NATO Parliamentary Assembly: Security Challenges in the Mediterranean and Middle East
I thank the Mediterranean Special Group of the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly, the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies,
for this invitation. The subject of your seminar – security
challenges in the Mediterranean and the Middle East - is more than
timely.
It is a pleasure to discuss migration in a NATO environment, also
because relations between our two organizations are growing
steadily. Just a few months ago we signed an agreement with NATO's
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE) to increase
cooperation in natural disasters, complex emergencies and post
conflict environments. The agreement “paves the way for an
increased exchange of information and expertise at planning and
operational levels to improve the capacity of both organizations to
respond in times of humanitarian emergencies”. Earlier this
year we held a first joint training seminar on “exit
strategies” with the NATO College in Rome, and we send
lecturers to Oberammergau with some frequency.
The linkages between migration and security are obviously receiving
growing attention. While security is a necessary dimension of
migration management (and I shall return to this later), it must
however not become the principal focus of the debate. There are
many others to consider. Key among them is demographics –
both in origin and destination societies; incidentally a
distinction that is getting increasingly blurred.
Philippe Fargues will no doubt discuss the Mediterranean dimension
of demographics and migration in some details. I shall thus just
point out a few more generalized facts as they emerge from recent
research.
- All countries of Western Europe have a positive migration
balance as do 6 of the 10 new EU member States. It is very likely
that soon this will be the case for the rest of Europe. - Demographic stagnation best describes Europe’s native
populations. - In 2004, the total number of long-term immigrants into OECD
countries reached between 3 to 3.5 million, including about 1
million in the United States. In Italy and Portugal, the large
number of irregular migrants may explain the relatively low levels
of registered long-term entries. - Despite the recent increase in labour migration, accompanying
family and family reunification still make up the bulk of long-term
migration to most OECD countries. - Temporary labour migration is also important and
increasing. - There has been a sharp decrease of asylum seekers in the last 3
years, but this category still fuels important flows (336,000 in
2005, 15 percent fewer than in 2004). Certain countries (Austria,
Finland, France, Poland, Slovak Republic, Sweden) see marked
increases. Nevertheless, in the 25 countries of the European Union,
as well as in Europe as a whole, the number of asylum seekers last
year was the lowest since 1988. - Immigration flows are characterized by the predominance of a
few traditional origin countries and the increase of certain
nationalities (recently, for example, Romanians for Italy, Poles
for Germany, Danes, Poles and Thais for Sweden). - Unauthorized migration and illegal employment continue.
According to recent UN estimates, there were between 7 and 8
million irregular migrants present in Europe in 2005. The boats
arriving in Lampedusa harbour or at the Canaries provide an
impressive picture picked up by the media. Most migrants, however,
become irregulars because of clandestine or fraudulent entry, legal
entry followed by overstaying or illegality induced by
administrative measures. - Immigration contributes significantly to population growth in a
number of OECD countries, with Spain and Italy registering most of
their growth thanks to immigration. - Immigrants make up an important and increasing share of the
total labour force in most OECD countries. Their integration into
the labour market does however face difficulties. In many
countries, the unemployment rates of immigrants are significantly
higher than those of native-born. - Selective migration policies have become more and more
important as competition among receiving countries increases to
attract and retain the best and brightest. This raises concerns
about brain circulation vs. brain drain, and the benefits that
countries of origin and of destination as well as the individual
migrants draw from this phenomenon.
The EU strategy for the external dimension of the policy on
freedom, security and justice emphasizes the need for international
migration to be addressed as a priority issue. Indeed, Europe has
the highest share of the 191 million international migrants in the
world – today, one in every three migrants lives in
Europe.
Demographic trends, increasing global economic integration and the
gap in income levels between the developed and developing worlds
ensure that migration to Europe will continue. Freedom, security
and justice in the EU and its neighbouring countries and the aim of
prosperity and stability in the region require that mobility will
not take the form of more unregulated migration, with associated
adverse effects and security challenges, but will instead flow into
safe, orderly, humane and productive avenues.
A comprehensive and balanced approach to migration requires
policies and measures addressing a broad range of challenges and
opportunities including regular and irregular migration, human
rights of migrants, migration and development, inter-state dialogue
and cooperation, integration and return.
After the events of 9/11 and in light of a sustained global
terrorist threat, security concerns necessarily are high on
national and international agendas, including in the context of the
movement of people. In Europe and internationally, security remains
one the central considerations in migration management.
There is a close link between cross-border mobility and security.
