Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor to be with you in Istanbul for this seminal
meeting on the world's Least Developed Countries.

The International Organization for Migration attaches great
importance to the relationship between development and humane and
orderly migration that benefits migrants as well as their countries
and societies of origin and destination.

My colleagues and I are pleased that this forum will highlight
the role and contribution of what are the 32 million
migrants¹ from LDCs living abroad today - nearly 15
percent of the global total of 214 million international
migrants.

When the more than 740 million internal migrants globally are
considered as well -- making up 1 billion migrants in the world; or
one in every six or seven people -- it is clear that the movement
of people today is a global ‘mega-trend. Migration thus
constitutes one of the principal elements that determines whether
individuals and societies thrive and prosper; whether individual
rights will be protected and promoted; and whether opportunities
for personal and societal growth and development will be
achieved.

As we seek together to foster growth and empowerment for the
world's LDCs, the outcome document for this conference would do
well to reflect the relationship between migration and development
and to identify strategies and measures that we can employ together
to help realize the positive potential of migration and minimize
its often unintended negative effects.

I wish to take the opportunity of this intervention to highlight
briefly three points:

I. MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT

First, Migration is the original and oldest poverty reduction
strategy known to humankind. It is a time proven strategy for
individual -- and in many cases community -- poverty alleviation
and development.

Migration and the remittances it generates often comprise the
determining factor in whether there will be food on the table,
medicines for health care, and education for boys and girls.

In 2009, migrants sent US$ 24.2 billion in remittances to their
families in the LDCs. That's approximately US$8 billion more than
foreign direct investment that same year².

While remittances are of course private funds and cannot and
should not substitute for Official Development Assistance, money
sent home is an important source of poverty alleviation, currency
stabilization, and can help unlock human potential. We must
continue to work assiduously to reduce the costs of transferring
remittances and create better incentives for their productive
application and use.

Likewise, lowering the barriers to human movement and ensuring
migrants' rights, are essential in the fight against poverty in
today's inter-connected and mobile world. Through the trade and
investment networks they establish, and the skills and innovative
ideas they transfer back to their home countries, migrants provide
a critical complement to the human capital already present in the
LDCs.

II. CLIMATE CHANGE AND MIGRATION

My second point concerns the nexus between environmental
degradation and climate change on the one hand, and migration and
the displacement of persons on the other hand.

We know that it is the poorest and most vulnerable that will
bear the brunt of the impact of climate change. We also know that
environmental factors – whether slow onset ones such as
deforestation, soil and river erosion, or extreme environmental
events such as tsunamis, earthquakes and other cataclysmic events
– are growing in frequency and intensity, and are expected to
displace scores of persons in the decades to come.

Most of that displacement will take place internally, within the
confines of a state, and the LDCs are the most likely to be
affected both because of their geography and because of their low
adaptive capacity. When trans-boundary migration takes place it is
likely to occur between LDCs.

In some instances, migration will be a survival strategy of last
resort. In others, migration can be a viable adaptation strategy,
for example by moving temporarily from an area of low productive
capacity to relieve pressure and allow for the rebuilding or
relocation of crops and other forms of livelihoods.

Given their modest capacities, LDCs will find it harder than
anyone else to deal with the effects of these international as well
as internal migration flows. Therefore, they will rely on the
support of the international community to meet this common
challenge.

III. EMERGING ISSUES

My third and brief final point: migration continues to be a
topical, yet insufficiently understood issue. Emerging issues such
as South-South migration and female migration are adding new
layers. Such complex trends need to be better understood, and
develop policies need to be adapted to address migration in order
to maximize the benefits of human mobility for LDC development.

Conclusion

As we depart Istanbul later this week and take forward the
Istanbul Program of Action, we need to remember that migration
affects every LDC.

Migration now needs to be included in as an integral element in
national development plans as well as in donor aid strategies and
programmes.

IOM remains ready to work together with you and in particular
with the LDCs, to maximize the benefits of migration for
development and help ensure meaningful implementation of the
Istanbul Program of Action.

¹UN DESA - Population Division
(2011)

²World Bank (2011)