Rabat — Morocco’s permanent ambassador to the UN and other organizations in Geneva, Omar Zniber, reaffirmed on Monday that the North African country is leading the way in promoting humane and dignity-preserving governance in migration.
During a roundtable in Geneva marking the launch of the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) 2026 Global Appeal, Zniber explained that Morocco’s decision to become the first contributor to the Resilience Fund stems from a long-term, evolving commitment to international cooperation on migration and protection.
He recalled that the country hosted and adopted the Global Compact for Migration in Marrakech in 2018 and served as the first chair of the “Champion Countries” group, demonstrating that Morocco “showed early leadership and solidarity in migration governance.”
The ambassador indicated that Morocco adopted intercontinental dialogue through the Rabat Process, which brings together European and African priorities on migration management. He added that this is a community-based approach supported by a dynamic civil society with strong migrant participation.
Zniber stressed that his country’s commitment “is not just rhetoric — it reflects a strategic direction. Morocco sees migration primarily as an opportunity, a driver of development, and a humanitarian responsibility.”
He added, “Our support for the International Organization for Migration, especially its field programs aimed at strengthening livelihoods, integration, and protection, stems from this conviction.”
Speaking by numbers, the ambassador referred to recent data from the High Commission for Planning (HCP) that reported a sharp increase in foreign residents in Morocco, reinforcing its role as “a country of settlement, transit, and opportunity for migrants.”
Morocco’s contribution to the Resilience Fund embodies “the spirit of solidarity and responsibility-sharing among member states,” Zniber said.
“Migration is a global issue that requires collective responses,” he noted, calling on other countries to join this effort to defend migration as a global public good.
This cooperation, he explained, “aligns fully with Morocco’s national priorities on migration and protection. Through its migration and asylum strategy, Morocco commits to ensuring the protection, rights, and integration of refugees and migrants.”
The country is intensifying its efforts with the IOM to link migration with development, encourage regular and humane migration pathways, facilitate circular mobility, and promote the value of remittances and diaspora communities.
Zniber affirmed that Morocco recognizes migration as a long-term structural reality that requires institutionalizing governance and protection while building resilience.
According to Zniber, this financial and political investment in the IOM “serves the interests of both Morocco and the international community.”
The organization is “a global public good” and an indispensable partner present in more than 170 countries — a key instrument for implementing the vision of the Global Compact for Migration.
He called on other countries to follow Morocco’s example by expanding the “Champion Countries” group, allocating resources to support migration-related resilience, and backing mechanisms that enable circular migration.
He concluded: “Ultimately, migration is not a challenge to be eliminated but an opportunity to be valued and managed with dignity, solidarity, and shared responsibility.”
