Switzerland - As countries traditionally seen as emigration nations are increasingly becoming destinations for migrants from the developing world, IOM is to host a two-day workshop that aims to address the development opportunities posed by this trend.

The workshop: “South-South Migration: Partnering Strategically for Development,” which will open on 24th March at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG), will feature a keynote address by the Republic of Mauritius Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Shakeel Ahmed Yousuf Abudal Razack Mohamed.

Other speakers will include senior government officials, academics and international experts in the field of South-South migration. There will be also a “Migrant Voice” session to allow direct exchange between participants and people who have practical experience of south-south migration.

Studies show that the magnitude of south-south movements (82.3 million migrants worldwide) is roughly equal to south-north flows (81.9 million.) More than half of the top twenty migration corridors worldwide are along the south-south axis.

Rapid economic growth in several countries of the South has been driving large flows of labour migration, particularly to natural resource-rich countries like Angola, Papua New Guinea and the countries of the Arabian Gulf.

Continuous economic growth in these countries will lead to increased demand for migrant workers. The expanding economies of some Latin American countries are also attracting labour migrants from the South.

“More effort and attention are required to assess the development potential of South-South migration,” says IOM Director General, William Lacy Swing. “Migration can make important contributions towards poverty reduction and sustainable economic development.”

South-South remittances are as important as remittances sent North-South. Two thirds of remittances received in least developed countries come from other developing countries. They represent a major contribution to development.

In addition, the transfers of knowledge, skills and good practices acquired by the migrants working abroad contribute to the development of their countries when they come back home. Returnees have also been shown to contribute to job creation.

This increasing trend of south-south migration also presents a series of challenges that will be discussed during the workshop. These include the integration of newly arrived migrants and the reintegration of returnees. Most countries in the South are not accustomed to their new role as immigration countries and face specific integration difficulties often due to their unchanged migration policies.

Irregular migration, the smuggling of migrants and the trafficking of persons are other important patterns observed in south-south migration and remain inappropriately addressed, if at all. They are driven by insecurity, poverty and oppression. 

Many developing countries lack the necessary knowledge, skills and resources to manage south-south migration effectively and benefit from its development potential. The capacity of governments to ensure the protection and respect of migrants’ basic rights, such as access to health, education and labour rights, is often limited.

The workshop will explore ways to address these challenges. The discussions will focus on ways governments and agencies can develop a comprehensive approach to give increased recognition to this facet of human mobility and include it in the post-2015 international development agenda. It is totally absent from the UN 2015 Millennium Development Goals.

For the IDM agenda and background documents, please go to http://www.iom.int/cms/idmsouthsouthmigration

For more information, please contact

Samri Azzouz
IOM Geneva
Email: asamri@iom.int
Tel +41.22.717.9468, +41.79.442.5228