Rabat – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and European officials praised on December 7 in Rabat Morocco’s commitment to enhancing access to public services for refugees and asylum seekers.
At UNHRC’s press briefing to present the results of the program titled “Improving access to the rights of refugees in North Africa – Morocco,” the UN agency highlighted Morocco’s efforts in guaranteeing refugees’ rights to access education, healthcare, legal protection, and employment.
Refugees in the North African country have benefited from medical care, psychological, and social follow up as well as exceptional financial assistance to meet their needs amid the COVID-19 crisis, stressed UNHCR.
The UN agency’s representative in Morocco, François Reybet-Degat, affirmed that Morocco is a reference country “thanks to the relevant legislative framework developed regarding refugees and the multiple initiatives aimed at protecting them and facilitating their access to public services.”
The program highlighted positive results that consolidate Morocco’s achievements in protecting refugees’ rights, Reybet-Degat said.
He reported that the country has provided over 12,500 medical consultations, with 5,000 refugees and asylum seekers benefiting from psychological sessions and 6,000 others receiving exceptional financial assistance.
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Reybet-Degat reiterated the success of online schooling adopted by the Moroccan education ministry in 2020, saying that “the success rate was 90% among children enrolled in primary and secondary schools.”
“Moroccan institutions as a whole are committed to the effort to promote the rights of migrants and refugees, undertaking many initiatives in this sense, despite the challenges induced by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
Regarding Morocco’s National Strategy on Immigration and Asylum (NSIA), the UNHCR representative noted that the initiative is part of the country’s comprehensive humanitarian approach on migration.
In 2013, Morocco was the first country in the MENA region to launch the NSIA, setting out mechanisms of response to meet the needs of refugees and asylum seekers on Moroccan territory.
Meanwhile, the representative of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Morocco, Jean Christophe Filori, stressed that the kingdom has “carried out commendable actions to welcome refugees and their children in the best conditions, ensure their fundamental rights, and facilitate their access to education and health services.”
Filori noted that close cooperation between Morocco, the EU, and UNHCR will continue to implement additional initiatives and establish a national asylum system.
For his part, Ahmed Skim, Director of Migration Affairs at the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shed light on the country’s migration and asylum policy as well as on its action in receiving, regulating, and integrating migrants within Moroccan society.
The meeting was marked by testimonies from migrants who have benefited from public services in Morocco, alongside presentations on the results achieved for refugees, particularly in education, health, and psychological support.
In August, Morocco renewed its commitment to ensuring the success of the UN Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, signed in Marrakech in December 2018.
