HIBAPRESS
The President of the National Human Rights Council, Amina Bouayach, recently chaired the meeting of the African Working Group on Migration, affiliated with the African Network of National Human Rights Institutions, in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. The meeting was attended by the heads and officials of national human rights institutions from 20 African countries.
This meeting, which was attended by members of the working group (Morocco, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mauritania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya), along with national institutions from Egypt, Togo, Senegal, South Africa, Rwanda, Mauritius, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Cabo Verde, Burundi, Ghana, Cameroon, and Ethiopia, was an opportunity to review the comprehensive outcome of the working group's work on migration since its establishment, in addition to highlighting the most prominent achievements in the fields of training, advocacy, institutional coordination, and capacity building.
The meeting was also an opportunity to review the achievements made through the organization of training courses and the exchange of experiences on protecting refugees and the rights of migrants in times of crisis, as well as the social and economic integration of migrant workers, in addition to active participation in regional and international forums to enhance the delivery of the voice of African national institutions to the various forums concerned with migration issues.
In this context, the special importance of signing the cooperation agreement in Rabat in April 2025 with the United Nations group concerned with the rights of migrant workers was emphasized, as it is a pivotal station in the working group's work path. This agreement enabled the establishment of an organized institutional framework for cooperation, information exchange, and coordination of advocacy efforts to encourage countries to ratify the relevant international convention, and to strengthen monitoring and implementation mechanisms, reflecting a joint commitment to strengthening the protection of the rights of migrants and their families and establishing a sustainable partnership between African national institutions and the United Nations system.
The members of the working group, the presidency of the African Network of National Human Rights Institutions, and the present institutions all agreed to commend the momentum and dynamism marked by the migration group, and what has been achieved at the continental and international levels.
The meeting was also an opportunity to renew the call to enhance the protection of the rights of migrants, refugees, and displaced persons, especially in international contexts in which the discourse against migration rights is growing, and to exchange views on ways to promote these rights in the African continent.
On this occasion, Amina Bouayach, in her speech, expressed the concern of human rights defenders regarding the continued non-ratification of the international convention for the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and their families, considering that the lack of ratification constitutes a real obstacle to ensuring effective and comprehensive protection of the rights of migrants, and limits the ability of rights defenders to perform their full roles in this field.
The President of the National Human Rights Council affirmed the need to continue advocacy to achieve global ratification of this convention, and to strengthen legal and institutional protection mechanisms for the benefit of migrants and refugees, stressing that respect for human rights in the context of migration is a fundamental pillar for achieving development and stability, and requires a collective commitment from countries and relevant institutions.
In this context, Bouayach recalled that a number of countries in the northern hemisphere have not yet ratified the international convention, which came into force in 2003, as a binding international legal framework that guarantees the rights and dignity of migrants, while emphasizing its integration with other international charters, including the "Marrakech Pact for Safe Migration."
She called for intensifying African efforts in the fields of advocacy and coordination, and strengthening the involvement of national human rights institutions in migration issues at the regional and international levels, while highlighting the importance of unifying African positions and developing joint initiatives to influence public policies and integrate the human rights dimension in managing migration issues.
She also stressed the pivotal role of national human rights institutions in monitoring the conditions of migrants and advocating for the adaptation of national legislations to international standards, enhancing community awareness of the rights of migrants and refugees, and facilitating their access to protection and redress mechanisms.
Bouayach affirmed, at the conclusion of the meeting held prior to the annual meeting of the African Network, the continuation of supporting the group's efforts and strengthening its joint work in order to build an African approach based on human rights in the field of migration, and to address the increasing challenges associated with it at the continental and international levels.
It is worth mentioning that Morocco chairs the African Working Group on Migration, which was established in Marrakech at the end of 2018, to institutionalize work on migration issues within the African Network of National Human Rights Institutions.
