Rabat – The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) held a roundtable this afternoon in Rabat to open a new chapter in the way migration is governed across Africa.
In partnership with the UN Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) and the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), the event introduces General Comment No. 6, a new interpretative text that encourages states to place human rights at the heart of migration policy.
This new comment draws from both the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, adopted in 1990, and the more recent Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), adopted in 2018 in Marrakech.
Though they differ in legal status, the convention is binding, while the GCM is not, the two frameworks reflect a shared purpose, to ensure dignity, fairness, and legal protections for people on the move.
This roundtable gathers government officials, lawmakers, members of the judiciary, UN representatives, African Union delegates, civil society actors, and national human rights institutions from across the continent.
Together, they take a closer look at how the General Comment can help bridge the two global instruments and offer clear guidance to states looking to adopt more humane, coherent migration strategies.
The timing is critical. The African continent has witnessed a significant rise in regional migration, with over 29 million people on the move within its borders. Yet, the fact that 86% of migrants in Africa come from the continent itself often goes unmentioned in broader international debates. The General Comment pushes for policies that reflect this reality and support African-led solutions.
Morocco advances migrant rights
At the heart of today’s gathering was a call to act by aligning legal frameworks and listening to the lived experiences of migrants. The text affirms the right to education, access to justice, freedom of expression, decent work, and protection upon return. It also underlines the role of national human rights institutions in preventing racial and ethnic profiling and in defending legal identity and recognition.
Morocco has played a central role in shaping the General Comment. The CNDH hosted several of the consultations that led to its final draft, including a key meeting in Agadir. The Council also worked with Ibn Zohr University and civil society groups to organize workshops and discussions that helped shape regional understanding of the document.
Amina Bouayach, President of Morocco’s CNDH, revealed the institution’s culmination of extensive work during the high-level migration meeting at CNDH headquarters. “This work required more than two years of effort by committee members to develop General Comment No. 6,” she stated at today’s roundtable with UN and African human rights institutions.
“Today, we present this observation in an attempt to intensify, consecrate, and expand protection for migrants and their families on any state’s territory,” she added. As chair of NANHRI’s Migration Working Group, Bouayach described CNDH’s role in bridging legal frameworks affecting millions across Africa.
Meanwhile, Joseph Whittal, Chairperson of the NANHRI, detailed the upcoming partnership during his visit to CNDH headquarters in Morocco.
“We are now discussing the Memorandum of Understanding that will lead to how NANHRI will work collaboratively with the UN Committee in practical ways,” he stated.
The Ghana Commissioner noted that this cooperation aims to protect Africa’s 29.2 million international migrants through concrete actions aligned with General Comment No. 6.
“The Working Group, which is led by Morocco, chaired by the Moroccan president, Amina Bouayach, has invited the Committee of Migrant Workers to participate in these discussions,” Whittal explained, stressing CNDH’s central role in this continental initiative.
One of today’s key outcomes is the formal signing of a cooperation agreement between the CMW and NANHRI, a step forward in building stronger partnerships to protect migrants across Africa.
By placing rights above rhetoric and bringing African voices to the center of the debate, the roundtable reflects a growing consensus: migration cannot be addressed through border control alone. It requires fairness, respect, and policies grounded in people’s realities and challenges.
