International Organization for Migration (IOM): Ambassador Omar Zniber reaffirms Morocco’s leadership and solidarity in promoting humane and dignified migration governance

Morocco’s decision to become the first contributor to the Resilience Fund is part of a long-standing and evolving commitment to international cooperation on migration and protection, stressed Mr. Zniber during a roundtable held on the occasion of the launch of the International Organization for Migration’s 2026 Global Appeal.

Recalling that Morocco hosted and adopted the Global Compact for Migration in Marrakech in 2018 and served as the first President of the group of “champion countries”, he noted that the Kingdom “very early reaffirmed its willingness to offer leadership and solidarity in migration governance”.

“We believe in intercontinental dialogue through the Rabat Process, which links European and African priorities regarding migration management, as well as in an approach rooted in local communities, supported by a dynamic civil society that includes meaningful participation from migrants”, the ambassador added.

According to Mr. Zniber, this commitment “is not simply rhetorical, but reflects a strategic orientation, as Morocco considers migration above all as ‘an opportunity, a driver of development and a humanist responsibility’.” “Our support to the IOM, particularly to field programmes that promote livelihoods, integration and protection, stems from this conviction,” he affirmed.

For the ambassador, the importance of this partnership is reinforced by recent data from the High Commission for Planning (HCP), which show a significant increase in the number of foreign residents in Morocco, strengthening its role as a country of settlement, transit and opportunity for migrants.

This rise reflects not only increasing migratory flows, but also deeper social and economic exchanges, such as circular migration and remittances, he explained, noting that supporting the livelihoods of migrants, offering safe migration pathways and integrating them into local economies has become not only a humanitarian obligation but also a lever for social cohesion and development.

By contributing to the Resilience Fund, “Morocco demonstrates solidarity and the sharing of responsibilities among Member States”, since “migration is a global issue that requires collective responses”, he said, encouraging other states to join this dynamic in order to “defend migration as a global public good”.

He added that this partnership is also fully aligned with Morocco’s national priorities on migration and protection. Through its immigration and asylum strategy, Morocco is committed to ensuring the protection, rights and integration of refugees and migrants. By collaborating with the IOM, the country strengthens its efforts to link migration and development, promote regular and humane migration pathways and facilitate circular mobility while enhancing remittances and diaspora contributions.

Morocco also recognizes that migration is a long-term structural reality, requiring the institutionalization of governance, protection and resilience.

For Mr. Zniber, this investment, both financial and political, in support of the IOM is “in the interest not only of Morocco, but also of the international community”, since the Organization is “a global common good, an indispensable partner present in more than 170 countries, and a key instrument for implementing the vision of the Global Compact for Migration”.

He called on other states to follow Morocco’s example by expanding the group of “champion countries”, allocating resources to migration-related resilience and supporting processes that enable circular migration.

“In the end, migration is not a challenge to eliminate, but an opportunity to cultivate, one that must be managed with dignity, solidarity and shared responsibility,” he concluded.

Editorial team/le7tv