Helping migrants to invest in agricultural development in their
home countries is at the heart of a new agreement between FAO and
IOM.

FAO Deputy Director-General Jim Butler and IOM Deputy
Director-General Ndioro Ndiaye today signed the agreement to
collaborate on agricultural projects which stem directly from
migrant communities in Europe and other nations of the OECD
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).

The collaboration will allow support such as the provision of
technical assistance to both agricultural and agro-processing
projects proposed by migrants for development in Africa, Asia,
Latin America and the Middle East which could lead to additional
income and job opportunities in origin communities. Partnerships
with local and central governments in both developed and developing
countries would be sought as well as seeking ways to mobilize
human, financial and in-kind resources from governments, migrants'
associations, NGOs and the private sector.

The agreement, signed at FAO headquarters in Rome, reflects
growing international recognition of the key roles played by
migrants in their countries of origin through their contributions
of financial support and expertise.

Migrants remitted an estimated USD 283 billion in 2008 to
developing countries, higher than the amount provided through
foreign aid or foreign direct investment, according to World Bank
figures.

The cornerstone of the agreement between the two organizations
is the concept of co-development, a kind of two-way street through
which migrants can put their expertise and remittances behind
development in their countries of origin while, at the same time,
increasing their own integration in their host countries.

Under the Decentralized Cooperation Programme (DCP) launched in
2002, FAO has forged or begun negotiations on 28 cooperation
agreements with regional and local authorities in Italy, France,
Spain and Belgium for the development of projects in selected
countries.

In 2001, IOM launched the Migration for Development in Africa
(MIDA) Programme that has implemented projects involving African
migrants and their host communities in several European countries
to support productive investments in African
countries.    

For further information, please contact:

Flavio Di Giacomo

IOM Rome

Tel: +39 06 44 186 207

E-mail: "mailto:fdigiacomo@iom.int">fdigiacomo@iom.int