UNDP’s Human Development Report 2009 har fokus på migration

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.

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.

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 [1]