A/HRC/24/25 and priority setting in the fields of ageing and health; and (c) to manage the political process from policy development to implementation. 51. Mr. Atlas illustrated some of the challenges to the realization of the right to social protection of older persons with the case study of Morocco, where his institution participated in capacity-building of local organizations specializing in the protection of the rights of older persons. 52. Morocco was not an exception to demographic transition, with a significant increase in the number of older persons. Since 1960, the number of older persons had tripled. In general, older persons in Morocco were inadequately protected by a weak social security and retirement pension. Only 20 per cent of older persons in the country were currently covered by social protection schemes. Older persons in rural areas were in a particularly vulnerable situation. For a long time, the goal of policy strategies and choices had been economic growth, and thus the main concern was the active population. These policies revealed a failure to regard ageing as a crucial issue. The absence of a strategy taking ageing into consideration could be explained by the historical understanding of old age as an issue that could be addressed within the family. The size and role of the family had, however, changed dramatically, and family structures had proven to be insufficient to take care of older persons. Moreover, deregulation and the withdrawal of the welfare State, supposedly justified by the need to promote economic growth, had had a negative impact on the rights of older persons because they were considered to be a non-profitable demographic group. 53. For several years, the Government had been aware of the issue of ageing and had taken measures accordingly, such as the National Strategy for Older Persons in 2009 and the National Report on Ageing in 2002. These national policies were based on the objectives and targets of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and on the Arab Plan of Action on Ageing. This policy had led to the creation of new actors, social structures and charity organizations, as well as to training for professionals, awarenessraising campaigns to promote better conditions and solidarity between generations. 54. In Morocco, the system of social protection of older persons was characterized by the existence of three main old-age pensions. For several years, the number of recipients had risen faster than the number of contributors, and this had brought an imbalance in the demographic ratio of the pension fund. In 1980, there were 15 contributors for every pensioner; by contrast, in 2009, there were 4.6 contributors for each pensioner. This deficit had an impact on public resources. Several solutions were being discussed to prevent any further major deficit. The extension of social health coverage to all new workers and the extension of the age of retirement could be a first answer. The best solution would be to improve the employment rate which would have a great impact on the situation of pension funds and encourage a new institutional organization of the pension system. 55. Health coverage was also weak. More than 30 per cent of older persons had no access to health and social coverage. Even for those who had access, coverage is limited to 30 per cent of health-care costs, the rest being charged to the patient. 56. The economic recession and the financial crisis had had a significant negative impact on the economy in Morocco, including a reduction in remittances from the Moroccan diaspora, the growth of the internal debt and a drop in public investment. All of these consequences had led to a decrease in public investments in health and social protection systems and in the protection of the rights of older persons. The implementation of the rights of older persons and of their social and health protection was dependent, to a great extent, on the adoption of a specific strategy where growth would be based on redistribution and social justice. This strategy depended on the relevance of the welfare 12