The National Human Rights Council (CRDH) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) organized a civil society workshop on the rights of migrants in border areas on 21 and 22 February 2024 at the Rabat-Driss Benzekri Institute for Human Rights in Rabat, Morocco.

40 participants took part in this meeting, representing the OHCHR, International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Morocco, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Morocco, National Migration Observatory of the Ministry of the Interior (known under its acronym in French ONM), and Public Prosecution, in addition to 15 NGOs from various regions of Morocco.

This workshop addressed four main topics, including international and regional human rights standards in border areas, legislative framework and national action plan related to the protection of migrants at borders, United Nations mechanisms to protect migrant human rights in border areas, and national mechanisms to protect migrants (judicial and non-judicial).

In her closing statement, Ms. Amina Bouayach, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Human Council (CNDH), called for enhancing the ratification process of the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families by the Nordic countries, which will establish a common foundation marked by equal international obligations to protect the rights of migrants.

She added that the CNDH will share the recommendations and outcomes of this meeting with the members of the Working Group on Migration of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI).

This workshop culminated in recommendations calling for the necessity of adopting a particular law to combat any form of discrimination, the implementation of the Authority on Parity and Combating of all Forms of Discrimination, reforming Law 02-03 and harmonizing it with the Constitution and relevant international standards, and strengthening cooperation with NGOs.

Recommendations were also submitted to the United Nations system, aiming to review several working methods of its mechanisms, including treaty bodies and examining recommendations issued within the framework of the Universal Periodic Review.