Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, Omar Hilale, on Wednesday in New York, highlighted the humanist vision adopted by Morocco on migration under the far-sighted leadership of King Mohammed VI.
“Morocco’s good practices in migration, initiated in accordance with the humanist vision of King Mohammed VI, are part of a concrete and measurable logic”, underlined Omar Hilale who co-chaired a round table held within the framework of the 1st Forum of review of the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted in Marrakech in 2018.
During this meeting devoted to objectives 1, 3, 7, 17 and 23 of the Marrakech Pact co-chaired with the Head of the National Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan Vusal Huseynov, Omar Hilale affirmed that in this perspective and in accordance in the 1st objective of the Pact, Morocco speaks truth, based on knowledge, data, evidence and relevant best practices. He also noted that in line with the 3rd objective of the Pact, the “relevance of our action cannot be acquired without a serene exchange of reliable information”.
“Morocco refuses to sacrifice the migration nexus-development in favor of a strictly security approach”he noted, adding that Morocco, faithful to the achievement of Goal 7, addresses the vulnerabilities of migrants, both to preserve their physical, mental and social integrity. “Tackling the vulnerability factors linked to migration means reducing exclusion and discrimination”he insisted.
The Moroccan ambassador also indicated that “form being only the expression of substance, a balanced and positive discourse is the corollary of concrete achievements on the ground”while emphasizing the determination to combat any instrumentalization of the migration issue for political, racist, xenophobic or discriminatory purposes.
To comply with objective 17, Morocco’s tools are at the same time legal, political and economic, he further noted, specifying that all of these actions only make sense in an effort to dissemination.
Referring to objective 23 of the Marrakesh Pact, which enshrines assimilation at all levels, national, continental and international, Omar Hilale indicated that Morocco, aware of the structural and global dimension of migration, has made its integration in its resolutely multilateral approach, a strategic priority. “These different actions are by no means exhaustive. They serve to share good practices, which can be duplicated and disseminated, in a spirit of cooperation and sharing,” he explained.
He also insisted on the need for a collective commitment to integrate ambitious practices, in line with the Global Compact, into migration policies. In this regard, it is essential to accelerate efforts, at all levels, to strengthen the dissemination of reliable information, to broaden migrants’ access to services, to pursue the elimination of discourses imbued with systemic racism and finally increase our cooperation, chained the Moroccan diplomat.
The Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN also indicated that this round table constitutes a “necessary update” to strengthen the mechanisms, platforms and frameworks already in place.
“We are faced with the injunction to succeed. The insufficient use of empirical data, combined with misleading, discriminatory and xenophobic migration narratives contribute to policies and practices that render migration dangerous, disorderly and irregular,” he lamented, emphasizing the collective responsibility to put migration in its real proportions and to tell its story objectively and not fantasized. “This is the collective challenge that we must take up,” he said.
Mr. Hilale also noted that two months after the organization of the 1st ministerial meeting of the champion countries of the Pact in Rabat, the international community finds itself today in an enlarged configuration, united and strong in a mobilization up to the challenges. and the opportunities we face.
The meeting of champion countries in Rabat made it possible to note major progress, marking a “before” and one “after”, nationally and internationally, he said, adding that with the only New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants adopted in 2016 protecting refugees, “we now have, in a spirit of complementarity, its pendant covering all aspects of migration”.
“Faced with situations of tension between countries of origin, transit and destination, we are now facing a situation of cooperation and mutual aid”observed Omar Hilale, explaining that migration “is no longer a taboo. Thanks to the Pact, it has acquired a global dimension which allows it to be debated, in an uninhibited and open manner, in its various dimensions”.
And to emphasize that faced with a biased and distorted vision of migration, “we now have a cooperation framework promoting the contribution of migration as a factor of innovation, prosperity and sustainable development”.
“Faced with a situation of information scarcity, we now have structured, informed and informative regional networks”he added, noting that although Covid-19 has brought structural inequalities to light, it has reinforced the timeliness of the Pact and served as an accelerator for practices leveraging the benefits of safe migration, orderly and regular.
“Never has the condition of migrants been so highlighted with regard to their contribution to the health, food and personal services sectors”noted the Ambassador, pointing out that their real contribution counters narratives driven by racism, xenophobia, discrimination and misinformation.
Omar Hilale argued that it is wrong to suggest that migration can be understood without disaggregated data, insisting on the importance of addressing the challenges only by naming them.
“It is wrong to think that actions can only be taken by States alone. Migrants, as much as civil society, are and must be at the center of the formulation of solutions”, pointed out the Moroccan diplomat, considering that migrations are not essentially movements of populations from South to North, South-South exchanges being more important today.
He also noted that the front lines of Covid-19 have denied that developed countries can do without the migratory phenomenon, calling for migration not to be considered as a simple flow. “It is first and foremost a set of rights for the benefit of migrants, with respect for their dignity”concluded the ambassador.
This fourth round table, which is part of the 1st International Migration Review Forum (17-20 May), was marked by the participation in particular of the President of the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH ), Amina Bouayach, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Liu Zhenmin, and Director of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Craig Mokhiber.
Initiated by the UN General Assembly, this Forum, which brings together Member States, observers, representatives of the UN system in addition to stakeholder groups, aims to examine the progress made at the local, national, regional and world in the implementation of the Marrakesh Pact and to address new concrete actions to better protect and support more than 281 million migrants worldwide through changes in policies and practices.
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