“The kingdom of Morocco is centered, cornered country” was the title of a lecture about Morocco culture course in Cadi Ayyad University of Mr. Charkaoui, May Allah have mercy on his soul, a title that has a lot of signification dimensions. However, Morocco is an opened country cornered on the North West of the African continent; a country that a lot dream to have relations with, and cooperate, to find solutions for the immigration from the south to the north.

Therefore, the kingdom of Morocco will be the place of ‘Historic moment’ for people on the move, as UN agrees first-ever Global Compact on Migration. Member states of the United Nations will come together to negotiate an agreement covering all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.

The agreement will be formally adopted by member states at the intergovernmental conference to adopt the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, which will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 10 and 11 December 2018. Ms. Louise Arbour of Canada will serve as the Secretary-General of the Conference. The global compact is the culmination of thematic discussions and consultations among member states and such actors as local officials, civil society representatives and migrants themselves; stocktaking and reflection on the views that were shared; and intergovernmental negotiations.

The agreement now forms a basis to improve governance and international understanding of migration, to address the challenges associated with migration today, and to strengthen the contribution of migrants and migration to sustainable development.

Morocco is a Country of Transit, Reception for Migrants

Morocco is a model country in terms of transit and reception for migrants, said Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative for International Migration, during a visit to Rabat last June. "Being both a country of departure, transit and reception for migrants, Morocco is the kind of country that enables the examination of all aspects related to migration issues," Arbour said. At the beginning of the preparation of a global compact on migration, a United Nations process managed by the member states for the establishment of a world-first pact on safe, orderly and regular migration, Morocco is "very involved in the co-presidency with Germany of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).” UN responsible also praised Morocco for establishing the "African alliance for migration and development" during a Morocco-sponsored side event, in parallel to the high-level dialogue on migration and development held in New York.

Madrid and Berlin Call on EU to Step up Migration Cooperation with Morocco

Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in a meeting last June stressed in Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Spain) the need to intensify cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Morocco in the area of migration. "Morocco is suffering from the pressure of African sub-Saharan migratory flows and we need to strengthen our cooperation not only with countries of origin but also with transit countries such as the Kingdom," Sanchez said at a press conference following his meeting with the German leader. Sanchez recalled the conclusions of the European Council held last June, which “reflect the commitment of all EU institutions and EU Member States to the need to strengthen cooperation with Morocco and to give the Kingdom a key role in managing migration flows.” “The German chancellor and I share the conviction that Morocco is one of the major partners of the European Union and Spain," the Spanish official pointed out, noting that negotiations are under way with the European Commission in order to unlock the necessary financial resources to help Morocco in the management of migratory flows.

Merkel also stressed that the EU should intensify its cooperation with Morocco in the area of migration. "We have to intensify our support for Morocco and Tunisia," Merkel said. "They are border countries and they need our help." "Morocco, a country that plays a very important role in the area of migration, is also a partner with whom we have economic relations and close contacts," Merkel said. “No country can be exempt from the challenge of migration,” she added. Merkel said that Europe "should not only talk about Africa but also with Africa in order to address the phenomenon of migration and come up with a common position at the Summit of Heads of State and Government. Since the beginning of 2018, over 24,000 migrants and refugees have entered Europe through a perilous journey across the Mediterranean, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Morocco King Suggests Creation of Post of AU Special Envoy for Migration

Morocco King Mohammed VI has suggested, in the framework of the African Agenda on Migration, to set up an African Migration Observatory and to create a post of African Union AU Special Envoy for Migration. The mission of the African Migration Observatory, whose terms of reference would be the triad “Understand, Anticipate, Act”, would be to develop observation and the exchange of information between African countries in order to promote controlled management of migration flows, the Sovereign explained in a message which was read out on Monday in Addis Ababa by Head of Government. As for the post of AU Special Envoy for Migration, the post holder would be tasked with coordinating AU policies in this area.

The African Agenda on Migration can inform the process of developing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the Sovereign noted, adding that this Agenda should seek to make migration a lever for co-development, a pillar of South-South Cooperation and an instrument of solidarity. The African Agenda on Migration is based on the idea that we need to know the full range of dimensions involved in the migration phenomenon in order to understand it properly, the King said, adding that the time has come to deconstruct, one by one, the myths associated with migration.