Proposed Goals, Structure and Work Program For
ECA Regional Migration Program (RMP)
Management and Governance structure
RATIONALE, BACKGROUND AND CURRENT ARRANGEMENTS
Given the scope/nature of work involved in the last 2 years under the program (June 2009- June 2011) as well initial entry-level activities undertaken within the RMP, current arrangements for management of the RMP were sufficient. Key features of the existing arrangements include:
· Small HQ-based project team (2 people: TTL and ETC)
· Involvement of Country Level WB staff (focus on PREM but also involved HD and ETX)
· Close but case-by-case engagement of DECPG (migration and remittance unit) and IMF staff for ongoing analytical and research work
· Efficient project-level coordination with HD team (Life-skill development project) to ensure synergy
· Biyearly updates of CDs and CMs on ongoing projects and results
· Close coordination with the regional EXT team on outreach and communication aspects
· Setting up National Focal points (in each beneficiary country – government/non-government actors and Setting up a MIRPAL Secretariat (Moscow-based think-tank)
· Direct engagement with key stakeholders in each country (multiple stakeholders)
· Engagement of some of the most renowned regional experts into analytical work and peer-reviewing
· Case-by-case engagement and guidance from ECA VP’s front desk
At this stage, however, given expanding nature of activities (including lending and non-lending activities by the Bank), growing interest from within and outside the Bank, key stakeholders in the CIS countries and multiple donors active in the area of labor migration, new and solid management and governance structure is required in order to:
(i) Bring real impact and results on the ground in selected areas on Labor migration;
(ii) Better respond to the demand with just-in-time AAA, ESW, TA and knowledge;
(iii) Continue to serve as a honest broker and trusted Advisor;
(iv) Efficiently facilitate regional exchange and dialogue;
(v) Sustain engagement and strategic planning (regionally and country-specific); and
(vi) Strengthen collaboration with other International Organizations and Programs and with programs within the Bank
PROPOSED ARRANGEMENTS
Given limited resources available at this time, cross-spectral nature of the issue at stake, as well as in an effort to promote an integrated Bank’s strategy and approach within the existing support from the Bank to labor migration issues within the overall framework of labor migration – labor market/mobility/ - development, a 2-tiered management and quality assurance structure is proposed.
First, RMP Program will be guided by a RMP Steering Committee, chaired by Chief Economist of the ECA Region and will include Sector Directors and Sector Managers of HD and PREM. The key objective of the Steering Committee is to provide broad strategic directions for the ECA-wide work program. In addition, Bank staff as designated by the Bank’s Steering Committee, will participate directly in the working groups of the RMP to help define major priorities of focus for the work, and within these priorities to identify what the Bank can best contribute to this process. It is proposed that a Steering Committee meets at least twice a year.
Second, the Steering Committee will be supported by RMP’s World Bank Core Group at the head-quarters and World Bank Country Coordinators (WB CCs) in relevant Country Offices[1]. The World Bank Core Group will include Task Team Leader and WB staff supporting MIRPAL Program at the Head Quarters and Country offices. The key objective of the Core Group will include: (i) coordinate the Program, including via MIRPAL Secretariat and WB CCs, (ii) Build Migration Community of Practice (MIRPAL) in ECA Region, (iii) cooperate with the WB staff participating in “Migration COP” (Migration Community of Practice) across the Bank. The CCs represented by the WB staff based in the Country Offices of relevant countries will serve as focal points of MIRPAL Program and work closely with National Coordinators (NCs) representing their countries and approved by the government officials of these countries. The MIRPAL Secretariat Migration Century 21 will aim to facilitate synergies and coordination of MIRPAL activities across the region and facilitate external relations with the government officials, mass media, NGOs, think tanks, etc. with due support from WB CCs and NCs. It is proposed the Core Group meets at least once a month to take stock of progress and next steps
In term of actual implementation, technical level representatives from the regional and country-specific stakeholders, representatives of the international donor community involved in labor migration projects/program, as well as civil society organizations, including mass media will provide technical level expertise. RMP already works directly with the management and technical level staff of various agencies in all 9 CIS countries, think-tanks, academia etc and will continue to capitalize on the best possible talent and skill available locally to reinforce relevance of the outputs and deliverables. Therefore, the key objective for this group will include: (i) technical support and managerial buy-in to Programs goals/outcomes; (ii) fostering solid communication and cooperation between the stakeholders; (iii) cross-sectoral dialogue and coordination of project-level activities. Meetings to take place as needed.
