US to finance economic empowerment projects in Dakhla and Laayoune

The US State Department has pledged to provide financial support for projects aimed at «economic empowerment in the Dakhla and Laayoune regions», the US Embassy in Morocco announced on social media. Proposals are now being accepted for funding of up to $500,000.

«Eligible applicants include U.S. or foreign: Non-profit organizations; For-profit organizations; Private institutions of higher education; Public international organizations; and/or Small businesses with function and regional experience in the areas of education and human development in the MENA region», states the State Department. In its press release, US diplomacy avoided specifying the geographical location of Laayoune and Dakhla.

It was following the November 22, 2013 meeting in Washington between King Mohammed VI and former President Barack Obama, that the United States decided to include Western Sahara in the financial aid granted to Morocco.

A measure designed «to improve the living conditions of the local populations and to work together to continue to protect and promote human rights in the region», had stressed the final communiqué issued at the end of the talks between the sovereign and Obama.

In 2015, Congress gave the green light to this decision.