Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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services to migrants and refugees.371 The Moroccan government also offers professional and
vocational training that is open to legal immigrants, but has reported that few take advantage
of the program.372
The government and UNHCR have also formed several partnerships with civil society
organizations to improve livelihood opportunities specifically for refugees. UNHCR has
worked closely with AMAPPE, the Moroccan Association for the Promotion of Small and
Medium-Sized Enterprises, to assist refugees with the establishment of income-generating
activities, vocational training, and job placement.373 Such programming may be extended to
regularized migrants, pending increased funding from the European Union.374 AMAPPE is also
collaborating with GIZ, the German Development Agency, to build capacity and expertise.
Within its programming designed to generate income, UNHCR provides some micro-loans to
finance refugee entrepreneurs.375 Another successful initiative was an effort by the East-West
Foundation (FOO) to bring refugees and locals together in teams through a fair trade model
catering to Moroccan and foreign customers.376
As the number of refugees and migrants residing in Morocco are still quite small, these
initiatives have typically been limited in scope. Moving forward, AMAPPE has identified the
need for a large-scale operational vision that facilitates the economic integration of migrants
and refugees through cooperative action and greater awareness among employers of the
importance of labor integration.377 Though educated Francophones are often available to earn
a livable wage in customer call centers for French and Moroccan companies, job prospects for
other groups (especially Anglophones) remain limited.378 More work also must be done to
combat discrimination and racism to ensure that employers are open to hiring migrants and
refugees, especially those from Sub-Saharan Africa.379
Education
The integration of migrant children into the Moroccan educational system has been identified
as one of the most immediate needs in the reimagined migration strategy. The Ministry of
National Education and Vocational Training’s Decree n° 13-487 issued on October 9, 2013 and
371 Yabiladi, Maroc : Les services de l’ANAPEC à disposition des migrants régularisés, Yabiladi, December 16, 2015,
372 Interview with Ahmed Skim, MCMREAM, March 2016
373 For example, civil society associations will subsidize apprenticeships for migrants and refugees, and then facilitate job
placement upon completion of the training. Interview with Ahmed Skim, MCMREAM, March 2016; Interview with Said
Makohn, Program Officer, AMAPPE, April 16, 2016
374 AMAPPE is also seeking to collaborate directly with MCMREAM. MCMREAM and the Delegation of the European Union in
Morocco, ‘Communiqué de Presse du Ministère Chargé des Marocains Résidents à l’Étranger et des Affaires de la Migration
et de la Délégation de l’Union Européenne,” (press release, April 17, 2015, Rabat),
375 Interview with Said Makohn, Program Officer, AMAPPE, April 16, 2016.
376 Migrants du Monde, “Qui sommes-nous?” accessed June 17, 2016,
377 Interview with Said Makohn, Program Officer, AMAPPE, April 16, 2016.
378 Seydina Ousmane Mbaye, “Comment les jeunes subsahariens perçoivent l’ ‘Eldorado’ des centres d’appel,“ le Matin, June
6, 2012 Imane Nigrou, “Quelle vie pour les
domestiques subsahariennes au Maroc ?“ Aujourd’hui le Maroc, April 2, 2016,
379 CNDH is currently working on a law to counter discrimination against foreigners, and GADEM has also advocated for
legal reform. One example of positive change is the Royal Air Maroc’s use of sub-Saharan employees in advertising to
showcase its acceptance of diversity. , “Royal Air Maroc renforce son PNC par des recrues issues de
l’Afrique subsaharienne,“ updated April 1, 2014,