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 ...
Amal El Ouassif
Senior International Relations Specialist
Amal El Ouassif is a Senior International Relations Specialist at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS).She is also a PhD candidate in Forced Displacement Induced by Climate Change at University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) and CNAM-Paris and a member of the IDRC-FGSES Chair of UM6P on Forced Displacement Studies.At the PCNS, Amal El Ouassif conducts research on topics including migration, forced displacement, and Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.Before joining PCNS in 2018, 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 ...
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 Pop ...

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