MIRPAL is an essential instrument for the Bank to foster the migration and remittances agenda in the ECA region. For more information on CARMP and MIRPAL see Annex 2.
PROPOSED ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Additional details on roles and responsibilities within the proposed arrangements
Steering Committee / · Facilitate internalization of migration agenda with core Bank’s mandate
· Facilitate the development of a strategic view of migration in relation to development in ECA
· The Bank is working on a range of issues through various instruments (financial sector, poverty, safety nets, education, gender, health) yet link to migration is less unclear
· Address the challenge of integrating LM agenda with existing instruments in possession of the Bank (what tools to use) / twice a year
RMP Core group / · Develop and implement, jointly with partners or Secretariat the program work plan,
· Provide support to RMP’s Steering Committee
· Supervise and guide activities of the Secretariat
· Carry out work in the countries identified.
· Establish and ensure operation of thematic and/or working Groups, coordinate through the Secretariat, select country cases (choosing countries in different circumstances: for example, one high-level migration country, one moderate-level migration country, etc.), and prepare advice regarding how each of these countries could implement MIRPAL approach to its development work.
· Create Knowledgebase for each country and KM depository for intra-regional collaboration
HQ-based / quarterly
CO-based / quarterly
National Coordinators / As per TOR (available in Russian only) / monthly
MIRPAL Secretariat / As per TOR (available in Russian only) / Monthly
Composition of the Regional Migration Program Steering Committee
Chair: Chief Economist, ECA [Indermit Gill]
Members:
1. Sector Director, ECSPE [Yvonne Tsikata]
2. Sector Director, ECSHD [Mamta Murthi]
3. Sector Director, ECSPF [Gerardo M. Corrochano]
4. RMP Program Team Leader, ECSPE [Sudharshan Canagarajah]
Composition of the RMP’s Core Group
HQs Team (Lotus Notes Group – “MIRPAL HQs”):
1. Sudharshan Canagarajah, Program Team Leader, ECSPE
2. Matin Kholmatov, Program Consultant, ECSPE
3. Borko Handjiski, AAA/ESW Coordinator, Economist, ECSPE
4. Helena Makarenko, RMP Assistant, ECSP3
WB Country and National Coordinators
Annex 1: Why Do work in Labor migration issues in the CIS ECA countries
· 8 CIS countries are among the nations with the highest emigration rates in the world (Bosnia&Herzegovina, Armenia, Albania, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic)
· 35 + million migrants and the region accounts for a third of all developing country emigration
· Russia is a major labor importing country in the CIS making it a second largest migration corridor in the world (only next to the US)
· Most ECA countries will experience dramatic population declines increasing dependency ratio and thus importance of migration
· Remittances represent a large portion of GDP in several ECA countries included in top 20 recipients of remittances in the world (Tajikistan – tops the world at close to 40% of GDP in 2009, followed by Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, B&H, Albania, Serbia)
· Remittance flows to CIS countries are large relative to other resource flows (next to FDI, multiple time larger then ODA)
· a sharp decline in remittances is one of the main factors driving negative economic growth of most countries during crises and a driving force behind post-crisis recovery
· Migration and remittances are behind major poverty reduction in poorer ECA CIS countries, source of FOREX and budget revenues (via remittance fueled consumption)
WHY DO WE NEED MIRPAL NETWORK
During the last three years (crises and post-crisis) the Bank has risen up to the challenge in ECA (especially CIS) to help countries with limited resources and mandate to address challenges of migration policy improvement. Thus, we are here to:
· Take stock of what has been done and ongoing activities in migration area
· Learn lessons from these activities (what has worked and what did not, good/bad practices)
· Discuss where do we go from here as a Region, particularly:
· Strategic planning for migration work
· Finding human/financial resources to continue active engagement
Annex 2: What is RMP and MIRPAL
Regional Migration Program – is a 3-year (2010-2013) DFID-funded program that involves IOM, UN Women and WB as implementers. Program design and rationale was designed based on extensive DFID-funded regional review of LM issues, conducted by the Oxford Policy Management (OPM) and relied on initial experience of the WB in this area through the initial activities funded under the South-South TF and Innovation Grants. It is expected that that Bank learn lessons from implementation of this Program and develop a clear view how best to incorporate LM issues on the overall mandate of the Bank’s work.
