, transforming it into an African center of excellence dedicated to child empowerment. The goal is to enable them to become changemakers, capable of influencing public policies and amplifying the voices of their peers across the continent.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF Morocco): This partnership focuses on producing the Situation Analysis of Children (SITAN) and building the advocacy capacities of child parliamentarians through targeted advocacy training.
The Moroccan Society of Child Psychiatry and Associated Professions (SMPPA): This is a cooperation framework aimed at promoting the mental health of children and adolescents through training, research, and support for the National Child Psycho-trauma Mechanism established by ONDE.
By strengthening synergies and pooling expertise with benchmark institutions, ONDE is enhancing its monitoring and analysis capabilities to anticipate emerging challenges and optimize its initiatives, the press release concludes.
Source: map
