Rabat, March 12, 2021 (ECA) - The ECA Office in North Africa held on Thursday March 11 in Rabat a workshop to launch its study on migration statistics in Morocco.
The meeting aimed to consult with national and international partners on the methodology of the study in order to achieve a refined understanding of national needs. Participants included representatives of several ministries and UN organizations based in Morocco including the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates; the High Commission for Planning; the International Labor Organization (ILO); the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
"We are organizing this project as part of ECA's support to African countries for the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted in Morocco in December 2018," said Khaled Hussein, Director a.i. of the ECA Office for North Africa.
Hussein stressed the importance for African countries such as Morocco to be in possession of high-quality, factual data to enable migration policies adapted to their needs.
Participants agreed on the importance of diagnosing the data existing within the various ministerial departments and national bodies. They also agreed on the need to complement and consolidate them through a harmonized and joint national system that would strengthen the effectiveness of national migration policies.
The study on migration statistics in Morocco is being organised within the framework of ECA’s collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The study is also part of a project aiming to strengthen the capacities of national stakeholders involved in the collection and processing of migration data and statistics in accordance with the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
Similar studies will be carried out in Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, South Africa and Zimbabwe in the coming months, with the aim of facilitating a dialogue and exchanges of experiences between the countries covered by the programme.
A pilot country for this project, Morocco used to be a country of emigration but has now become a country of transit and more recently of destination, and is currently investing in a migration policy based on humanitarian dimensions as it perceives migration as an asset rather than a problem.
Morocco is also the host of the African Migration Observatory since its inauguration on 18 December 2020 in Rabat.
Communication Team
Economic Commission for Africa
Office for North Africa
Tel: +212 (0) 537 548 749