A/HRC/32/43/Add.1 generations and regions; and (e) consolidating the country’s regional and international credibility and promoting public services aimed at Moroccans living abroad.6 16. Article 139 of the Constitution stipulates that, in order to facilitate the involvement of citizens and associations in the elaboration and monitoring of development programmes, mechanisms of participation, consultation and dialogue should be established by regional councils and other local government councils. The ongoing process of advanced regionalization mandated under title IX of the Constitution establishes the rights and obligations of local governments, which have become important actors in sustainable human development and democracy. This process is aimed at strengthening the capacities of local institutions and decentralizing financial resources for the implementation of public development policies at the regional and local levels. This process has received support from foreign partners, especially in the field of capacity-building. A. Social development policies and programmes 17. The National Initiative for Human Development, under the Ministry of the Interior, is the key policy instrument for advancing human development, improving access to public services, generating employment and improving household revenues to combat poverty and inequality. The implementation of the Initiative is supported by a number of other public policies and forms part of the process of advanced regionalization. It implements a geographical targeting of priority areas and populations and functions on a project basis, providing funding to initiatives submitted by local actors, including cooperatives, associations, non-governmental organizations, local governments and administrations. The Initiative reported that, between 2005 and 2014, more than 9 million people benefited from the programme, 50 per cent of whom were in rural areas.7 18. The financial contribution of development partners represented only 20 per cent of the total budget for the first phase of the Initiative, which has been financed mainly through the regular budget, demonstrating the country’s resolve to invest in the enhancement of economic and social rights. The main contributors were Saudi Arabia, with $125 million for the two phases, and the European Union, with €85 million. The programme received the equivalent of €27.5 million in debt conversion from Italy and Spain. The World Bank loan to the Initiative tripled from $100 million to $300 million during its second phase, which indicates its merits. Although, in absolute terms, the external financial contribution has diminished during the second phase in order to enhance self-sustainability, for the most part the contribution of foreign partners has been central in terms of capacity-building and monitoring results, with the development and progressive adjustment of indicators. 19. The Social Development Agency, established in 2001, also works towards poverty reduction and the promotion of social development in Morocco. It complements the work of several other institutions active in this field, in collaboration with civil society and local governments. With the establishment of the Initiative in 2005, the Agency moved from its function of financing local development projects driven by civil society to expanding its capacity-building activities for local actors in order to facilitate the implementation of the projects now funded by the Initiative, and providing support in defining local development strategies. Although the work of the two institutions has relied on civil society for the 6 7 See World Bank Group, “Country partnership strategy for the Kingdom of Morocco for the period FY 2014-2017” (1 April 2014), para. 50. Available from www.worldbank.org/content/dam/ Worldbank/document/MNA/moroccocps/Morocco_CPS_FINAL.pdf L’Initiative Nationale pour le Développement Humain (INDH), “Une décennie de réalisations”, Coordination Nationale INDH (18 mai 2015). 7