The proceedings of the high‑level international conference, co‑organised by the Supreme Council of the Judiciary of Morocco and the Council of Europe — in particular the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and the Violence Against Women Division — opened on Wednesday, 29 April 2026 in Rabat, on the theme: “Women Judges’ Journeys: 65 Years of Moroccan Experience and Comparative Perspectives”.

Moroccan, European and African female judges were able to share their professional experiences and identify the factors that can facilitate women judges’ access to positions of responsibility. These individual journeys served to pay tribute to the determination of Moroccan and international pioneers, but also to identify the institutional mechanisms and public policies that can act as facilitators for female judges’ progression to higher judicial levels.

Whilst progress towards the feminisation of the judiciary is a reality in Europe and elsewhere, women’s access to positions of responsibility remains limited. “How can we break the glass ceiling?” was the central question for the female magistrates attending the conference, who came from Morocco, Cameroon, France, Portugal, Switzerland and Togo.

The discussions on the first day highlighted that, whilst the mere presence of women in the courts certainly helps to strengthen the legitimacy of the judicial system and make justice more accessible to citizens, active policies on gender equality remain necessary. As the Portuguese prosecutor and former Minister of Justice, Ms Francisca Van Dunem, pointed out, these policies must guarantee “the ability to balance the specific demands of their work with their personal lives, ensuring motherhood without guilt, which allows them to continue to care for themselves and their loved ones”.

At the end of the opening session, a tribute was paid to the women whose careers have left their mark on the history of the Moroccan judiciary.

This meeting, opened by Mr M’Hammed Abdennabaoui, the Delegate President of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, Mr Hicham Balaoui, Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation and President of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Ms Zineb El Adaoui, First President of the Court of Auditors, Mr Dimiter Tzantchev, Ambassador of the European Union, Ms Marja Ruotanen, Director General for Democracy and Human Dignity and Ms Clare Ovey, Director of Human Rights, was organised as part of the MA‑JUST Programme, co‑funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the latter.