Morocco conference addresses governance and public action in an era of uncertainty and complex crises

A recent international conference in Rabat, Morocco, focused on rethinking public action and governance in an era where uncertainty has become the norm. The event, held on April 14 and 15 at the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences of Agdal, brought together over a hundred researchers and practitioners from Moroccan, Tunisian, French, Thai, and Georgian universities. Organized by the Moroccan Association of Public Policies MAPP, FSJES-Agdal, the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Morocco, the conference explored how to manage an accumulation of unprecedented and mutually reinforcing shocks, such as global pandemics, devastating earthquakes, floods, supply chain disruptions, and chronic water stress. Mohammed Benhamou, advisor to the president of Mohammed V University in Rabat, emphasized that uncertainty is no longer circumstantial but structural, necessitating a fundamental shift in how decisions are made. He advocated for public action based on resilience, cooperation, and trust. Hassan Zouiri, dean of FSJES-Agdal, highlighted the need for classical public action models to embrace cooperation, collective intelligence, and renewed forms of regulation. Jamal Hattabi, president of the Moroccan Association of Public Policies and former dean of FSJES Mohammedia, questioned the role of solidarity, asking if it remains a principle or has become a governance instrument. He stressed that modern gov