Your Excellencies, the Ministers of Labour; Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour to take part in today’s Arab Labour Organization’s Ministerial conference – a meeting that is addressing the important subject of human mobility in the Arab World. I am deeply grateful to His Royal Highness King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for the honour and privilege of being here today.

I would like to thank the Royal Jordanian Government and Minister of Labour, Dr. Ghazi Shbeikat, along with the Director General of the Arab Labour Organization, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Luqman and his staff, for their generous hospitality in organizing this auspicious event.

It is indeed an honour to make a few remarks to this gathering of distinguished representatives of labour organizations, civil society and governments. All of you individually and collectively, represent the hopes and aspirations of millions of people from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea.

Let me just mention, in this regard, how pleased I was to meet in Geneva on 17 February with the Geneva-accredited Ambassadors from Arab League Member States. I also expect to have a similar exchange, upon my return, with Geneva-based Ambassadors from Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Member States, and to take part, as an observer, at the OIC Ministerial meeting in May at Damascus.

My remarks are divided into the following three points relating to the benefits, challenges, and priorities for the future as they relate to human mobility in the Arab region.

The Arab World is no stranger to human mobility. First of all, since time immemorial, millions of Arabs have immigrated to the farthest reaches of the globe. In doing so, these migrants have in turn strengthened the social, religious and educational milieus of new communities, and ultimately, forging strong bonds with the Arab world.

Today, the historic bonds between diaspora communities and the Arab world facilitate global trade and commerce. These bonds attest to human mobility’s prospects to serve as a source of sustainable development in origin and destination countries.

At the same time, the Arab region itself is home to 22 million migrants. You have generously opened your doors to refugees, IDPs, and labour migrants and continue to do so. This labour mobility across your borders is a structural feature of Arab economies, advancing regional integration over many years. Moreover, the 13-18 million foreign workers in the Arab States region today generate nearly USD 20 billion a year in remittances (according to the World Bank). As such, even though private flows – those migrant remittances represent a further development resource; remittances surpass by threefold the totality of official development assistance (ODA) commitments towards the region each year.

The World Migration Report 2008, launched last December, concludes that – more than at any other time in recent history – human mobility is almost entirely labour migration.

Unfortunately, it is, more often than not, the adverse effects of migration that are better known. One need only turn to the daily headlines to read of the perils of irregular migration – victims of human trafficking, xenophobia, or migrant deaths far from home, as occurred tragically only last week off Libya’s shores in which 273 migrants lost their lives.

Globalization’s unintended effects are often a factor driving human mobility – climate change, demographic and economic imbalances, natural disasters, instability and crisis. These elements coalesce to thwart orderly migration; they stall human development; and they spur the one-way flow of human capital, the so-called ‘brain drain,’ a loss of an estimated USD 1.57 billion annually according to several Arab scholars.

The current global financial crisis adds further complications, including the unregulated outflow of foreign workers and migrants affected by the recent slowdown in Arab economies. We are all concerned about: (a) loss of jobs; (b) a decrease in remittances; (c) less Overseas Development Assistance; and (d) stigmatization and scapegoating of migrants.

The forces of globalization affect as we know the movement of capital, goods, and services, but also have a great impact on people. In this regard, isolated positions and policies are not an option and partnerships will be necessary if human mobility is to be managed in a manner to produce maximum benefits for all.

For its part, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) stands ready to assist and support governments to manage migration for the benefit of all. Our priorities in the Arab region focus on four areas:

1. Operational research into the dynamics of human mobility e.g. on 14 December we launched in Cairo the Arabic language editions of our Counter-Trafficking Handbook;
2. Policy tools and legal instruments to encourage good management of migration in accordance with international norms;
3. Strengthening migration services to address regular and irregular migration, including in emergency and post-conflict situations, ensure the rights of migrants; and
4. Engaging and partnering with regional organizations, including the hosts of this event, the Arab Labour Organization, the League of Arab States, and others.

I would add two additional areas that IOM is particularly keen to develop with you.

The first is reinforcing the work of Regional Consultative Processes. IOM is eager to enhance the coordination between the "Western Mediterranean" and the "Abu Dhabi Dialogues" as the main RCPs in the Arab region

The second is expanding the number of Arab Member States and Observers in the IOM. Membership reinforces Member State’s ownership of the Organization; membership opens the door to innovation and new opportunities. IOM is an intergovernmental body that exists to serve its Member and Observer States. With your Permanent Representatives in Geneva, and during my visits to Arab capitals, I will continue to promote a significant increase in Arab States membership in IOM; as well as generating greater attention and resources to the entire Arab World.

Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen: Even in the midst of the global financial crisis, we have the opportunity to harness the positive impact of human mobility for the region. The Arab world is experiencing great prospects for wealth creation, despite a recent slowdown in Arab economies and some decline in remittances.

Moreover, one of the key resources in the Arab world is a talented generation of Arab youth, including many gifted girls and women, who are eager to contribute to the economy. Through partnerships we can ensure that this generation prospers and that the benefits of human mobility outweigh any possible harm.

I pledge that the International Organization for Migration will seek every opportunity to work with you in partnership to ensure that human mobility is harnessed for the benefit of your people.