On Monday, March 30, Ms. Amina Bouayach, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), chaired a meeting of the African Working Group on Migration at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, bringing together representatives from 23 African countries.

The meeting is part of the work of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions, whose Working Group on Migration is currently led by Morocco. Alongside Morocco, the group includes Nigeria, Kenya, Burundi, and Zimbabwe, with Mauritius and Mauritania participating as observer members.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Bouayach highlighted the growing impact of global crises on human rights, especially migrants’ rights, at a time when trust in international institutions is declining.

She pointed to the rise of restrictive migration policies, the increasing politicization of migration, and efforts, particularly in countries of the Global North, to treat migration mainly as a security issue. Combined with geopolitical tensions, reduced international solidarity, and limited resources, these trends are making it more difficult to protect people on the move. Despite this, she stressed that national human rights institutions (NHRIs) continue to play a key role in defending migrants’ rights.

“We aim, through our advocacy in Geneva and New York, to develop stronger cooperation to ensure stronger protection of migrants’ rights across Africa,” she noted.

It is worth noting that during this term, the group’s work has also been marked by the signing of a cooperation agreement in Rabat in April 2025 with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers. The agreement sets up a framework for cooperation, experience exchange, and joint advocacy to encourage states to ratify the relevant international convention and strengthen its implementation.

The meeting brought together representatives of NHRIs from across the continent, including Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, Togo, Zimbabwe, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Congo, Libya, Zambia, South Africa, Somalia, Namibia, Mauritius, Senegal, Cabo Verde, Mauritania, and Côte d’Ivoire.

It was held on the sidelines of this week’s General Assembly and Annual Conference of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), also chaired by Ms. Bouayach.