COPENHAGEN, Monday 5 October, 2009: One billion of the world’s population is currently on the move, and despite the many challenges migrants and countries of origin and destination are facing, mobility also generates access to ideas, knowledge and resources that accelerate countries’ development progress.
However, to maximize the positive impact of mobility governments – both in destination countries and in countries of origin – should undertake a series of policy reforms, says UNDPs annual Human Development Report, launched today.
– Migration can be a force for good, contributing significantly to human development, says Jakob Simonsen, Director for UNDP Nordic Office. – But to realize its benefits, there needs to be a supportive policy environment as this Report suggests.
Being able to decide where to live is a key element of human freedom, according to the Report, which also argues that large gains in human development can be achieved by governments lowering barriers and other constraints to movement and by improving policies towards those who move.
The Report shows that migration can also have a significant impact on reducing poverty in a country. This is especially true for internal migration, since it is much easier for people from poor families to move within borders than across them.
Evidence from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Tanzania shows that poverty rates fall for households with at least one member who has moved elsewhere within the country. Furthermore a number of countries, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, have successfully linked migration policies to their strategies for reducing poverty. Others have acknowledged the role of remittances and, among other efforts, are attempting to attract investments by members of the diaspora
However, migration does not always bring benefits. The extent to which people are able to gain from moving depends greatly on the conditions under which they move. Financial outlays can be relatively high, and movement inevitably involves uncertainty and separation from families.
The poor are often constrained by a lack of resources, information and barriers in their new host communities and countries. For too many people movement reflects the repercussions of conflict, natural disaster or severe economic hardship. Some women end up in trafficking networks, lose significant freedoms and suffer physical danger.
The Report warns that migration is no substitute for development. However, mobility often brings new ideas, knowledge and resources—to migrants and to origin countries—that can complement and even enhance human and economic development. In many countries, the money sent back by migrants exceeds official aid.
However, remittances alone cannot remove the structural constraints to economic growth, social change and better governance. Migration is not a substitute strategy for national and international programmes to reduce poverty and foster development. Migration can only be part of the broader development strategies.
Most of the world’s 1 billion migrants move within their own countries: 740 million people are internal migrants. This number is almost four times the number of international migrants. Among international migrants, less than 30 percent move from developing to developed countries. For example, only three percent of Africans live outside their country of birth. Furthermore the share of the world’s population moving across boarders has been remarkably stable over the last 25 years.
Contrary to commonly held beliefs, migrants typically boost economic output and give more than they take. Immigration generally increases employment in host communities, does not crowd out locals from the job market and improves rates of investment in new businesses and initiatives.
Time for action
The financial recession has quickly become a jobs crisis, and a jobs crisis is generally bad news for migrants. In a number of areas, the number of new migrants is down, while some destination countries are taking steps to encourage or compel migrants to leave. But now is the time for action, the Report argues.
– The recession should be seized as an opportunity to institute a new deal for migrants—one that will benefit workers at home and abroad while guarding against a protectionist backlash,- says Simonsen. – With recovery, many of the same underlying trends that have been driving movement during the past half-century will resurface, attracting more people to move.
Kilde: www.undp.dk
