Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour for me to participate in this roundtable
discussion on behalf of the International Organization for
Migration (IOM).

My brief remarks will center on three points in the context of
migration as an emerging, cross-cutting issue -- one that has the
potential to challenge and support the achievement of a number of
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

1. The MDGs do not explicitly mention
migration 

My first point is that the MDGs do not explicitly mention
migration; nor does migration figure, either directly or
indirectly, in the various targets used to evaluate progress
towards achieving the MDGs.

This in itself tells a story. Ten years ago when the architects
of the MDGs set out to identify goals and map targets – about
the same time IOM published its first flagship World Migration
Report (2000) – migration was not yet on the global
agenda.

Back then -- at the dawn of a new millennium -- there were 150
million international migrants in the world. Ten years later that
number has risen to more than 214 million -- and is expected to
rise to 450 million by 2050.

Today, few forces in modern life are as omnipresent, yet still
overlooked, as global migration. It’s the “story behind
the story” -- impacting political and economic systems, state
security, and challenging the very notion of what constitutes the
nation state.

Migration is an emerging mega-trend of the 21st Century –
the ramifications of which we are only beginning to grasp.

2. Migration a priority for every
country 

My second point is that migration is now becoming a priority for
virtually every country around the world.

Migration is part and parcel of globalization -- the so-called
“third wave” -- following on the heels of
distance-shrinking technology and market-opening government
policies that have brought the world closer together.

Demographic, labour market and economic disparities, combined
with instant communication and inexpensive global transportation
have produced the greatest movement of people in recorded
history.

As one author describes this state of affairs: the
industrialized world is facing a period of “demographic
stagnation” and of “shrinking national labour
forces”; in other countries birth rates are high and job
creation low. Today, South-South migration is as substantial as
South-North migration.

3. Migration: "the oldest action against
poverty" 

My third point is that migration is among humanities’ oldest
freedoms and actions against poverty.

As J.K. Galbraith said nearly 40 years ago,
"Migration…selects those who most want help. It is good for
the country to which they go; it helps break the equilibrium of
poverty in the country from which they come."

This in a nutshell is the message of the most recent UNDP
Human Development Report and IOM World Migration
Report, which together advocate for improving protection of
migrants rights and lowering the barriers to human mobility to
advance human development.

Time will permit only a few examples of the contribution of
migration to the achievement of the MDGs. (A more detailed
account is available at the back of the room.)

4. Examples of migrations impact on the
MDGs: 

(a) Migrant Remittances: The first concerns the money
involved. Migrants, who still constitute only three percent of the
world’s population, sent home nearly $317 billion last year
-- three times the world’s total Official Development Aid
(ODA) and nearly two-thirds as large as that of total Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) in developing countries.

In at least seven countries, remittances account for more than a
quarter of the gross domestic product. Migrant remittances can help
in the attainment of MDG 1 by reducing poverty in providing
families in countries of origin with critical income. For some,
migrant remittances literally put food on the table.

We are mindful, however, that while migration can help alleviate
poverty, it can also create "brain drain." One the other hand,
"brain drain" is off-set in some measure by "social remittances" --
the skills, know how, capacities, and other less tangible resources
that migrants contribute to their families and to their homes as
well as host countries.

(b) Feminization of Migration: A second feature is the
impact of migration on women’s empowerment – MDG 3.
Nearly half of the world’s migrants are now women; many of
these women have left families behind. The emergence of migrant
women as "breadwinners" is altering family dynamics across the
globe. Of course, migration empowers some women, but imperils
others, with trafficking and smuggling, a source of great concern
to IOM and its partners.

(c) Climate Change: Migration serves as a possible
adaptation strategy for communities vulnerable to the effects of
environmental degradation, alleviating pressure on natural
resources in environmentally vulnerable areas. In 2008, 20 million
people were displaced as a result of sudden-onset climate-related
weather events. Many more people may choose to migrate due to the
impact of slow-onset changes in the environment – as these
changes make it increasingly difficult to maintain their
livelihoods in their current location.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, greater
integration of migration considerations into development policies
and programmes would enhance migration’s contribution to the
achievement of the MDGs -- for example, in the areas of poverty
reduction, gender equality, and improvements in health, education
and the environment.   

Towards this end, IOM takes pride in its work with several
partner agencies to launch a Handbook that will assist developing
countries to make the link between migration and poverty
reduction. 

In a very real sense, migration is itself a powerful
manifestation of an individual's right to development.  And,
migration that is humanely managed can and does positively support
the right to development and the attainment of the Millennium
Development Goals.