Rabat (28th of March) -The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Morocco organized on Monday, March 28, 2022 a workshop with key migration data producing bodies in Morocco to discuss key challenges, achievements and good practices in collecting, managing and disseminating migration data.

The event aimed at providing a platform for relevant stakeholders in Morocco, including the National Migration Observatory in Morocco, the Haut Commissariat au Plan (HCP), the African Migration Observatory and representatives from different government departments and key actors, to discuss challenges, good practices and capacity building needs in terms of data collection, management, and dissemination as well as identify collaboration and coordination opportunities between key data producing bodies on migration within Morocco and with countries in the North Africa region. 

“It is important to reiterate that the strengthening the capacity of public administrations to produce the data needed for statistical observation of migration, while ensuring the right to privacy and data protection would therefore contribute to shaping coherent and evidence-based policy as well as programmatic responses and well-informed public discourse,” said Ms. Teresa Botella, Deputy Chief of Mission of IOM Morocco.

The event took place as part of the preparations for the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) which will be held in New York between 17-20 May 2022. The Forum will be held every four years and will serve as the primary global intergovernmental platform for the Member States and other relevant stakeholders to discuss and share progress on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM).

The event is aimed at assessing Morocco’s progress in the implementation of the first objective of the GCM which aims to ensure that data guides “coherent and evidence-based policymaking and well-informed public discourse”. 

As part of this meeting, participants began working on drafting a comprehensive document presenting the key challenges, opportunities, and good practices with regard to migration data in Morocco, which will serve as a useful background ahead of the IMRF.

“Collecting statistics at the local level will allow Regional Councils to develop more adapted and evidence-based policies on migration to better integrate migrants in existing socio-economic dynamics, for better implementation of the National Strategy on Migration and Asylum in the Souss Massa Region,” said Ms. Khadija Ramzi, representative of the Souss-Massa Dra Region

For information, please contact: Ms Meryem Massaia, mmassaia@iom.int