Morocco, Burkina Faso Sign Various Agreements at 4th Joint Commission in Dakhla

The two parties signed an agreement on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters aimed at applying the customs legislation of both countries, preventing, investigating and punishing customs offences and ensuring the security of the international logistics chain.

The agreement also aims to strengthen cooperation between the two countries through the exchange of experience in technologies, risk analysis and management, and technologies used in the valuation of motor vehicles.

The Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons establishes the general conditions for the transfer of a person sentenced in the territory of one Party to the territory of the other Party.

These conditions depend, inter alia, on the acts or omissions which led to the conviction, the length of the sentence, the consent of both parties to the transfer, etc.

The two countries also signed an action plan in the field of justice for the period 2024-2025, which aims to promote judicial cooperation between the Ministries of Justice of the two countries through the exchange of experiences, training, the organization of workshops and the exchange of legislation.

They also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Integrated Water Resources Management, in which they commit to strengthen and develop cooperation in the field of integrated water resources management through the exchange of visits of experts and executives to learn about the experiences of both parties, the exchange of information and documents, and the organization of meetings and seminars between the parties on topics of common interest.

The two ministers also signed a decentralized cooperation agreement aimed at creating a favourable framework for promoting decentralized cooperation between the local authorities of Burkina Faso and Morocco, on the one hand, and establishing partnerships between the public structures in charge of supporting local authorities and decentralization in the two countries, on the other.

They also signed a decentralized cooperation roadmap for 2023-2025, with the aim of creating a framework conducive to the establishment of cooperative relations (twinning and partnership) between the local authorities of the two countries, in accordance with the terms set out in the attached table.

The agreement also aims to strengthen cooperation in the field of tourism between the two parties through the development and expansion of their current tourism relations in order to strengthen their economies and enhance mutual understanding of their respective national cultures.

The two parties also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Sports, which aims to promote and facilitate communication and cooperation between the sports organizations of the two countries, and to define the framework for cooperation programs in the field of sports and leisure, based on the principle of reciprocity.

In the field of education and training, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the same occasion, covering several areas of cooperation between the two parties (educational and pedagogical innovation, reform of the education system, management of educational projects and programs, and improving retention in educational systems).

A cooperation agreement in the field of higher education, scientific research and innovation was also signed, in which the parties undertake to intensify their technical and scientific cooperation with a view to increasing the mobility of actors in the field of higher education, scientific research and innovation, through the mobility of teachers, specialists and researchers, the exchange of information on national procedures and regulations concerning the equivalence and recognition of diplomas, scientific titles and university degrees awarded by higher education and scientific research institutions, etc.

In addition, the two parties have signed a framework cooperation agreement on academic scholarships, internships and exchange of expertise, through which they undertake to further promote their cooperation in the cultural, scientific, technical and socio-economic fields through the exchange of students, experience and information, and the granting of scholarships.

In this context, the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation will make available to Burkina Faso an annual quota of 130 scholarships for the academic years 2023/2024, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026, broken down as follows 100 scholarships within the official quota and 30 additional scholarships for the southern region of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The two ministers also signed a partnership cooperation agreement between the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic Studies (AMED) and the Institut des Hautes Études Internationales (INHEI) of Burkina Faso, which aims to develop and strengthen a strategic partnership between INHEI and AMED in areas of common interest relating to international law, diplomacy, international relations and all other subjects related to diplomacy and international relations.