Irregular migration poses a threat to security and stability in a
variety of ways:
- In its most corrosive forms of smuggling and trafficking, it is
linked to transnational organized crime. Entry of migrants in an
irregular manner undermines the capacity of states to ensure public
order; trafficking and smuggling on a large scale can corrupt and
undermine the institutions of the state. My organization estimates
that some 200,000 people are trafficked into and within Europe
every year, the majority of them women and girls for sexual
exploitation. - Moreover, irregular migration fuels corruption, as well as
informal economies and undermines social cohesion, which, at worst,
may provoke xenophobia and racism.
The challenge States face is how to protect society and reduce
irregular migration without stifling legitimate and needed movement
and without imposing serious constraints on personal rights and
liberties.
While it is the fundamental right of each country to determine who
enters and remains in its territory and under what conditions,
geographic mobility increasingly extends the scope of security
concerns beyond national borders. Addressing modern security
threats requires a broader concept of security based on promoting
development, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
Comprehensive approaches to migration management should be pursued
not only in terms of content – by addressing the multiplicity
of relevant policy areas --but also in terms of participation. It
is necessary to include all relevant players at both the national
and international levels. At the national level, that would involve
all governmental ministries whose work directly or indirectly
involves or impacts migration – such as justice and home
affairs, defense, labour, trade and development. The business
community, trade unions and civil society are key voices that need
to be heard at grassroots levels. At the international level,
organizations dealing with issues such as development, labour,
human rights, trade, health and crime prevention need to be
involved. Cooperation is key to this extent, to bridging coherence
gaps and achieving effective migration management.
The multilateral agencies of the UN and IOM have created the Global
Migration Group (GMG), an inter-agency gathering, meeting at the
level of Heads of agencies. Its membership is composed of the ILO,
IOM, OHCHR, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNODC, UNDESA, UNDP, UNFPA and the World
Bank.
Global dialogue on migration too has experienced some progress.
IOM's International Dialogue on Migration brings together more than
130 states and partner organizations to share experiences and
perspectives and create better understanding and cooperation in the
management of migration. The UN has decided to make International
Migration and Development a yearly agenda item, a High-Level
dialogue in New York will discuss the issue in detail this
September, and these days there is also talk about establishing a
further forum that will allow debate among governments on migration
issues.
IOM is actively involved in promoting regional cooperation on
migration including through initiation and facilitation of regional
dialogues. Regional and sub-regional processes, such as the 5+5
Dialogue on Migration in the Western Mediterranean provide
essential fora for informal dialogue, exchange of information,
analysis of migration-related topics and capacity building in the
region. The forthcoming Rabat conference too will be an important
step in the dialogue between countries involved in the same flows
of migrants, and so does the “Across Sahara” project
that promotes dialogue and technical cooperation between Italy,
Libya and Niger.
Key to deepening cooperation among these countries is the
recognition that transit states in Northern Africa bear significant
burdens as a result of heavy migration flows. These countries act
as a buffer apprehending considerable and increasing numbers of
irregular migrants en route to Europe. The EECA countries are in a
similar situation where the heaviest burden of irregular migrants
seeking to enter the EU is experienced by the countries on the
Western Border of the CIS (Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova). Turkey
too is a major transit and destination country.
The influx of irregular migrants puts a considerable strain on the
often under-resourced social and welfare services of transit
countries, when irregular migrants temporarily settle there before
trying to reach their destination. Transit states often do not have
the capacity to send these migrants back to their countries of
origin or to accommodate them. In addition, irregular migrants
typically take up informal jobs while in transit states, fuelling
growth of the informal economy - and corruption.
IOM is actively working with the Maghreb states on bilateral as
well as sub-regional levels providing support and strengthening
their institutional capacity to combat irregular migration and
trafficking and develop effective migration management systems.
To respond more adequately to these new challenges we opened this
year new offices in Tripoli and on Lampedusa Island, south of
Sicily.
One of the projects implemented by IOM in Libya provides support to
the Libyan government in responding to the growing challenges of
increasing irregular and transit migration in a humane manner,
including through bringing reception conditions available to
irregular migrants up to international standards and offering such
migrants voluntary return possibilities.
Effective migration management requires capacity building to help
place all states on more equal footing. Due to the complexity of
migration management, capacity building must cover a range of
cross-cutting activities and sectors of policy making. Lack of
migration management capacity in some countries can undermine the
ability of the whole region to deal effectively with issues related
to the movement of people. Therefore a partnership between
countries with different levels of capacity is essential. While the
EU plays a prominent role in providing financial and technical
assistance (through such programmes as AENEAS, TACIS, CARDS, MEDA,
AGIS and ARGO) to partner countries in developing their capacities,
more is needed.
