Migration: A World on the Move
In 2005, some 191 million people -- 3 per cent of the world’s population -- lived outside their country of origin. The magnitude and complexity of international migration makes it an important force in development and a high-priority issue for both developing and developed countries. The fact that about half of all migrants are women, most of reproductive age, is another reason this a pressing issue for UNFPA.
Internal migration within countries is also on the rise, as people move in response to inequitable distribution of resources, services and opportunities, or to escape violence or natural disaster. The movement of people from rural to urban areas has contributed to the explosive growth of cities around the globe.
A relatively small percentage of migrants -- about 9.2 million in 2005 -- are refugees fleeing armed conflict, natural disaster, famine or persecution. But crises can displace large numbers of people over short time periods: in the first three weeks of the Lebanon crisis, for example, 700,000 to 800,000 people sought refuge, mostly in other parts of Lebanon. In times of crisis, UNFPA pays particular attention to the specific, often overlooked, needs of women and young people.
The majority of migrants cross borders in search of better economic and social opportunities. Economic migrants are the world’s fastest growing group of migrants. Globalization has increased the mobility of labour, and a decline in fertility and working-age populations in many developed countries is leading to a rising demand for workers from abroad to sustain national economies. New patterns of migration have arisen, and many countries that once sent migrants abroad -- for example, Argentina, Ireland and South Korea -- are now experiencing migrant inflows as well.
People who have migrated without proper authorization account for an estimated 2.5 to 4 million people each year, according to the International Organization for Migration. Undocumented migrants often face dangerous journeys, exploitation by criminal smuggling networks and difficult working and living conditions and intolerance when they arrive on foreign soil. Their irregular status often leaves them afraid to seek help when their rights are violated.
One of the most significant changes in migration patterns in the last half century is that more women are migrating than ever before. Women now constitute half the international migrant population, and in some countries, as much as 70 or 80 per cent. As women migrants frequently end up in low-status, low-wage production and service jobs and often work in gender-segregated and unregulated sectors of the economy, such as domestic work, they are exposed to a much higher risk of exploitation, violence and abuse. Women migrants are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation, a multimillion-dollar business. Trafficked women are exposed to sexual violence and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, yet they have little access to medical or legal services.
Migration is increasingly being perceived as a force that can contribute to development, and an integral aspect of the global development process. Migration considerations are being incorporated into Poverty Reduction Strategies and broader planning policies, and will have an impact on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Migration is often temporary or circular, and many migrants maintain links with their home countries. While migrants make important contributions to the economic prosperity of their host countries, the flow of financial, technological, social and human capital back to their countries of origin also is having a significant impact on poverty reduction and economic development. Remittances from migrants are a major source of capital for developing countries.
Formal remittance transfers of some $150 billion were reported in 2004. Possibly twice this amount was transferred informally. These financial transfers are growing in significance. In many countries, they are larger than either development assistance or foreign direct invesment. Available data show that women send home a higher proportion of their earnings than do men. These contributions feed and educate children and generally improve the living standards of loved ones left behind.
Attention is being drawn to measures to counteract the negative affects of 'brain drain', to encourage migrants to invest in their countries of origin and bring their knowledge, skills and technical expertise to the development process. In sub-Saharan Africa, which is staggering under the highest disease burden in the world, the annual exodus of 20,000 nurses and doctors has grave repurcussions.
High fertility and rapid population growth in some developing countries create pressures to emigrate by taxing infrastructures, education, health and social service systems and the environment. At the same time, migration has become an important component of population growth in countries where fertility has declined. In some parts of Europe and Asia, migration is mitigating population decline resulting from below-replacement fertility and population ageing. Net migration has already either prevented population decline or contributed to population growth in a number of countries.
UNFPA promotes the agenda of the International Conference on Population and Development in the area of migration by promoting policy dialogue and enhancing governments’ ability to respond to issues relating to international migration, to promote orderly migration flows and to address the needs of migrants. The Fund supports research and policy-oriented studies, organizes meetings and assists governments in their capacity to collect migration statistics, including gender-specific data. UNFPA advocates for addressing the special concerns of women migrants, including elimination of discrimination, abuse and trafficking.
UNFPA works with governments, other UN agencies and non-governmental organizations to meet the emergency reproductive health needs of refugees and internally displaced women. UNFPA also provides reproductive health services and counselling for victims of trafficking, and technical assistance, training, and support to governments and other agencies to develop policies and legal frameworks to combat the problem.
In response to the 2004 tsunami disaster in Asia, for example, UNFPA supported mobile health clinics and health education campaigns to serve Burmese migrant communities in several provinces of Thailand, including in Phang-nga and Phuket. Services were organized by the World Vision Foundation of Thailand and provincial public health offices with UNFPA support.
In Central America and the Caribbean, a regional effort supported by OPEC as well as UNFPA, is reaching out to young migrants, as well as other hard-to-reach groups, with messages about HIV prevention.
In Nepal, through the Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth in Asia (RHIYA), UNFPA is supporting the education of parents, community leaders, district health officials, and young people about the dangers of trafficking, the shadow side of migration. It is also helping to provide victims of trafficking with training, social and legal services.
UNFPA also supports the International Migration Policy Programme (IMP), an inter-agency programme founded in 1998, in its work to foster regional and international cooperation and strengthen the capacity of governments to deal with migration issues. In October 2004, together with the IMP, UNFPA launched the joint publication Meeting the Challenges of Migration: Progress Since the ICPD at its Round Table on International Migration and Development. The report highlights the linkages between migration and population and development issues, discusses developments since the adoption of the ICPD Programme of Action in 1994 and points to some of the challenges that lie ahead.
In 2005, UNFPA convened an Expert Group Meeting “International Migration and the Millennium Development Goals” to analyze migration as both a facilitating and constraining factor in the achievement of the MDGs.
Page last reviewed: July 2006 |
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