Morocco is a champion country of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, thanks to its commitment to saving lives and implementing coordinated efforts to prevent migrants from going missing, Chief of Mission at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Morocco, Laura Palatini, said in Rabat on Wednesday.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a workshop on "Preventing Disappearances in the Context of Migration, Protecting Family Rights, and Ensuring Humane Border Management," organized by the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), in partnership with IOM Morocco, Palatini praised the Kingdom's efforts at national level, and encouraged all countries to adopt its innovative "humanized border management" initiative, which aims to integrate and ensure protection in border areas.
She recalled that every year, thousands of migrants disappear during their migratory journeys, leaving families devastated. Since 2014, she noted, IOM's "Missing Migrants Project" has documented a total of 70,591 deaths.
"I mentioned the total figure because each number represents one person. But I must add that, as data collection is difficult, all figures remain underestimated," she added.
Palatini explained that the aim of the workshop was twofold: to reflect collectively on best practices for preventing disappearances and protecting the rights of families, and to strengthen international and inter-institutional cooperation for more humanized border management.
Stressing that every migrant is a catalyst for change and can contribute to development, she said that “we must do all we can to protect each and every one of these lives”.
The workshop is part of ongoing efforts to follow up on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, adopted in Marrakech in 2018, with emphasis on its Goal 8: "Save lives and establish coordinated international efforts on missing migrants."
The event also aims to support the implementation of recommendations developed during the Rabat Process "Thematic Meeting on Family Separation and Missing Persons in the Context of Migration," held in September 2023.
