Migration: Experiences from Mexico and Morocco

May 26, 2023

Despite having historical, geographical, economic and cultural differences, Mexico and Morocco share a similar position on the global South-North border. Both countries have close links with their respective northern neighbours, the United States and the European Union, as evidenced by the intensity of trade, investment and aid flows, which have been fostered by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Euro-Mediterranean regional integration agreements, but also by the importance of migration between these regions of the world. Indeed, Mexico and Morocco have experienced an increase in immigration and also in transit migration from countries located further south, respectively in South America and sub-Saharan Africa. By being countries of origin and of transit of migrants, Mexican and Moroccan governments have been under pressure by the US and EU member states to increase border controls and internal policing in order to curb migration flows.

The aim of this webinar is to discuss the shared experience of Morocco and Mexico on migration issues, as both countries have been recognized as “Champion countries” for the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration, by understanding migration through an intersectional approach. 

Speakers
Guadalupe González Chávez
Coordinator of the Global, Regional, and Interregional Issues Knowledge Network, COMEXI
Member of COMEXI, of the National Institute of Public Administration in Mexico, and the Internet Society. She publishes the weekly column Nuevos Entornos in El Heraldo de México and collaborates in various academic spaces. She is an expert in strategic negotiation and communication, interested in global agenda and governance issues, regional and interregional affairs, parliamentary affairs, and comparative politics. As a consultant in the field of public affairs, she has collaborated with multilateral organizations and initiatives. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, as Director in the Multilateral Area, International Agenda, Liaison and Political Affairs, and Parliamentary Adviser at the Mexican Congress and Senate, as well as Director in the Government of Mexico ...
Iván Martín
Senior Fellow
Iván Martín is Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Governance, Economic and Social Sciences of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), and Associate Researcher at the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Immigration (GRITIM) at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. Between 2013 and 2016 he was Part-time Professor at the Migration Policy Centre (MPC) of the European University Institute in Florence, as well as member of the Expert Group on Economic Migration of the European Commission and Key Expert on Labour Migration providing External Technical Expertise on Migration to DG DEVCO of the European Commission (ETEM V Project). Formerly, he has been Senior Research Fellow at the Barcelona Centre for International A ...
Carlos Heredia
Member, COMEXI
Dr. Heredia has been since 2009 an Associate Professor in the Department of International Studies at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE), Mexico City, where he is also part of the Interdisciplinary Program for Studies on Migration (CIDE-Mig).  His research focuses on the political economy of Mexican and Central American migrants to the U.S., Latino communities, as well as the domestic drivers of Washington's foreign policy. He was a Member of Mexico’s 57th Congress from 1997 to 2000. He has held various positions in the Ministry of Finance, and the State Governments of Michoacán and of Mexico City.  He was the spokesman for international and economic affairs during the presidential campaign of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas in 2000. He has worked for 30 years wit ...
Amal El Ouassif
International Relations Specialist
Amal El Ouassif is an International Relations Specialist  at the Policy Center for the New South. Prior to this, she worked as a program coordinator at the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and served as a consultant in development policies with the office of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Morocco. She is also a former bluebook trainee in the Directorate General of Employment Social Affairs and Inclusion in the European Commission in Brussels. Amal has a Master of Art in EU’s International Relations and Diplomacy Studies, from the College of Europe in Bruges and a Master in Development Studies from UPMF-Grenoble. Her area of interest include Africa- Europe cooperation and migration. ...
Francisco Alba
Member, COMEXI
Francisco Alba is an economist and demographer; he is profesor and researcher at El Colegio de México, in Mexico. He has served as member of the Board of Governors of El Colegio de México (2008-2013). In Mexico, he has been member of the Advisory Council on Migration Policy,  at the Mexican Ministry of Interior (2014-2015); and member of the Advisory Council of the Mexican National Institute of Migration (2001-2012). Bilaterally, member of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Study on Migration (1995-1997). Internationally, he was member of the United Nations Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers (2004-2011); and member of the Global Commission on International Migration (2003-2005). At the U.S., he has been member of the Governing Council of the Populati ...

