In the latest of its Migration Research
Series, Migration and Development: Opportunities and Challenges for
Policymakers, IOM warns that the migration-development nexus, which
involves increasingly complex flows of people, money and linkages,
represents a major challenge for migration policymakers
worldwide.

According to the report, "one-size-fits-all"
interventions and "easy wins" will be rare, if not impossible in
this area. In order to achieve a degree of success in this domain,
policymakers in developed and developing countries will have to
work more closely with multilateral agencies, NGOs and the private
sector to provide multidimensional responses.

International migration can have an important
and positive impact on development policies, providing appropriate
measures are taken to limit the negative consequences of the
emigration of highly skilled workers from developing countries. But
the report says new ways must be found to involve expatriate
communities in the development of their home countries through
incentives, linkages and development-friendly migration policies.
These types of policies could include bilateral temporary migration
agreements, portable social protection entitlements and dedicated
reintegration training.

The report underlines the need for a better
understanding of different actors can help to mitigate the negative
developmental impacts of migration. It notes, for instance, that
the private sector has a role to play in mitigating some of the
adverse consequences of the brain drain, especially in the health
and education sectors. This can be done by providing training to
more professionals so as to improve the overall supply of qualified
human resources in countries of origin, to off balance the impact
created by those who might decide to emigrate at a later stage.

According to the report, measures should also
be taken to ensure remittances are used more effectively to reduce
poverty and advance economic development. According to the World
Bank, remittances to developing countries reached US$167 billion in
2005, up 73% from 2001. Nevertheless, authors of the report say
that more remittances could be used for development purposes
through lower transfer costs and collective action.

Other recommendations include increased policy
coherence and coordination between policy makers at all levels,
assessing the effectiveness of existing migration policies and
greater international dialogue and cooperation on migration and
development issues.

For further information, please contact:

Macha Farrant, Research Fellow, Institute for
Public Policy Research

Tel +44 20 7470 61 28

Email: "mailto:m.farrant@ippr.org" target="_blank" title=
"">m.farrant@ippr.org