Dr. Najat Zarrouk

Dr Najat Zarrouk is the C.E.O. and Founder of the Company “DNA-ETHICS” since January 2025. She is also Consultant in charge of Capacity Building and the African Local Government Academy (ALGA) of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG-Africa) in Rabat, Morocco joined on August 1st, 2016 until December 2025

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... She has more than 41 years of experience in Public Administration, Public Governance, and Public Service management, including 31 years as a Civil Servant of the Ministry of the Interior of the Kingdom of Morocco where she served between 1983-2014 (Civil Service, Head of Division, Director, Governor-Director). Appointed several times by His Majesty the King Mohammed VI -May God Assist Him-, her last position was Governor, Director of Training of Administrative and Technical Staff. In 2009, she was appointed by H.E. the Secretary General and the ECOSOC of the United Nations (UN) as a member of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) for a first term (2010-2013) and in 2013 for a second term (2014-2017). She chaired this Committee during the 2012 and 2013 annual Sessions, and was elected Vice-Chair of the Committee in 2015 and 2016. In 2022, she was appointed for a 3rd term on this Committee for the period (2022-2025) where she is leading the Working Group on the Principles of Effective Governance for the Sustainable Development. From 2009 to 2013, she served as Governor and Member of the Board of Directors of the Arab Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI) in Amman (Jordan), created for the empowerment of women in the Arab Region and funded by the American Government. In August 2018, she was elected, in Kampala (Uganda) Deputy-President of the African Human Resources Managers Network (APS-HRMNet), a mission she carried out until 2023. In July 2019, she was elected member of the Board of Management of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) of the International Institute of Administrative Science (IIAS) based in in Brussels (Belgium). On February 21, 2020, after her election by the Board of Management of the IASIA, on February 6th, 2020, she was appointed by the President of this Association, Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the International Commission for Accreditation of Public Administrations, Education and Training Programs (ICAPA) of the IASIA. On July 26, 2022, she was elected, by acclamation, President of the IASIA, in Rabat (Morocco). On March 2023, she was appointed Co-Convenor of the Global TaskForce of the UNDESA and IASIA in charge of reviewing and adapting the Standards of Excellence For Public Administration Education and Training. On August 2025, She was Coopted as Vice-President for Africa by the Foundation “TAMKINE” for Excellence and Creativity. She served in several ministerial Committees, working groups on Governance, Public Administration, Public Services, Women’s rights and conditions, Children’s rights and conditions, Decentralization/Devolution, the simplification of administrative procedures, the moralization of Public sphere, etc... She has served also as a member of several juries for the recruitment of civil servants, for professional aptitude exams, for promotions in public administration, or for Excellence awards. In 2010, she was part of the jury for the Sultan Qaboos Award for E-Governance, in the Sultanate of Oman. From 2010 to 2024, she also served on the Subcommittee in charge of evaluating projects and initiatives for the United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA). Dr Zarrouk holds a PhD in Political Science (Major: International Relations) and a Diploma of Higher Studies (DES) in Public Law from Mohammed V University of Rabat (Morocco). She is graduated from the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) of Rabat (Honor Student during the Competition to access ENAP and at the Graduation) and of the University of Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne, France) where she obtained a Master's degree in International, European and Comparative Studies. She has also benefited from several continuing education courses, including training in Public Management at the University of Pittsburgh (USA) and Regional Development at Aix-Marseille III (France). Dr. Zarrouk has contributed to the training, capacity building and empowerment of several generations of Local Elected Officials, civil servants of the Central and Territorial Administration of the Ministry of the Interior of the Kingdom of Morocco, women in the Arab Region, and Local and Regional Governments in Africa. Author of numerous contributions and publications on issues related to Public Administration, Public Governance and Public Service, she also published, in 2008, a book on "Trade and Development: from GATT to WTO", Forwarded by Hon. Pascal Lamy, former Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). She has written and/or contributed to several official UN documents as part of her mission within UN-CEPA, notably on Mainstreaming Diversity in Public Administration, the Principle of Participation as a Principle of Effective Governance, the Principle of "Leaving No One Behind", and on Equitable Governance for Sustainable development delivery, published in the UN Public Administration Portal www.unpan.org and https://publicadministration.desa.un.org/intergovernmental-support/cepa/24th-session During her career, she received several Recognitions and Awards, including: - On July 30, 2013, she received from His Majesty King Mohammed VI -May God Assist Him- the National Order of Merit, Exceptional Class" as a Royal Recognition for her dedication to Public Service; - On June 25, 2013, the Directorate she headed from 2006 to 2013 received in Bahrain, Manama, the Medal of Excellence in Public Service of the UN (United Nation's Public Service Award (UNPSA) - First Place in Africa for Mainstreaming Gender Approach in the Strategic Training Plan targeting Local and Regional Governments. She empowered more than 30.000 women and girls in Morocco, Africa and the Arab Region ; - On July 10, 2015, the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) awarded her the OP DWIVEDI AWARD 2015, on the occasion of its Conference held in Paris at the Lycée Louis le Grand. This Award honors a distinguished researcher or practitioner of international level to recognize his or her remarkable contribution to Public Administration and the advancement of Public Policies in the world; - On November 6, 2018, she received in Gaborone, Botswana, the Gold Medal of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) whose headquarters is in Kenya - Nairobi, the first African woman to receive such recognition; - In addition to several Certificates of Recognition from Public Institutions, Partners, Donors and Participants. Dr. Zarrouk speaks and writes fluently Arabic, French and English. In her free time, she enjoys writing, knitting, crocheting, gardening, cooking, listening to music and watching classic movies. Dr. Zarrouk is the daughter of a Veteran of the French Army and Officer of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) of the Kingdom of Morocco, and is a widow of a Doctor-Commander of the FAR. She is the mother of 1 daughter. .