Rabat: Rabat hosted Monday a workshop on migration governance, serving as a diplomatic and community consultation platform among the diplomatic corps accredited to Morocco. This two-day meeting aims to establish a framework of consultation between Morocco’s Diplomatic Foundation and the International Organization for Migration in Morocco (IOM), a key player in implementing voluntary return and reintegration assistance (AVRR) programs.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Deputy Head of the IOM Mission in Morocco Johann Barb© outlined the workshop’s short- and long-term assistance to migrants. In the short term, the goal, he said, is to ensure their protection in Morocco by addressing immediate needs and safeguarding their rights. In the longer term, he suggested a voluntary return to the country of origin, supported by sustainable reintegration assistance, or, subsequently, integration into the host country by improving their skills to meet national needs.
The workshop also seeks to promote a comprehensive approach to the migration governance by considering the challenges of socio-economic inclusion, migrants’ competencies, and South-South cooperation. The agenda further focuses on protection, inclusion and resilience, as well as community commitment.
For his part, the president of the Diplomatic Foundation, Abdelati Habek, said that the Kingdom has emerged as a strategic partner in migration management worldwide, as it shifted from a transit country to a host land for thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. According to him, this has led the country, under the impetus of HM the King, to develop a migration policy based on a humanitarian approach that takes into account both sovereignty and respect for human rights.
He further mentioned an advanced model for migrant integration through which Morocco has regularized processes for nationals of African countries granting them access to education, healthcare, employment, and social services, in line with the country’s international commitments and its deep African roots.