We do have many tools and fora at our disposal. Still, all is not
well when it comes to managing international migration in a humane
and efficient manner. The deserts of Africa and the shores of the
Mediterranean already host too many graves of often anonymous
migrants who did not make it. Many were unaware of the real risks
linked to irregular migration or the (few) actual legal migration
opportunities that their smugglers have no interest in promoting.
Information – credible, from a neutral source, based on facts
– is one key element of managing migration and preventing
hardship. Migration also brings challenges to the societies where
migrants have managed to arrive; among them are social tension,
conflicted identity, and the alienation caused by inadequate
integration. With the numbers of migrants - and countries -
affected by migration growing, integration has become a major focus
for policy makers at all levels. In Europe we have seen different
models succeed - or sometimes fail. Here much more will have to be
invested in order to avoid that the centrifugal forces brought by
many diverse nationalities, religions and cultures will not become
stronger than the cohesion that still characterizes most European
societies.
Successful integration helps migrants become active members in the
economic, social, cultural and political life of host states. This,
in turn, can also be beneficial for their countries of origin,
because migrants can then more easily mobilize their human and
financial capital to support the development process.
While the term is used and understood differently in different
countries and contexts, "integration" can be defined as the process
by which migrants become accepted into society, both as individuals
and as groups. It generally refers to a two-way process of
adaptation by migrants and receiving societies, while the
particular requirements for acceptance by a host society vary from
country to country. The responsibility for integration rests with
many actors: migrants themselves, host governments, various public
and private institutions and communities. Integration does not
necessarily imply permanent settlement. It does, however, imply
consideration of the rights and obligations of migrants and host
societies, of access to different kinds of services and the labour
market, and of identification and respect for a core set of values
that bind migrants and host communities in a common purpose.
The relationship of migrants with the host society can be seen as
taking place along a spectrum ranging from:
- very little interaction where migrants are essentially
segregated or excluded or segregate themselves from the society in
which they live and work; - an expectation that migrants shed their cultural identity by
assimilating into the mainstream culture; - an encouragement to migrants to take on a new national
identity; - promotion of the retention and development of migrant cultures
and languages in a multicultural context; to - the development of transnational and dual or multiple
identities where migrants live in, have a sense of belonging to,
and participate effectively in two or more societies, including
those of destination and origin countries.
A polarity of integration models is emerging today. Key
questions for reflection and discussion should include:
- What does it mean to be successfully integrated
today? - What level of integration is required for each category or type
of migrant? - What are the implications for the identity of a country or a
society? - What are the implications for government policies, for example,
regarding language and access to social services, education, and
health care? - What should the core values of each society be and through what
process or processes could they be better defined? - Should diversity and transnational identity be viewed as
inherent values to be promoted, or simply as realities that cannot
be ignored, and how can they be harnessed to benefit communities in
both host and origin countries?
In the past, migratory trends were dominated by one-time,
unidirectional movement resulting in permanent settlement in
countries of destination. As a result, countries of destination
traditionally focused on the integration of migrants with a view to
putting them on the path to nationality. For this reason, some
countries’ considered (and continue to consider) integration
only in these terms.
Though permanent and long-term migration remains significant,
International migration today is increasingly temporary, circular
and multi-directional. As these characteristics increase, more
countries are seeing this phenomenon as a policy priority. These
trends in direction and duration highlight the need for integration
efforts to be flexible and responsive to the needs of each
different situation, and in particular to address the specific
place and role of temporary migrants in the host society.
To focus today solely on integration in terms of long term or
permanent migration risks marginalizing an increasingly large
segment of the population in many countries, with negative social
and economic implications. Moreover, the particular situation of
migrants in an irregular status cannot be ignored: at a minimum,
their human rights must be respected and enforced.
The effectiveness of integration strategies depends to a large
extent on the particular needs of individual migrants and those of
the host country or community. While policies on integration have
mainly developed in Western countries and in traditional
immigration countries, every country needs to find its own approach
in view of its specific circumstances. For example, whether
migrants will have access to the labour market and to social
services such as healthcare and other forms of public assistance
depends on host country approaches to these questions for
nationals, as well as for migrants.
