Since the beginning of the millennium, the process of modernizing society was hastened with major reforms aimed at entrenching the principle of gender equality and equity. In 2004, the Civil Status Act (Moudawana) was amended and the status of women in the family further strengthened. In 2011, the country approved a new constitution that enshrines human rights and gender equality. Several laws have been adopted to ensure the harmonization of national legislation with international instruments that Morocco ratified and whose primacy are now recognized over its domestic laws. In the same vein, and to coordinate the various initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and including women’s rights in public policies and development programs, a governmental plan for equality entitled “ICRAM” was developed for the period 2012-2016 and was later on expanded and extended until 2021. At the same time, a specific strategy for institutionalizing the principle of gender equality in the civil service was adopted in 2016. 2  EXPO 2020 DUBAI WOMEN ON BOARDS KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN THE MENA REGION  SPEECH OF MR. ABDELLATIF JOUAHRI GOVERNOR OF BANK AL-MAGHRIB (MOROCCAN CENTRAL BANK)  Today, the real challenge remains to succeed in the effective implementation of these laws and programs and to ensure a regular and close monitoring, which is hardly an easy task. Ladies and Gentlemen, Speeding up efforts to strengthen the economic role of women and reduce gender inequalities requires the mobilization of all stakeholders, government authorities, civil society, public and private institutions and national and international organizations.

The economic activity slowdown, low main products prices in the world markets, low monetary expansion in the economy and controlled inflationary expectations offset the inflationary pressures coming from exchange rate depreciation during 2009. The upward inflation trend during the last quarter of 2009 was expected by the Bank of Albania. It was formed mostly by transitory factors, which are not expected to generate steady inflationary pressures. In particular, this performance was influenced by rising food prices, which reflect the lagging effect of exchange rate depreciation, international markets conjunctures and structural problems of the Albanian market. These factors are expected to exert inflationary pressures during the first half of 2010, possibly added by expected reduction of agricultural products supply, as a result of the flooding that has lately occurred. However, stable core inflation trend and low inflation rate of non-traded goods confirm that inflationary pressures exerted by domestic demand are moderate. In the absence of other supply shocks, the slow progress of domestic demand, low growth of monetary supply and anchored inflationary expectations, are premises for keeping inflation within the target in the medium run. The Bank of Albania pursued a prudent monetary policy during 2009, creating a suitable environment for a balanced development of the economy and for keeping inflationary pressures under check. In the presence of downward inflationary pressures and steady expectations, the hints for slow domestic demand in the next period have motivated the progressive growth of monetary stimulus during 2009.