Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
122
3.3.3. Policies with an Impact on Poverty Alleviation
Both government and non-governmental actors in Morocco provide social services to
migrants (including to unauthorized migrants), often through public-private partnerships.356
Recognized refugees and regularized migrants receive permits that allow them to access the
same entitlements as Moroccan citizens, including housing, employment, health care, and
education. UNHCR in particular often plays a role in ensuring that refugees and asylum
seekers have access to such poverty alleviation efforts. Unauthorized migrants do not receive
access to all Moroccan social services, but do receive some aid in the education and health
sectors.
While the array of social programs geared toward refugees and migrants is relatively robust,
the lack of coordination and evaluation of programs at the national, regional, and international
levels has caused such initiatives to fall short of their potential. Few civil society organizations
are specialized in asylum or refugee rights; and while more and more actors are entering this
field, they are not necessarily doing so in a coordinated way (with some potentially driven by
the greater availability of funding vis a vis other fields). There is still more work to be done to
develop a comprehensive, proactive approach to provide protection and meet migrants’ needs
in cases of mass displacement.357
Housing
Both refugees and regularized migrants are given resident cards that are valid for the duration
of one year and are renewable upon expiration.358 The SNIA set out the right to housing for
regular migrants and refugees as one of the plan’s primary objectives. As a result, MCMREAM
and the Ministry of Housing and City Policy have taken concrete measures to ensure access to
state housing programs.359 This includes access to affordable social housing for the lower and
middle classes, which is reserved for those who do not make above certain net income
thresholds.360 Foreigners in Morocco also have access to the Damane Assakane Fund, which is
designed to provide loans to certain targeted populations.361
However, many informal barriers exist to preclude refugees and migrants from the housing
market. While regularized Syrian refugees are granted residence permits, the majority still
rent accommodation without an official lease.362 Landlords often discriminate against
migrants and refugees, especially those from Sub-Saharan Africa. There are also recurring
social tensions in neighborhoods with high numbers of migrants, as rumors have spread
among host communities that migrants illegally squat in empty social housing apartments that
migrants and other methods for capitalizing on their skills. Directorate-General for Internal Policies. EU cooperation with
third countries in the field of migration, 128; De Bel-Air, Françoise, Migration Profile: Morocco, (Firenze: European University
Institute, Migration Policy Centre, 2016), 1
356 Interview with MCMREAM, April 2016; Interview with UNHCR Morocco, April 2016; Interview with AMAPPE, April 2016
357 Interview with Camille Denis, Program Coordinator, GADEM, April 28, 2016
358 UNHCR Morocco Update: Regularization Of Refugees By National Authorities, December 2015
359 This initiative was stipulated in the Budget Bill of 2015. MCMREAM, Practical Guide to facilitate your integration in
Morocco (Rabat: MCMREAM, 2015), 57,
360 MCMREAM, Practical Guide to facilitate your integration in Morocco, 1st Edition, (Rabat: MCMREAM, 2015), 57,
361 GADEM, Situation des Migrants dans le Sud du Maroc: Mission d’observation cojointe, (Rabat: GADEM, 2014),
MCMREAM, Practical Guide to facilitate
your integration in Morocco, 57
362 UNHCR, “Morocco update: Information Note On Syrians Applying for Asylum In Morocco, December 2015”