President Arroyo,

Secretary General Ban,

Secretary General of the ACP Secretariat,

Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
colleagues,

It is an honour to take part in the second Global Forum on Migration and Development – coming as this does less than a month after my assuming office as the Director General of the International Organization for Migration. My presence here today underscores my main message:

I.  Global Dialogue – the Missing Piece of the Migration Mosaic

IOM firmly believes that dialogue is crucial to understanding and international cooperation on migration.  States have developed this forum as one such vehicle, adding depth and breadth at the global level to the mosaic of existing opportunities for informal discussion at the national, bilateral and regional levels.  As with the fourteen regional consultative processes on migration that IOM supports, I wish to assure this Forum that we stand ready to respond favorably to any requests that you may have.

In recent years tremendous progress has been made in inter-state dialogue on migration at the global level.  The 2006 United Nations General Assembly High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development was a groundbreaking event.  The international community had been aware for some time that migration was a matter deserving close and continuing attention.  Absent, however, was a strong and unifying theme to provide coherence of thought and action.  Migration and development has emerged as the tie that could bind the many different stakeholders:  countries of origin, transit and destination, international organizations, civil society, the private sector, trade unions and, most importantly, migrants themselves.  The High Level Dialogue demonstrated that States from around the world can come together for constructive discussions even if their perspectives on and experiences of migration differ. The spirit of positive debate was one of its greatest achievements.  The Global Forum now enables States to build on the outcomes of the High Level Dialogue by identifying practical and action-oriented ways to address the links between migration and development.

Perhaps the best indication of the growing confidence in inter-state dialogue on migration is the theme of this Global Forum: "Protecting and Empowering Migrants for Development". Just a few years ago, many would have considered this topic too divisive for discussion at the global level.  I applaud the Government of the Philippines for the leadership it has shown in tackling this critical topic in such a constructive manner, seeking to identify practical approaches while emphasizing the principle of shared responsibility.

II.  Migration and Development – the Essential Nexus

The migration and development nexus is critical. There is a two-way, positive and negative link.  Migration can result from lack of development; at the same time, underdevelopment can be alleviated or exacerbated by migration.  Thus, migration is neither categorically an obstacle to development, nor is it a magic wand for its achievement. Instead, in both the migration and development fields, we must work towards policies that are carefully shaped to boost the positive potential of migration for development, while reducing negative repercussions.

While awareness of the connection between migration and development is growing, most strategic development frameworks, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and most government development policies, such as national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), still do not systematically integrate migration considerations.  Gradually, however, this is changing.  IOM encourages the international community to make migration considerations a more regular component of development policies and planning.  To this end, IOM is working with a number of countries in mainstreaming migration into their PRSPs and, together with partner agencies, is preparing a Handbook to assist developing countries to make the link between migration and poverty reduction a reality. More generally, the Organization works to identify migration policies that are "development-friendly" and include a stronger development perspective, in pursuit of targets such as the MDGs.  It is striking that such ideas are now indeed beginning to find their way into ever more national development plans.

How do we achieve our common interest in harnessing the positive potential of migration for development? Successfully addressing the migration and development nexus requires a comprehensive approach. This means taking into account linkages not only between migration and development but also with other critical policy areas. Positive steps are being taken in this direction – for example, the complex relationship between migration, development and trade is increasingly making its way into the debate. Yet there are other domains with important links to migration and development meriting greater attention:  Health, for example, is often overlooked in the global migration and development debate, even though addressing the health needs and rights of migrants is crucial in making the experience of migration more humane and productive, for individuals and societies alike. The shortage of health personnel where health services are vitally needed, in part due to migration, is of growing global concern.  Education and the environment, to name just two more, also deserve more careful consideration. 

III.  Governance of Migration Depends on Capacity

Helping governments develop essential capacity to realize the development potential of migration is the major task ahead – and is fundamental to good governance. Without the necessary foundations – comprehensive and coherent policies, fair and properly functioning legal and administrative structures, well-trained personnel – governments will remain ill-equipped to harness the potential benefits of migration.  In essence, it is time for governance of migration to be a priority focus at national and international levels.  And it is time for real capacity building to be made available for those governments that need it.

