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
    Lemine Ould M. Salem
    June 13, 2018
    On 29 May 2018, at the Summit organized by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais de l'Elysée in Paris, the four main players in the Libyan crisis approved a "Political Declaration on Libya" calling for the organization of both legislative and presidential elections on 10 December next. This "historic" text, as described by the French Head of State, is nevertheless in jeopardy given the complexity of the current situation in Libya. There have been countless initiatives to b ...
  • Authors
    Lemine Ould M. Salem
    June 6, 2018
    Les quatre acteurs majeurs de la crise libyenne ont approuvé, le 29 mai 2018, lors du Sommet organisé par le Président français Emmanuel Macron au Palais de l’Elysée à Paris, une “Déclaration politique sur la Libye” qui prévoit l’organisation le 10 décembre prochain d’un double scrutin, législatif et présidentiel. Ce texte “historique”, selon le Chef de l’Etat français, reste cependant menacé par la complexité de la réalité sur le terrain libyen. On ne compte plus les initiatives v ...
  • Authors
    May 31, 2018
    OCP Policy Center and the Think Tank and Civil Societies Program of the University of Pennsylvania, with the support of the Moroccan International Cooperation Agency (AMCI), the Asian Development Bank hosted the 2018 Africa Think Tank Summit under the theme “Deepening Expertise and Enhancing Sustainability: Insight into Contemporary Challenges Facing African Think Tanks.” The summit was held May 9-11th, 2018 at The View Hotel, Rabat, Morocco. The most influential and innovative thi ...
  • May 31, 2018
    With the reshaping of relations between the EU and the ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific), and the expected revision of the ACP-EU agreement in 2020, it is essential to re-visit the framework of key partnerships between Europe and Africa and to propose efficient collaborative strategies to enhance relations. This book explores the various areas of cooperation for the renewal of African-European partnerships, notably in fields such as education, the creation of jobs for yo ...
  • Authors
    Bouchra Rahmouni
    May 30, 2018
    In a more chaotic and critical Mediterranean security environment that is facing a huge geopolitical change, the NATO alliance has found itself challenged by rival states across the spectrum of conflict. Russia, which represents an instance of this change, has acquired for the first time in its modern history a proper permanent base in the Mediterranean. Also, other geopolitical changes such as proliferation of ballistic missiles among both state and non-state actors around the Medi ...
  • May 25, 2018
    Is it possible to reasonably reflect and analyze the Sahara conflict without taking into account, on the one hand, the relevance of both legal and extra-legal factors, and on the other hand, the interplay between the different stakeholders involved ? This intensely complex topic requires taking into consideration not only regulations of international law, but also the geopolitical, anthropological, and security aspects intertwined in the matter ...
  • Authors
    Haim Malka
    May 8, 2018
    For decades, the North African Maghreb has been both a source of irregular migration to Europe and a gateway for sub-Saharan Africans transiting to Europe. Now the Maghreb is also emerging as a destination for migration. While Europe remains the preferred destination for most African migrants, reaching Europe is becoming increasingly difficult at precisely the time that migration pressures in Africa are mounting. Africa’s massive migration is just getting started—and this presents ...
  • Authors
    Alice Ekman
    February 22, 2018
    La présence chinoise en Méditerranée fait l’objet d’interrogations croissantes au sein des diplomaties des pays du Maghreb comme d’Europe du Sud. En effet, ces cinq dernières années, la Chine décline avec un activisme croissant ses priorités nationales à l’échelle méditerranéenne. Cet activisme peut se résumer en trois axes principaux : création de forums de coopération sectorielle Chine-Europe du Sud, investissements dans les infrastructures de transport, énergétiques et de télécom ...
  • Authors
    Alice Ekman
    February 22, 2018
    The Chinese presence in the Mediterranean is raising new questions among the diplomatic services of the Maghreb countries, as well as those of southern Europe. Indeed, over the past five years, China has been translating its national priorities with increasing activism in the Mediterranean. This activism can be summarised into three main areas: creating China-Southern Europe sectoral cooperation forums, investments in transport, energy and telecommunications infrastructure, and cond ...
  • November 16, 2017
    L’objet de ce travail est de proposer la mise en place d’un partenariat de progrès entre la Chine et le Maroc, centré sur la question agroalimentaire en Afrique. C’est dans ce continent que la demande alimentaire va augmenter d’une façon très sensible au cours du XXIème siècle notamment en raison de sa progression démographique et de l’accélération de son urbanisation. L’Afrique est dans l’obligation de réussir sa révolution agricole pour combattre la faim et la pauvreté, accéder à ...