Rabat – The Moroccan delegation to the first Global Refugee Forum has made a pledge to contribute with $300,000 (MAD 3 million) to the Global Refugee Compact. The forum took place in Geneva, Switzerland, between December 17-18.
Morocco’s Minister Delegate for Moroccans Living Abroad, Nezha El Ouafi, who led the Moroccan delegation, announced the country’s financial engagement to the press after the event.
“Through this financial contribution, Morocco aims to support the operations of refugees’ census and documentation,” said the minister.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) aims to register biometrics of 10 million refugees in 75 countries, by 2020.
The Global Refugee Forum brought together more than 3,000 participants, including politicians, investors, business leaders, humanitarians, refugees, activists.
The event focused on six main domains: Education, work, energy and infrastructure, shared responsibility, protection, and solutions.
The meetings concluded with over 770 pledges worth billions of dollars. The World Bank made the biggest single contribution, with a pledge of $2.2 billion. Governments pledged more than $3 billion and private corporations promised $250 million in contributions.
The initiatives funded by the forum will provide more than 15,000 jobs for refugees and around 125,000 hours per year of legal counselling.
More than 7,700 refugees and asylum seekers live in Morocco, with around 55% of them coming from Syria.
In 2013, Morocco introduced a National Immigration and Asylum Policy (PNIA). The policy enables refugees to access to essential services, such as education, health care, and employment.
UNHCR, in collaboration with Moroccan authorities and civil society, aims to financially support 2,000 vulnerable refugee families and help 500 refugees establish their own businesses in Morocco by 2020.
