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Migration and the MDGs from a South-South perspective:

Laurent De BoeckDirector

ACP Observatory on Migration

UNITAR Seminar onMigration and the Millennium Development Goals

New York, 2 September 2010

Capacity Building on Harnessing Migration for Development in

African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States

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1. Presentation of the ACP Observatory on Migration

2. The migration - development nexus

3. Contribution of the ACP Observatory on Migration to the MDGs

Overview

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Observatory Rationale

Data gaps

Lack of cooperation between researchers and policy-makers

Lack of research capacity

Address three main challenges linked to South-South migration research:

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Objectives and Goals

Establish a network of research centres, universities, government agencies, civil society, media and the private sector in the six ACP regions

Consolidate existing migration data and respond to research and policy needs

Provide policy-makers, the civil society, media and the public at large with reliable and harmonized data migration

Train and capacity reinforcement of multi-disciplinary South specialists and experts

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East Africa

Central Africa

Kenya

Caribbean

West Africa

Southern Africa

Tanzania

PacificCameroun

DRC

Nigeria

Senegal

Timor-Leste

Papua New Guinea

Trinidad & Tobago

Haiti

Lesotho

Angola

12 Pilot Countries

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The Migration-Development Nexus

Trends in Migration & Development thinking have changed in recent years

Before 2000, views mainly emphasized root causes and brain drain

Currently concentration is on positive potential of transnational migration, remittances and diaspora

The 2010 UN Secretary General Report on MDGs qualified migration as an ‘emerging issue’

There are numerous links between migration and development: the potential of migration to support the realization of the MDGs in Southern countries such as the ACP States should be acknowledged more widely.

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• World: 214 million

• Africa: 19.3 million

• Caribbean: 1.4 million

• Pacific: 0,1 million

(Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, International Migration 2009)

In 2007, almost 50 per cent of migrants from developing countries resided in developing countries

Almost 70 per cent of emigration from Sub-Saharan Africa concerned South-South movements in 2005

In 2007, over 80 percent of South-South migration was estimated to take place between countries with contiguous borders

(Source: D. Ratha, W. Shaw, South-South Migration and Remittances, World Bank, 2007)

ACP and South-South Migration

Estimated number of international migrants in

2010:

South-South Migration data:

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Migration in the Development Agendas

There is growing recognition of development-migration links

But

Lack of integration of migration issues into development agendas has caused

inconsistencies and incoherence in national policies and priorities

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Millenium Development Goals

Guiding principles of countries seeking to eradicate poverty and improve the welfare of people

Used as a strategic framework of reference by international development agencies

Are unprecedented in their scope

1: Eradicate poverty and hunger;

2: Achieve universal primary education;

3: Promote gender equality and empower women;

4: Reduce child mortality;

5: Improve maternal health;

6: Combat HIVAIDS, malaria and other diseases;

7: Ensure environmental sustainability;

8: Develop a global partnership for development.

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Goal 1 - Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

Poverty reduction by realizing the human right to a decent standard of living through remittances

« Social Capital » transfer and greater implication of the diaspora

Better management of migration flows can contribute to giving access to water and food to populations who are deprived of them

Better management of labour mobility and policy responses to facilitate remittances flows can contribute to development

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Goal 2 - Achieve Universal Primary Education

Migration tends to impact positively on the expenditures for education in households

Movement of population can contribute to bringing education to children who do not have access to it (UNDP, 2009)

Greater importance must be given to social impact of migration in order to seize the impact of migration on school enrolment (ippr, 2010)

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Percentatge of female migrants in the World: 49 (UNDESA 2010)

Migration is an empowering experience for many women (Susan Martin, 2007)

Migrant’s exposure to different norms regarding women’s rights in the destination country can allow them to develop new attitudes toward gender roles (IPPR, 2010)

More and more women are members of diaspora associations and contribute to the development of the country of origin (e.g. Migrant Women for Development in Africa, IOM, 2010)

Goal 3 - Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

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Goals 4 & 5 - Reduce Child Mortality and Improve Maternal Health

Remittances used in healthcare services and to develop and improve health systems infrastructure (e.g. Ethiopia; IOM, 2010)

Migration contributes to better education and knowledge on health care issues (IOM, 2010)

Social outcomes of migration can induce a change in gender and power relations, improving access to healthcare and education for women and children, and the feminization of migration can also include changes in reproductive behaviour (IOM, 2010)

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Goal 6 - Combat HIV/AIDS

The conditions in which the migration process takes place are a cause of migrants’ vulnerability (WHO, 2010)

Policies reducing risks for migrants can contribute to a decline in the spreading of HIV/AIDS

Greater access to health systems for migrants in countries of destination can contribute to reducing the spreading and social impact of HIV/AIDS

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Migration can alleviate pressure on natural resources in environmentally vulnerable areas (IOM, 2005)

Migration can be a possible adaptation strategy of communities vulnerable to effects of environmental degradation (IOM, 2010)

Migrants can use the savings and skills they have acquired to address environmental degradation in their homeland (IOM, 2009)

Goal 7 - Ensure Environmental Sustainability

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Development of partnerships is essential for harnessing migration for development

Diasporas can play a major role in development and ensuring knowledge and technology transfer

Cooperation to develop more accessible formal channels for remittances transfers and trade linkages can increase the impact of migration on development

Goal 8 - Develop a Global Partnership for Development

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CONCLUSIONS

The ACP Observatory on Migration will contribute to the attainment of these goals by:

• Producing and disseminating research findings

• Creating a network of ACP migration and development experts

• Strenghtening South-South cooperation

• Capacity-building

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KEY MESSAGES

There are clear positive links between migration and the MDGs

Migration should be a consideration in development frameworks aiming to achieve the MDGs

More exploration, indicators and research are required on the impact of migration on development

Mainstreaming of research and policies on South-South migration should be included in national and international agendas

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Thank you

Contact: mrfbrusselsacp@iom.int