Morocco on Tuesday called for an integrated approach to the inclusion of refugees and migrants, placing football at the heart of social cohesion efforts and policies aimed at combating xenophobia during a side event held on the sidelines of the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Speaking at the meeting, organized by Mexico on the occasion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which it will host alongside the United States and Canada, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Omar Zniber, stressed that “football is more than just a game.”
Zniber highlighted the sport’s unique ability to create spaces for interaction and understanding through “shared rules, shared effort, and shared emotions.”
“On the pitch, nationality, language and legal status fade behind teamwork, trust and discipline,” he said, arguing that football has the power to transform “strangers into teammates” and vulnerability into a sense of belonging.
The Moroccan diplomat underlined the tangible contribution of sport to inclusion policies, recalling findings by United Nations agencies showing that participation in sports activities improves the well-being of refugees and facilitates both social and professional integration.
He noted that migrants involved in sports programmes are more likely to develop social networks and strengthen their integration within host communities.
For Morocco, football represents a “transversal lever” for migration governance, Zniber said, adding that the sport can help “accelerate inclusion, protect the vulnerable, empower youth” and reinforce ties with diaspora communities.
He further described football as carrying “the most effective counter-narrative against xenophobia and politics of fear.”
In this context, the ambassador recalled Morocco’s initiative, launched in Geneva jointly with the International Organization for Migration, to establish the Group of Friends of Sport and Migration, aimed at encouraging dialogue among states and promoting the integration of sport into public policy frameworks.
“This initiative is part of a broader effort to give sport a concrete place in public policy, not as a substitute for rights and services, but as a powerful complement to them,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal, Zniber said the tournament would serve as “a World Cup of bridges between continents, communities and generations.”
He argued that the event would demonstrate football’s capacity to foster more inclusive societies long after the final whistle.
Held under the theme “Football as an Inclusion Tool for Refugees and Migrants,” the side event brought together representatives from Mexico, Canada, Spain, Portugal, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.
According to organizers, the discussions focused on the role of football in promoting social inclusion and strengthening cohesion between migrants, refugees and host communities, while encouraging solidarity, positive narratives and greater international cooperation.
