E/CN.4/2004/76/Add.3 page 7 positive the plan of action to guarantee assistance to Moroccan expatriates and considers it vital that the strategy should include educational, legislative, consular, economic and financial components in order to guarantee respect for and the promotion of the rights of Moroccan expatriates. 17. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the process Morocco has begun of revitalizing and rehabilitating its diplomatic and consular offices, making them more accessible to citizens by appointing social and economic advisers to work in them, simplifying administrative procedures and improving legal aid services. The Special Rapporteur also attaches great importance to the conclusion of bilateral agreements with host countries on conditions of stay, the question of social security for Moroccan nationals, and on cultural matters. 18. With regard to legislation, the Special Rapporteur notes that the adoption of the new Family Code on 11 October 2003 represents a noteworthy outcome in terms of the protection and welfare of all Moroccans, but particularly for Moroccan expatriates, who have suffered greatly because of legal conflicts in their country of residence, a point underlined by King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the opening of Parliament on 10 October 2003. 19. At the same time, the Special Rapporteur has taken note of the efforts made by other organizations, such as the Hassan II Foundation, which perform an important function by helping to maintain and strengthen the ties between Moroccan expatriates and their homeland. The mandate of the Foundation includes the organization of educational, cultural, scientific, sports and leisure activities; the provision of legal, social and medical assistance; business development; communications and marketing; and the development of cooperation and partnerships. The Special Rapporteur views the creation of a cooperation and partnership centre to study all the projects that Moroccan expatriates wish to undertake with the Foundation and the establishment of the business centre to provide advice on investment in Morocco and preferential transfers for local and regional development as very useful tools for supporting and assisting Moroccan expatriates. 20. The Special Rapporteur was also briefed on all the programmes that have been put in place to facilitate the transit and reception of Moroccan expatriates during the summer season and ensure that they are received in the best possible conditions. King Mohammed VI, who is at the port every year to welcome migrants, has furthermore decided to institute a national migrant’s day during the month of August, which will provide another opportunity to draw attention to various aspects of the day-to-day lives and problems of the Moroccan expatriate community. 21. During her visit to the province of Khouribga, an area with a high rate of emigration, the Special Rapporteur was told about the programmes the province is currently putting in place, thanks to investments by Moroccan expatriates who have decided to finance projects for the revitalization of their region of origin. The programmes are designed to help revive the region’s economy through investments in services and infrastructure aimed at generating new employment opportunities. 22. The joint ventures set up with enterprises in migrants’ host countries - like the Morocco-Italian “Immigration 2003 Textilia” project - to create emigration training projects are evidence of the interest taken in the migrant’s integration into the world of work and into