As far as the Program is concerned, the overall goal of Program is to contribute to poverty reduction in Central Asia through the improved livelihoods of migrant men and women. Based on this goal, the objective is to protect the rights and enhance the social and economic benefits of migrant men, women and their families. The program concerns labor migration, which has played a key part in reducing poverty levels in Central Asia. This is particularly so in the two poorest countries - the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan.
Overall the Program has the following five overall Components:
Component 1: Policies for managing labor migration are evidence-based and effectively implemented.
Component 2: Improved regional partnerships, dialogue and coordination on selected migration issues.
Component 3: Labor migrants and their families benefit from a broader range of gender sensitive services provided throughout migration cycle.
Component 4: Families of labor migrants in the sending countries enhance their skills and knowledge to improve their livelihoods.
Component 5: Increased capacity of civil society organizations to support measures to increase social tolerance of labor migrants and reduce xenophobia in destination countries.
The WB will primarily deal with the first two components (with other implementing agencies also covering the other three). The WB plans to utilize the following 4 key areas of involvement in order to reach set objectives:
(i) Technical Assistance;
(ii) AAA/ESW;
(iii) Knowledge management; and
(iv) Advocacy and outreach
The Migration and Remittances Peer-Assisted Learning (MIRPAL)* Network is a community of migration and remittance practitioners and experts (government and non-government) and is one of the tools/elements of the Bank’s program within RMP. MIRPAL builds on one of most successful method of knowledge transfer – creating a Community of Practice. In a nut-shell, MIRPAL, similar to PEMPAL, is a peer-assisted learning network for migration practitioners in CIS set up to deepen, create and share knowledge on migration issues as well as provide a forum for cross-country collaboration as a means to refine and harmonize approaches to initiate and guide CIS migration policies and practices. It also serves as a platform for South-South learning and exchange.
Initiated in response to the global economic crisis in 2008, MIRPAL was launched in nine ECA countries belonging to “CIS country group”— Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan —but could be extended to other countries of ECA Region based on the lessons learned. It is planned to apply same pattern of work to other countries and sub-regions of ECA Region (e.g. Western Balkans and EU-10 countries).
Overall objectives
Apply the World Bank’s research and analytical capacity, cross-disciplinary expertise, and body of project work, which can constitute a laboratory for analyzing how migration process empowerment impacts poor people’s lives, to:
· Demonstrate how managed and regulated Migration process can contribute to economic and social development.
· Offer advice to countries regarding how to manage Migration process in their counties.
· Build and share knowledge within the Bank on Migration which would be applied to other parts of the world (for more information, visit www.worldbank.org/eca/migration).
MIRPAL network has identified five key areas of interest:
(i) improving remittance and migration data collection in the CIS region;
(ii) introducing better regulation and new technologies in remittances;
(iii) increasing impact of migration and remittances on the poverty reduction;
(iv) maximizing macroeconomic benefits of migration and remittances; and
(v) promoting Diasporas’ engagement as a source of economic development of migrant sending countries.
MIRPAL brings migration and remittances into the development agenda by contributing to these areas through:
· Developing policy recommendations and implementing initiatives aimed at the improvement of labour migration policies in MIRPAL countries;
· Providing a platform for a dialogue between state and non-government participants in the area of remittances and migration;
· Raising awareness on importance and impact of labour migration and remittances;
· Strengthening capacities and knowledge of all Network members through the exchange of experience (peer-learning) as well as through analysis of the best practices from key international experts in the area of remittances and migration;
· Preparing analytical briefs and thematic research on specific topics of interest;
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[1] Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyz Republic