Even where migration is temporary, a certain level of integration
is nonetheless necessary to ensure that the temporary stay is as
productive and beneficial as possible. Where migrants have chosen a
host society but have not been chosen by it (i.e. either entered
without permission or overstayed a lawful entry), questions of
integration nonetheless are important for social stability,
security and national identity. While migrants in an irregular
situation are integrated de facto in some cases, particularly if
they are employed and speak the local language, some countries have
adopted measures enabling certain groups of irregular migrants to
regularize their status, in recognition of their contribution to
the national economy, or, conversely, to prevent their further
exploitation and marginalization, and promote their fuller
integration.
By familiarizing migrants with legal requirements and
administrative practices and instilling them with a sense of
belonging and responsibility to the host community while respecting
and valuing their own culture, integration can positively affect
migrants’ desire to abide by host society rules and to be
active contributors to society. All members of the community,
including migrants, not only avoid the negative repercussions
arising from migrants’ isolation and marginalization, but
positively benefit from strengthened communities.
Policy approaches to integration are often adopted based on the
cause or category of movement, such as resulting from persecution
or conflict in the case of refugees, lack of economic opportunity,
or to unite with family. Migrants’ skills, reasons for
migrating, cultural values and traditions, place of origin, place
of destination, length of stay, family status, and gender too are
among the factors to consider.
Integration involves a number of dimensions, including economic,
social, cultural, political and legal. While much discussion of
integration focuses on ensuring migrants’ ability to be
gainfully employed and contribute to the local economy, more than
this is required if migrants are to be full participants in their
host society.
The consequences of failed economic integration of migrants are all
too evident. Persistent unemployment among many second and third
generation migrants, increasing alienation, isolation and
frustration, often fuelled by a combination of relative poverty,
limited educational opportunities and the absence of supportive
networks, can result in social tension and disturbances. These
issues often affect the local population in poorer and more
deprived communities and not just migrants, and therefore require
comprehensive economic and social strategies, involving governments
at all levels as well as a wide range of other stakeholders, such
as employers, local communities and civil society
organizations.
Whether or not migrants embark on the path to integration can
depend to a large degree on social policy advocating a proactive
approach to migrants. The provision of social services can
facilitate integration by giving migrants the information and
resources necessary for their self-reliance and interaction in
society. Social policies, particularly in education and health
care, which promote acceptance of diversity, help migrants and
their families integrate and build healthier societies. Providing
opportunities for migrants – both children and adults –
to learn the local language is a critical first step.
Migrants’ resource centres may “give a face” to
such initiatives, as is already the case in several countries.
Tolerance of diversity is crucial, and concerted efforts are
required to create relationships between culturally distinct
communities of migrants and nationals with a view to building
social cohesion and harmony. Schools and the media have
particularly important roles to play in promoting tolerance and
mutual acceptance.
Migration can alter the cultural composition and economic landscape
of whole regions, cities and communities in host countries, due to
the increase in population or to the particular practices, skills
sets and beliefs of individual migrants. Migrants and migration can
bring vibrancy, increased productivity, cultural richness and
diversity. But cultural and religious differences between migrants
and the host society can also bring into focus competing values
such as freedom of expression and freedom of religion and can
result in intolerance, discrimination and xenophobia.
“Successfully integrated" migrants often are involved in
community activities as well as religious organizations. An
environment of cultural and religious tolerance is a prerequisite
for such participation. In order to maintain social cohesion in the
face of growing diversity, sensitization of younger generations to
religious tolerance in schools and elsewhere, as well as fair and
balanced portrayal of migration and religious diversity by the
media, require particular attention. Moreover, migrants originating
from societies where religion plays a key role may need specific
support to integrate themselves in countries where socio-cultural
diversity is more pronounced.
The legal dimensions of integration, including mutual rights and
obligations on the part of migrants and their host societies,
heavily influence all aspects of the integration process. All
migrants -- regardless of legal status -- are human beings who
possess human rights and freedoms set forth in international human
rights law. National laws are adopted to ensure their effective
implementation. The core guarantee is against discrimination:
differential treatment between nationals may be allowed, but
discrimination -- unfair, unjustifiable or arbitrary distinction --
is not.
Proactive attention to migrant integration can lead to long term
savings from the preventable costs of failed integration.
Partnerships between and among stakeholders at the national and
international levels are crucial for the development of effective
integration policies and practices. Governments will have a central
role in facilitating the development and implementation of many of
these partnerships. The law - makers, have the key role of voting
the laws that provide the framework that influences success or
failure of integration.
Thank you very much.