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Migration and Urbanization
According to the United Nations Population Division,(7)
in 2000 there were 175 million international migrants
in the world—1 in every 35 persons—up from 79 million
in 1960.(8) Nearly 50 per cent were women, and
10.4 million were refugees. Between 1990 and 2000,
two thirds of the growth in migrants took place in
North America. Before 1980, the less-developed regions
had a higher share of international migrants, but by
2000, three fifths were found in the more-developed
regions.
Today, in an increasingly globalized economy,
migration often provides employment opportunities,
giving rise to an unprecedented flow of migrants,
including increasing numbers of female migrants.(9)
At the same time, there are growing numbers of
refugees and people internally displaced by natural
disasters, armed conflict, social unrest, or economic
and political crises.
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| ADDRESSING MIGRATION’S CAUSES |
Governments of countries of origin and of countries of destination should seek to make the option of remaining in one’s country viable for all people. To that end, efforts to achieve sustainable economic and
social development, ensuring a better economic balance between developed and developing countries and countries with economies in transition, should be strengthened. It is also necessary to increase efforts to defuse international and internal conflicts before they escalate; to ensure that the rights of persons belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities, and indigenous people are respected; and to respect the rule of law, promote good governance, strengthen democracy and promote human rights. |
| —from ICPD Programme of Action, para. 10.3 |
International migratory movements have big
economic, sociocultural and demographic impacts
on sending, transit and receiving areas.(10) Transit
and receiving areas have had difficulties managing
migration flows and integrating migrants into society.
Sending areas have lost skilled labour and families
have been divided, with women often becoming
household heads after the departure of their
husbands.
The migration of younger workers has left
behind those too old for physical work in agriculture. Heightened concerns about terrorism have prompted
many countries to enhance security at their borders,
leading to increased illegal immigration, particularly
through smuggling and trafficking. Migratory movements
have contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS
and other diseases.
The economic effects of migration run in both
directions. Remittances from migrants flow from
more- to less-developed countries. The World Bank
reports that in 2002, total workers’ remittances to
developing countries amounted to $88 billion ($30
billion more than official development assistance),
and that remittances flowing through official channels
more than doubled between 1988 and 1999.(11)
The ICPD called on countries to: address the root
causes of migration, especially those related to poverty,
for instance, by promoting sustainable development
to ensure a better economic balance between developed
and developing countries, and defusing international
and internal conflicts; encourage more cooperation
and dialogue between countries of origin and countries
of destination, to maximize the benefits of
migration; and facilitate the reintegration of
returning migrants.(12)
Recommendations included using short-term
migration to improve the skills of nationals of countries
of origin, collecting data on flows and numbers
of international migrants and on factors causing migration,
and strengthening international protection of
and assistance to refugees and displaced persons.(13)
Echoing the ICPD and other international agreements,
the Millennium Summit in 2000 agreed that
countries should respect and protect the human
rights of migrants, migrant workers and their families.
The 2003 Final Report of the Commission on
Human Security(14) stated, “The movements of people
across borders reinforce the interdependence of
countries and communities and enhance diversity”.
Nevertheless, international migration remains a
sensitive subject, and countries have not been able
to agree to convene a United Nations conference to
provide guidance to countries in addressing the
issue, as some have proposed.(15)
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