Morocco

In Morocco, SIMASHE has focused on fostering intersectoral dialogues and training. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection – with support from the Moroccan National Social Determinants of Health Commission, WHO and the Regional Commission on Social Determinants of Health – conducted a national study on health equity and subsequently organized a strategic dialogue in January 2023 to highlight findings from the national study. As a result of this dialogue, the government committed to developing a training course on Health in All Policies with WHO. Experts from Laval University (Canada) delivered the course in 2023, reaching 24 professionals from various ministries, academia, NGOs and UN agencies to strengthen multisectoral collaboration and integration of health equity considerations into public policy. The training course, supported by the WHO Country Office and a local institute, combined virtual sessions with a final in-person meeting, and in 2024, was incorporated into the government’s routine training platform.

Country achievement highlights

1. National health equity study and strategic dialogue on social determinants of health and health equity held in January 2023, led by the Ministry of Health, with support from national and regional partners, to raise awareness of findings from a national study on health inequities.
   
2. Training programme on Social Determinants of Health and Health in All Policies developed and delivered in 2023 in collaboration with national academia and international experts from Laval University. The course trained 24 professionals from various ministries, academia, NGOs and UN agencies in intersectoral action and the integration of health equity into public policy, and is now being institutionalized through a local training platform for routine delivery.
   

Main activities 2025–2028

• Continued training and capacity building on the Governance Action Area of the world report – through Health in All Policies for addressing the social determinants of health, by institutionalizing ongoing civil service training to foster a community of practice and promote intersectoral collaboration.
• Advancing local action and policy dialogue in pioneer areas, including equity-focused health impact assessments at the subnational level and enhancement of efforts in local pioneer areas in the Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz region, with a focus on post-crisis community rebuilding.
• Developing frameworks to tackle specific social policy and equity issues, beginning with the social determinants of health for women in prison, using a theory-of-change approach to guide assessment and action.
• Documenting, evaluating and sharing Morocco’s SDHE experiences, including responses to COVID-19 and the Al Haouz earthquake, with contributions to regional reports, academic publications and inter-country knowledge exchange platforms.