Civil Society Champions Global Migration at the Marrakech Summit

In Marrakech, Morocco, civil society took center stage ahead of the United Nations Migration Pact negotiations, held Monday and Tuesday at the summit. While the pact aims to create a framework for better managing migration globally, its path is not without controversy. About a third of the 191 UN member states that approved it in New York this summer did not attend the Marrakech session to validate the agreement. Meanwhile, far-right activists fueled social media speculation and debate around the summit.

Amid these tensions, roughly 700 specialists, NGO representatives, and civil society actors gathered since Thursday to advocate for stronger international cooperation. They emphasized that, like climate change, migration is a global phenomenon that cannot be contained by borders. Kamal Lahbib, coordinator of the NGO forum preceding the official UN meeting, was joined by a group of African artists, reflecting the diverse voices present.

Experts like François Gemenne, a member of the IPCC and specialist in environmental geopolitics and migration, highlighted the significance of civil society engagement: “As with the Paris Agreement, a very broad consultation of civil society was organized for the establishment of the Marrakech Pact.” This grassroots momentum illustrates the power of collective advocacy in shaping global policies that affect millions of lives worldwide.

The Marrakech summit underscored that migration is not just a policy challenge but a shared human reality, calling for collaborative solutions guided by compassion, expertise, and global responsibility.

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