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    December 24, 2024
    Over the past 50 years, international law relevant to the Sahara Issue has evolved significantly. Yet, even recent developments, such as a decision by the EU court and a proposal by the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy to partition the Saharan provinces, have not adequately accounted for these advancements. Actions by a state that may not have been scrutinized in 1975 could now face condemnation under contemporary legal standards. Notably, the right to self-determination must not ...
  • Authors
    Mariam Ait Merri
    September 30, 2024
    The bilateral relationship between Morocco and India has passed through three distinct phases, culminating in the current stage of strategic partnership. Initially marked by diplomatic formalities and limited engagement, the relationship gradually transitioned into a period of economic and cultural exchange, laying the groundwork for more substantial collaboration. This Policy Paper analyzes the historical trajectory of Morocco-India relations, tracing the development from these ear ...
  • May 24, 2024
    This Paper was originally published on euromesco.net   In 2004 the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) became the policy framework setting the scene for EU interactions with its neighbours. The launch of this policy framework occurred in a context of relative stability and peace in Europe’s neighbourhood, at a time when the EU was redrawing its borders through the 2004 big bang enlargement. Nonetheless, the ENP was doomed to face a panoply of conflicts, crises, and even wars. No o ...
  • March 29, 2024
    L’intégration régionale maghrébine est devenue, dans un contexte international en proie à d’importantes reconfigurations, plus qu’une nécessité économique, un impératif de la transformati ...
  • March 25, 2024
    La publication, le 13 mars 2024, d’un projet de décret portant expropriation de trois propriétés inscrites au nom de la République algérienne à Rabat, a été considérée comme une provocation et une violation du droit diplomatique par le gouvernement de ce pays qui a menacé d’y répondre par tous les moyens. Le 17 mars, la presse a publié des copies de notes du Consulat algérien a Casablanca, apportant la preuve que ce gouvernement était le premier à annoncer l’expropri ...
  • November 11, 2023
    Adoption by UN Security Council on October 27, 2023 of resolution 2703 (2023) on the question of the Moroccan Sahara took place amidst a regional context of persistent tension between Morocco and Algeria, and repeated ceasefire violations by the Polisario, culminating in unprecedented escalation on the night of October 28-29, targeting the town of Smara, and leading to casualties. The new resolution was passed when international attention focused on the tragic events in Gaza, oversh ...
  • November 11, 2023
    يأتــي اعتمــاد مجلــس الأمــن التابــع للأمــم المتحــدة القــرار 2703 فــي 27 أكتوبــر (2023) بشــأن قضيــة الصحـراء المغربيـة فـي سـياق إقليمـي يتسـم باسـتمرار التوتـر بيـن المغـرب والجزائـر ومواصلـة البوليزاريـو لانتهاكاتهـا لوقـف إطلاق النـار التـي سـجلت تصعيـدًا غيـر مسـبوق، فـي ليلـة 29−28 أكتوبـر، باسـتهداف مدينـة السـمارة، ممـا أدى إلـى وقـوع ضحايـا. كمـا ينـدرج اتخـاذ هـذا القـرار الجديـد فـي بيئـة دوليـة منهمكة فـي الأحـداث المأسـاوية فـي قطـاع غـزة التـي طغـت علـى الحـرب ...
  • November 11, 2023
    L’adoption par le Conseil de sécurité de l’Onu, le 27 octobre 2023, de la résolution 2703 (2023) sur la question du Sahara marocain, est intervenue dans un contexte régional marqué par la persistance de la tension entre le Maroc et l’Algérie et la poursuite par le polisario des violations du cessez-le-feu qui ont enregistré une escalade sans précédent, dans la nuit du 28 au 29 octobre, par le ciblage de la ville de Smara, faisant des victimes. L’adoption de cette nouvelle r ...
  • October 2, 2023
    Recent evolutions on the global stage have contributed to shed a new light on African countries and India as key players in shaping the future of global governance and the international order. The reform of multilateralism and institutions such as the United Nations Security Council (UN...
  • September 28, 2023
    Bientôt disponible en vente sur Livremoi.   En présentant ces textes, publiés dans les plateformes du Policy Center for the New South, pour partie, et dans divers supports, pour l’autre, on découvre à leur lecture des sujets absents des sciences sociales nationales. Le premier défi que doit surmonter le chercheur marocain qui s’intéresse aux affaires militaires et de sécurité (AMS) est la sous-conceptualisation du domaine en raison du désintérêt des universités et du c ...