Respect for human rights is a key component of migration governance. Effective respect for the human rights of migrants is the foundation for the positive contributions of migration to the development of countries of origin and countries of destination. Of equal importance, ensuring protection of their human rights is fundamental to making migration a safe, dignified and enriching experience for migrants themselves. Development of full human potential includes having a meaningful choice whether to migrate or not, which underscores that development begins at home. Protection of the rights of migrants is necessary at all stages of the migration life cycle; all forms of discrimination, intolerance and racism must be firmly rejected.  Giving special consideration to the needs of particularly vulnerable migrants – including considerations based on gender, age or health – must always remain a priority.

Concern for the well-being of migrants has been present in IOM’s constituent documents – and reflected in its activities, projects and programmes – since the Organization's inception more than half a century ago. IOM is committed to working towards the effective respect for the human rights of all migrants.

A word of caution in the current economic climate: today, as in previous periods of economic downturn, there is a risk that migrants will be singled out and stigmatized.  We need to make a concerted effort to prevent this and to ensure that public perceptions of migrants are fair and balanced. True, the demand for migrant labour may decline in some contexts and remittance levels fall. Yet the fundamental need for labour migration in certain countries and sectors will continue to be the dominant trend in the long-term due to persistent economic and demographic realities as is shown in IOM's World Migration 2008 – Managing Labour Mobility in the Evolving Global Economy. Labour migration policies need to remain flexible and responsive to changing circumstances but let us not be short-sighted, lose sight of fundamentals nor allow migrants to become targets of xenophobia or racism. As responses to cushion the impact of the economic downturn are developed, let's ensure that migrant needs are specifically considered in the solutions and that the impact for them of both the downturn and resulting remedial measures is well understood.

IV.  Partnership – the Key to Success

Partnerships are paramount and initiatives at national, regional, inter-regional and global levels are complementary.  I have already mentioned the importance of mainstreaming migration into national development planning agendas. At the regional level, I would like to highlight Regional Consultative Processes on migration (RCPs) and other informal and formal forms of regional dialogue and cooperation. These are key mechanisms for achieving multi-lateral understanding and action on migration issues. RCPs have flourished over the past two decades and now span virtually the entire globe. Many regional consultations give priority to migration and development considerations while others take a more ad hoc approach. We will have the opportunity during the course of 2009 to bring together the Chairing Governments and Secretariats of the major Regional Consultative Processes to explore possible synergies between them and foster learning among them. Increasingly opportunity exists for dialogue on migration issues through regional and sub-regional organizations and economic integration processes that have in recent years added migration to their agendas. Important inter-regional dialogues now address the migration and development nexus and can provide important venues for cooperation on inter-regional migration flows.

As inter-state cooperation grows from strength to strength, partnerships between agencies are equally fundamental.  IOM is mandated by its Member States to address migration in its multiple facets.  At the same time, we recognize the valuable expertise of other agencies and entities on various aspects of migration.  We welcome their involvement.  Here I would like to highlight the Global Migration Group (GMG) – the coordination mechanism for several intergovernmental organizations involved in migration matters. The GMG can play a key role in magnifying the benefits of migration, for example by optimizing coherence and complementarities in policies and programming. The GMG agencies have just jointly published a report on International Migration and Human Rights, on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and as a contribution to this GFMD.  More can and should be done.

For its part, IOM is committed to supporting the continued success of the GFMD process. To this end, IOM seconded a migration expert to the Taskforce for the first and second GFMD meetings. We have responded positively to invitations from the Government of the Philippines and several other Governments to contribute to preparations for the discussions taking place today and tomorrow, including by preparing Roundtable working papers and organizing other input in close collaboration with the lead governments.

Let me close by assuring you that IOM is committed to helping the international community realize the full development potential of migration, and to promoting more orderly and humane migration, in full respect of the human rights of all migrants.

IOM is keenly anticipating and eager to support the outcomes of your deliberations at this Manila Global Forum on Migration and Development.