Rabat — Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Amy Pope announced on Monday that Morocco has become the first contributor to the IOM-UN Migration Resilience Fund.
“We are proud to announce that Morocco has made an exceptional voluntary contribution to the newly launched IOM Resilience Fund, becoming the first Member State to do so,” Pope said.
Describing the fund as a global campaign, Pope said the program aims at securing $100 million in flexible funding to support the organization’s humanitarian operations and emergency response for displaced populations and migrants.
She pointed out the importance of Morocco’s aid as crucial to help IOM’s goals.
“It embodies the very purpose of the Resilience Campaign: to mobilize flexible, unmarked resources that allow IOM to respond swiftly to crises,” she added, commending Morocco’s leadership in global migration governance and solidarity with vulnerable communities on the move.
Many countries and partners have been expressing satisfaction with Morocco’s migration management and migratory policy.
In September 2013, Morocco launched a new migratory policy, enabling the opening of the Moroccan Office for Asylum and Stateless Persons.
King Mohammed VI has also been expressing hope that the world will focus more on the “positive aspects of migration, encouraging regular migration, protecting the rights of migrants and promoting investment in new development.”
IOM identifies Morocco not only as a transit hub, but also as a destination for migrants.
“As a country of destination, transit, and departure, migration flows in Morocco are internal, across-border, and cross-regional,” IOM said in an overview.
It also cited data from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, stressing that there were around 103,000 international migrants in Morocco. The number includes irregular and regular migrants as well as refugees and asylum seekers.
“Morocco is actively involved at international and national levels through governance frameworks and mechanisms, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration…” among other initiatives, the IOM said.
