Rights. Freedoms. Effectiveness.
A Journey of Proactivity, Transformation, and Growth

Today, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) commemorates the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Morocco’s National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), founded on May 8, 1990—a proactive step taken amid a worldwide context of reform and transformation. This step, taken three years before the global adoption of the Paris Principles, was also an opportunity to celebrate a process of institutional transformation and one of the key milestones in building the human rights system in the Kingdom of Morocco.

In her commemorative message, Ms. Amina Bouayach, CNDH Chairperson, emphasized that “commemorating this anniversary is a celebration of our institutional progress and our mission to promote and protect human rights in a constantly changing national and international context.”

She added, “35 years represent a journey of transformation and construction, a journey that began with an advisory institution, became a constitutional national institution with regional representations in 2011, and then an institution with a broader and more comprehensive human rights mandate as of 2018.” She also highlighted that Morocco has, from the very beginning, engaged in sovereign and voluntary fundamental reforms, particularly addressing past violations and establishing a truth, justice, and reconciliation process—the 20th anniversary of which was commemorated in 2024.

Ms. Bouayach affirmed that the CNDH plays a central role in Morocco’s key reforms, including judicial reform, constitutional review, family code reform, election monitoring, and criminal justice reform. She noted that the 35th anniversary is a moment celebrating a coherent national choice, based on convergence and national commitment.

Morocco was one of the few pioneering countries to establish an NHRI, marking a milestone in the process of building a national human rights system. The CNDH was designed as an integrated mechanism combining prevention of torture, ill-treatment, and rights/freedoms violations, along with protection, redress for potential victims, accountability for justice and dignity, and the promotion of human rights culture and its noble values, as stated by the CNDH Chairperson.

Under the slogan “35 Years: Rights. Freedoms. Effectiveness.”, the CNDH will commemorate this anniversary throughout 2025, reaffirming its commitment to continue fulfilling its constitutional missions: preventing violations, protecting and supporting potential victims, and promoting human rights culture—contributing to the consolidation of the rule of law and strengthening the effectiveness of rights and freedoms, within a framework of independence grounded in law and the constitution and aligned with a rigorous united nations human rights system.