Bangkok 16-20 July 2012

Inequality and child poverty in morocco: SOME EXAMPLES Bangkok 16-20 July 2012 ERF-UNICEF Workshop on Social and Economic Policies for Child Rights with Equity

BACKGROUND • Low middle income country despite regular growth (4%) over the past 20 years • Major inequalities and inequities • Contrary to some neighbouring countries, not an oil producer + high informal sector=> limited state income • Context of revision of general subsidies mechanisms • Thus UNICEF (and gvt partners) approach : better targeting and more efficient instruments

Experience of Morocco: Measures and Initiatives to Promote Equity for Children • Multidimensional approach to measuring poverty especially for children; • Equity measurement in health for the poorest children; • Household Panel Survey; • TAYSSIR : Program for the education of poor children; • RAMED: The Medical Assistance Plan for the poor in Morocco; • INDH: National Initiative for Human Development Methods of measuring poverty and equity Morocco's Initiatives on Equity

Use of fuzzy set theory (Bristol Approach) : (www.hcp.ma ) • favoring the notion of partial membership, more or less strong, of every child to the poor, according to each dimension selected below; • building a structural measure of poverty less tainted by the dichotomy of "all or nothing” from the sets of dimensions of poverty. 1-Multidimensional approach to poverty measurement particularly for children (Adopted by HCP);

Result of applying a multidimensional approach to child poverty measurement: Net difference Poverty rate Multidimensionalapproach HCP Monetary approach to WB

2-Equity measurement in health for the poorest children Morocco is elaborating policies and programmes on influencing social determinants of health to achieve better quality health equity within the whole society Research on health equity in Morocco is carried out through analysis of health and socio-economic trends Main results(analysis of databases of national surveys on population and health in 2004 and 2011)

The ENPSF 2011 results shows that Morocco has achieved the Under 5 Mortality MDG Goal , yet the Poor are lagging behind, but with narrowing poor to rich gap over time

Prevalence of stunting by wealth quintiles, Morocco 2004-2011

Antenatal Care (ANC), Delivery Care, Coverage (%) by Wealth Quintiles, Morocco 2004-2011

Conducted by the National Observatory for Human Development (ONDH)) : www.ondh.ma • Is a system of nationally representative surveys (with an attempt to cover the regional level);• It affects all dimensions of human development (education, health, employment, income, etc ...);• It monitors annually the same units, and estimate the changes from one year to another in situations of human development. 3- Household Panel Survey

Recommendations The way that was followed by Morocco to achieve greater equity in health education, ….and in other sectors has inspired on programs tested in other countries, for better targeting of the poor such as: ……….. Microcredit for poorwomen Improved access to quality public services Cash Transfers Health cards for the poor

1- RAMED The Medical Assistance Plan for the poor in Morocco (Le Régime d‘Assistance Médicale pour les Economiquement Démunis Au Maroc)

The improvement and extension of medical coverage is one of the pillars of human and socialdevelopment • For this purpose, two regimes of basic medical coverage were created in Morocco The Medical Assistance Plan for the poor in Morocco (RAMED) MandatoryHealthInsurance (AMO) Based on the principles of social insurance for the benefit of persons who work in gainful employment, pensioners, former resistance fighters, and members of the liberation Army and students Founded on the principles of social welfare and national solidarity in favor of the poor

Enable the poor to benefit: A basic medical coverage, which offers healthcare and services for free and medically available in: • Public hospitals; • Health centers ; • Health services within the State, both in emergencies or during hospitalization The Medical Assistance Plan for the poor in Morocco

BENEFICIARIES OF RAMED8.5 million To benefit from RAMED individuals must meet the following two conditions: 1 2 Law: Article 2 of Decree No. 2-08-177September 29, 2008 (and its amendment in 2011) Certify that they, receive no health insurance mandatory, either as an insured, either as beneficiaries. Recognized on the basis of eligibility criteria by area of residency, showing that they have insufficient resources to afford healthcare expense;

2- Tayssir • Programme on conditional cash transfer for the education of poor children

Strategic objectives of the Ministry of National Education of Morocco: ...; Equity of opportunity of access to compulsory education; Generalization of schooling Fight against school drop-out;Establishment of a "package" of measures of social support for children from poor families: Royal Initiative: a million schoolbags for poor children: School canteens; Boarding; school transport; Tayssir Tayssir :Foundations of the program

The program consists of a cash transfer per child in school • Rural communities beneficiaries :- Poverty Rate> = 30% ;- Dropout rate> = 5% : • Beneficiaries schools: - All primary schools located in the selected communes. • Eligible households:- With at least one child between 6 and 15 and enrolled in recipient school.- Residing in the area served by the chosen school. TAYSSIR : Targeting &Conditionality transfer • Conditionality transfer: Student's attendance at school • Levels of absenteeism tolerated: less than 04 absences per month in the primary and less than 06 absences at college cycle. • The maximum number of children per household beneficiaries is set at 03 children.

Some preliminary findings and some ideas for improvement the TAYSSIR Cash transfers reduce the dropout at all levels and the impact being greater at higher levels. The impact on school dropout is relatively more important in the satellite schools. Cash transfers also improve the reintegration of pupils who dropped out. Sustainability of funding:National Solidarity Fund Skip to household targeting, instead of geographic targeting

• Objective : Fight against poverty, exclusion and precariousness, in accordance with the MDG; •It targets: * Rural communities whose poverty rate is equal to or greater than 30%; *The precarious urban neighborhoods, identified on the basis of several criteria (basic social infrastructure, school dropout, unemployment, substandard housing, income, excluding women and youth); For more information : www.indh.gov.ma 3- National Initiative for Human Development

MOROCCO Thanks for your attention Morocco

Bangkok 16-20 July 2012