PRIM 2 – Regional Programme for Migration Initiatives in Morocco, Phase 2

The Regional Programme for Migration Initiatives (PRIM) was created in 2020 to help decentralise migration policy in Morocco to the local level, by supporting civil society organisations (CSOs) and strengthening public migrant-reception facilities. PRIM has obtained concrete results, for example by regional authorities having been able to deal with migration policies, within the framework of the National Immigration and Asylum Strategy and the National Strategy for Moroccan Expatriates.

This programme was set up in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, regional councils, and the Souss-Massa and Oriental wilayas. It was financed by Agence Française de Développement and implemented by Expertise France.

In line with Phase 1, PRIM 2 seeks to consolidate the results obtained and institutionalise them at the local level.

The goal of this project is to improve the way migration issues as well as the way the promotion of gender equality is taken into account. To do so, it supports initiatives led by local authorities, public institutions, and civil society organisations. 

This new phase is based on previously developed pilot experiments, with the objective of consolidating and structuring these experiments and promoting their sustainability within local public systems.

The Regional Fund for Gender and Migration was set up in Phase 1 of the project. The objective is now to consolidate and perpetuate the Fund, which finances pilot projects implemented by civil society organisations.

Actions can vary from reducing migrant vulnerabilities to highlighting migrants’ contributions to local development. Priorities are determined in consultation with the partners. This system is accompanied by capacity-building actions targeting the actors involved (both civil society organisations and institutional partners), with particular attention paid to developing networking and local cooperation dynamics.

In addition, this approach will explore the conditions for setting up financial support mechanisms for Moroccan local authorities (regions, provinces, municipalities, urban metropolises, and emerging centres), in the context of advanced regionalisation. The PRIM 2 project additionally seeks to make its achievements last and to become involved in public discussion on advanced regionalisation. It will present mechanisms it will have identified as potential financing tools to be adopted by other regions.

The PRIM 2 project seeks to improve access to mainstream and specialised services for Moroccan expatriates, returning Moroccan expatriates, and third-country nationals. These services are designed for both women and men but take into account the specific needs of women. PRIM 2 is based on direct involvement by local institutional actors and decentralised services.

Planned actions include:

• establishing and enhancing reception and orientation facilities, including Migrant Reception and Orientation Offices (BAOMs) and local reception offices, as well as supporting public services on migration and gender issues;
• deploying community workers who act as intermediaries between migrant populations and public services, in particular to facilitate women’s access to existing mechanisms;
• supporting local authorities in incorporating gender-sensitive migration into their planning tools, including communal action plans, and in implementing local actions with potential for sustainability;
• building the capacities of local stakeholders on issues of migration, gender, and access to services, as well as enhancing initiatives to mobilise the skills of returning Moroccans to contribute to the development of their regions of origin and strengthen links between the diaspora and Moroccan regions.