Morocco’s oldest imperial city, Fez, will host an international conference on refugee and migrant health on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing together experts from the Maghreb, Europe, and North America.
The two-day conference will focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to address and shape policies and strategies designed to ensure accessible healthcare for refugees and migrants.
Multiple international organizations are co-sponsoring the event, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the Euromed University of Fez.
Representatives from the health ministries of Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, and Iraq, as well as researchers from Canada, Spain, and the United Kingdom, will participate in a number of different sessions addressing “Data on Migrant and Refugee Health in the MENA Region,” “Experiences and Case Studies on Refugee and Migrant Health in the MENA Region,” and “The Health of Refugees and Migrants: A Youth Perspective.”
Hosting this unprecedented conference reflects Morocco’s commitment to pursuing an inclusive migration policy, such as the policy the kingdom has adopted over the past decade.
In 2013, the Moroccan government subscribed to the National Immigration and Asylum Strategy (SNIA), which considers healthcare access for migrants and refugees as a key pillar of appropriate policy.
More recently in 2021, Morocco’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection launched the National Health Immigration Strategic Plan (2021–2025) to affirm the right to health of refugees and migrants.