International Migration and the Millennium Development Goals
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International Migration and the Millennium Development Goals andtheMillenniumDevelopment International Migration International Migration and the Millennium Development Goals Selected Papers of the UNFPA Expert Group Meeting Expert Group oftheUNFPA Selected Papers Selected Papers of the UNFPA Expert Group Meeting United Nations Population Fund 220 East 42nd Street New York, New York 10017 www.unfpa.org ISBN 0-89714-755-3 E/1000/2005 INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS Selected Papers of the UNFPA Expert Group Meeting Marrakech, Morocco 11-12 May 2005 NOTES: The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the participants who attended the Expert Group Meeting on International Migration and the Millennium Development Goals and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The papers included in this report have been published as submitted. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNFPA concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The term ‘country’ as used in the text of this report refers, as appropriate, to territories or areas. The designations of ‘developed’ and ‘de vel oping’ countries are intended for convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. United Nations Population Fund 220 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10017, U.S.A. www.unfpa.org FOREWORD The five-year review of progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed upon by the international community at the Millennium Summit provided the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with a good opportunity to convene an Expert Group Meeting on International Migration and the Millennium Development Goals in order to analyze migration as both a facilitating and constraining factor in the achievement of the MDGs. The meeting was also an opportunity to present information necessary for policy makers in planning and policy development and to facilitate the exchange of best practices in this complex area. With the decline in fertility in many parts of the world, migration has taken on increased significance, becoming an important component of population growth in many countries. Population decline, largely a result of below-replacement fertility, and population ageing have already emerged as significant concerns in many countries and their effects are expected to exacerbate in the future. Researchers have speculated as to the possible role of migration to offset these two demographic trends. When Member States signed off on the MDGs in 2000, they did not include migration in the final do- cument. Indeed, migration is not mentioned in the Millennium Development Goals. Moreover, the relationship between migration and the MDGs has not been adequately explored despite the fact that the link between migra- tion and development is increasingly recognized. Development can reduce migration pressures and migration can have a significant impact on a country’s development. Migration is still not adequately addressed in development frameworks such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), Common Country Assessments (CCAs) and United Nations Development Frameworks (UNDAFs). Yet migration can play an important role in the achieve- ment of the MDGs. Although it can serve as a constraint, if properly managed, migration can also contribute to the realization of the goals. The Expert Group Meeting analyzed migration and its effect on those MDGs that are most closely af- fected by migration, including the goals pertaining to poverty reduction; gender equality; improving maternal health; prevention of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and global partnerships for development. The meeting explored migration as a development vehicle that can both facilitate and hinder the achievement of the MDGs. It addressed the complexity and diversity of migration, and showed how it affects not only the migrants themselves but also the sending and receiving countries and their ability to reach the MDG targets. It looked at how migration fosters development by bringing in remittances, and how it can potentially hinder development through the brain drain. It discussed the circulation of human capital not just as a brain drain, but looked into diaspora networks and how they contribute to technological transfers and the development of the community of origin. International migration is an integral aspect of the global development process. The challenge before the international community is to harness the potential of migration in such a way as to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits for both sending and receiving areas in order to facilitate the achievement of the MDGs. Special thanks go to François Farah and Ann Pawliczko from the Population and Development Branch at UNFPA Headquarters and to Georges Georgi and Naima Ghemires from the UNFPA Country Office in Morocco for organizing this event, and to Lorena Duharte from UNFPA Headquarters and Mona Benzeriane from the UNFPA Country Office in Morocco for their able assistance with the logistics of the meeting. We also wish to thank the publication team – François Farah, Ann Pawliczko and Madeleine Sacco – for the preparation of this report and Colleen Thouez of UNITAR for her invaluable assistance in the preparation of the introduction. Mari Simonen Director Technical Support Division INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS iii Table of Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. iii 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 International Migration Trends Since 1980 ................................................................................. 13 ( Hania Zlotnik, DESA, United Nations) 2. International Migration and the Millennium Development Goals The Role of Migration in Achieving the Millennium Development Goals ................................... 29 (Erica Usher, International Organization for Migration) The Impact of Remittances on Development ............................................................................... 41 (Colleen Thouez, UNITAR) 3. Migration and Poverty Reduction Linkages between Migration and Poverty: The Millennium Development Goals and Population Mobility ............................................................................. 55 (Ronald Skeldon) 4. Migration and Health Migration and the Health System: Influences on Reaching the MDGs in Africa (and other LDCs) ........................................................................................................ 67 (Delanyo Dovlo) Migration and Maternal and Child Health: The Example of Western Europe ......................................................................................................................................... 81 (Manuel Carballo) Reversing the Spread of HIV/AIDS: What Role has Migration? ................................................. 99 (John Anarfi) 5. Migration and Gender International Migration and Prospects for Gender Equality ...................................................... 113 (Maruja Asis) Trafficking in Human Beings and the Millennium Development Goal No. 3, Promoting Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women ......................................... 125 (Gerda Theuermann) INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS v 6. Migration and the Environment The Other Migrants: Cause and Prevention in Involuntary Displacement and the Question of “Environmental Refugees” ......................................................................... 141 (David Vine) 7. Migration and Global Partnerships for Development The Economics of Migration under Globalization ...................................................................... 155 (Atif Kubursi and Madona Mokbel) Globalization and Migration ....................................................................................................... 169 (Alan Simmons) 8. Panel on Partnerships: Case Studies a. Flux Migratoires au Maroc Impact Économique, Social et Culturel de la Migration: Sur le Développement du Pays (Aicha Belarbi) ............................................... 181 b. Migration Policies in Australia and their Impact on Development in Countries of Origin (Graeme Hugo) ................................................................................... 199 c. Moving Out of Poverty: Making Migration Work Better for Poor People (Charlotte Heath) ....................................................................................................... 217 d. Migration and Millennium Development Goals: DFID-RMMRU Partnership (Tasneem Siddiqui) ............................................................................................. 221 e. Migration et Objectifs de Développement du Millénaire: Cas de la Migration Arabe (Khaled Louhichi) ....................................................................................... 231 Annexes I. Agenda ........................................................................................................................................