Morocco on Tuesday called in Geneva for “a real paradigm shift” in managing the refugee situation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, stressing that “humanitarian assistance cannot be an end in itself” but must serve as a “starting point toward durable solutions.”
Speaking at the 95th meeting of the UNHCR Standing Committee on the humanitarian situation in the MENA region, Morocco’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Omar Zniber, said the region “continues to face protracted, overlapping crises,” pointing in particular to Gaza, Syria, and Sudan, along with their broader regional fallout.
Given these challenges, the diplomat emphasized the need for “a sustained international response but, above all, a shift in how we approach the issue,” adding that “the time has come for a real shift in paradigm.”
He stressed that “humanitarian assistance cannot be the end goal. It must be the starting point for durable solutions built on inclusion and self-reliance.”
Zniber also warned against certain shortcomings observed in the management of refugee situations, adding that “camps cannot become permanent solutions,” as they can create “parallel systems” and “intergenerational dependency,” ultimately “restricting mobility and reinforcing exclusion.”
He further noted that “the management of refugees can, in certain contexts, be subject to political instrumentalization,” noting that such practices are seen “in our immediate neighborhood.”
In this context, Morocco is calling for “collective vigilance,” grounded in “strict transparency and rigor in population registration,” “a firm rejection of any political exploitation of refugees,” and “a decisive shift toward models that promote self-sufficiency rather than dependency.”
The diplomat also pointed out that UN Security Council resolutions on the Moroccan Sahara reiterate “the need to register” populations in the Tindouf camps, describing this measure as “essential both for their protection and for ensuring transparency in humanitarian efforts.”
In this regard, he highlighted the speech delivered by HM King Mohammed VI on October 31, 2025, following the adoption of Resolution 2797, in which the Sovereign stated that “all Moroccans are equal, and that there is no difference between those returning from the Tindouf camps and their brothers and sisters within the homeland.”
In that address, HM the King called on populations in the camps of Tindouf to “seize this historic opportunity in order to reunite with their families” and to “take advantage of the Autonomy Initiative,” which “makes it possible for them to contribute to managing their local affairs, develop their homeland, and build their future within a unified Morocco.”
“For populations that have spent decades in these camps in conditions of prolonged dependency, this call for voluntary return offers a real path to restored dignity and full reintegration into their country,” Zniber said.
He insisted that “Morocco firmly believes inclusion is not just a humanitarian imperative but a strategic choice,” noting that the Kingdom fully supports UNHCR’s goal of significantly reducing protracted displacement by 2035, with inclusion at its core.
Zniber also highlighted Morocco’s National Strategy on Immigration and Asylum, which takes an integrated approach combining humanitarian action, development and peacebuilding, and aims to improve refugees’ access to public services and the job market.
He noted in particular that integrating refugees into national systems—including their recent inclusion in the national census—marks “a major step forward,” helping “improve data quality, strengthen public policy, and foster greater self-reliance among refugees.”
Zniber concluded by reaffirming Morocco’s full commitment to working with UNHCR and its partners to reduce protracted displacement by 2035, “in the service of refugees’ dignity and self-reliance.”
Rephrase in a different way as if you were a native American speaker as a content creation expert and do not talk about yourself or your experience in the text and do not show yourself as an artificial intelligence who wrote and fill the bullet point in the topic and speak the heart of the topic itself and dont take date of blog in ther first and dont take text like box of newsliter subscribe on post from contentand romove all linke insert in content and and remove all affiliate disclosure phrases on content like this “This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links that allow us to earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our Disclosure Policy for more info” and “#” put in its place bullet point, and romove name of the web site or his links we are take a content from our new creation, and don’t publish clone new content more than just one time
