Seminar: Migration og udvikling

TIME: Thursday, 11 October, 9 – 12

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K.

The migration and development nexus has been variously described as unsettled and, later, as ‘‘hype’’ or a panacea for development.

TIME: Thursday, 11 October, 9 – 12

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K.

The migration and development nexus has been variously described as unsettled and, later, as ‘‘hype’’ or a panacea for development.

When the issue of migration and development surged the international development agenda ten years ago, optimism was high among policy-makers in the development community about this panacea.

Today, some observers consider whether we could be heading for a neo-pessimistic backswing of the migration and development pendulum.

This would be unfortunate for several reasons – one of them being that it would shift the attention away from the real, everyday contributions that millions of migrants around the world make to improve the lives of their families and communities back home; as well as the things that governments in sending and receiving countries can do to improve migrants’ capabilities to contribute to development in origin countries, and their propensity to do so.

This seminar takes as a point of departure that the understanding of the migration and development nexus is still essential for the implementation of development policy, and that there are both thorough studies and insights and pertinent policies out there.

Thus, we need to take a fresh look at the migration development buzz so that it is neither discarded nor overrated, but addressed. In order to do so we bring together centrally placed practitioners of development aid and several of the most knowledgeable academics in the field.

Speakers:
– Tine Anbæk Petersen, Ambassador, former Chairman of the EU High Level Working Group on Migration
– Oliver Bakewell, Co-Director, IMI, University of Oxford, UK
– Helene Bourgade, Head of Unit, European Commission
– Ronald Skeldon , Professorial Fellow, University of Sussex, UK
– Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, Senior Researcher, DIIS
– Birgitte Mossin Brønden, Guest Editor, Head of Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
– Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen, Senior Researcher, DIIS

Programme:

09.00-09.05: Welcome; Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, Senior Researcher, DIIS

09.05-09.15: Introduction; Tine Anbæk Petersen, Ambassador, former Chairman of the EU High Level Working Group on Migration

09.15-09.20: Introduction of the Special Issue of International Migration – “Migration and Development Buzz?”; Birgitte Mossin Brønden, Guest Editor, Head of Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

0920-09.50: Migration and Development Buzz – Rethinking the Migration Development Nexus and Policies; Oliver Bakewell, Co-Director, IMI, University of Oxford, UK

09.50-10.20: Visions for the EU’s Work with Migration and Development; Helene Bourgade, Head of Unit, European Commission

10.20-10.35: Coffee Break

10.35-11.20: Comments and Questions from the panel; Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, Senior Researcher, DIIS; Ronald Skeldon, Professorial Fellow, University of Sussex, UK; Birgitte Mossin Brønden, Head of Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

11.20-11.35: Kick Off for the Open Debate; Nauja Kleist, Senior Researcher, DIIS; Oliver Bakewell; Helene Bourgade

11.35-12.35: Open Debate

12.35-12.45: Summing Up

Chair: Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen, Senior Researcher, DIIS

The seminar will be held in English.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Read more about the seminar and use the online registration form on the website no later than Wednesday, 10 October at 12 noon.

Please await confirmation by e-mail from DIIS for participation.