Moving Backward, Moving Forward?

us unequipped both to harvest the potential of migration forbenefits countries of destination as well.perpetuating the downfalls of ill-managed migration. In otherand may in time reduce the impetus to leave. It may also servethe benefit of so many migrants and communities, and riskwords, migration and development can be mutually reinforcing,through a virtuous circle.Migrant contributions to developmentMigrants contribute to development in many ways. The US 429billion in remittances sent back to developing countries in 2016is one of the most tangible contributions migrants make toachieving the SDGs in their countries of origin.However, remittances alone cannot achieve their intendedresult if the conditions of those sending and those receivingthese moneys are not conducive to development. In particular,the impact of remittances can be leveraged through greaterfinancial inclusion and protection of remittance recipients,including through advice, goal setting, strategies to buildDevelopment progress provides more opportunities at homeas an incentive to return for the many who by then have livedand worked abroad and see opportunities to apply their skillsback home. Some may wish to return in retirement, particularlyif they may carry with them the accrued benefits – such aspension or medical insurance – that they have earned abroad.In short, development facilitates migration by choice, ratherthan by necessity. But development is not designed tocurtail migration, nor should it be. The global compact thatmember states have agreed to establish in the context of the2030 Agenda is meant to facilitate safe, orderly, and regularmigration, not to stop it. Rather, migration and developmentmust be managed in ways that maximise the benefits of both,for the greater good.savings, and even help in opening a savings account.In this context, the impact of development aid on migrationMigrants’ contributions to the development of their countries ofbe managed in such a way as to maximise its developmentorigin go far beyond financial remittances. They include transfersand circulation of ideas, skills, and knowledge. Migrants bringentrepreneurship and building of investment networks, and theyis time- and context-specific. What matters is that migrationand other positive economic impacts, among other objectives,some personal to the migrants themselves.help break down gender stereotypes.The Global Compact on MigrationFor their new communities, migrants also bring substantialis a central issue for the global compact, there is much moredevelopment benefits allowing economies to grow morerapidly. Moreover, while many migrants send home remittances,these account for, on average, 15% of their earnings with 85%remaining in their new communities. These funds go towardspayment of taxes, housing, goods, and services, thus promotinggrowth and prosperity.These positive impacts are maximised when restrictive anddiscriminatory policies, laws, and social norms that hindercontributions of migrants are eliminated. Migrant women inWhile maximising the benefits of migration for developmentbehind the pressing need for this global agreement thanmigration’s undoubted development potential. It will have todeal with the challenge of large movements of population,often mixed groups of refugees and migrants. It will have toanticipate more keenly some of the likely adverse effects ofclimate change, acknowledge the need for greater efforts touphold labour standards, and recognise that the needs ofhost communities, too, must be addressed in managing theintegration of long-term migrants.particular face multiple and intersecting layers of discrimination:The need for a global framework for international cooperationmany are employed in the informal sector. Even highly-skilledlong overdue. A successful compact will provide a uniqueas migrants, as women, and often as irregular workers becausewomen experience discrimination, for example, by visaregulations that do not allow them to work part-time or to takea career break.Development aid and migrationInclusive development may, in time, change the configurationof migratory patterns. As people are lifted out of poverty,on human mobility is self-evident and its establishmentopportunity to change the discourse on migration, from aperception-base to an evidence-base, mobilising open-mindedcitizens everywhere towards harnessing the benefits of humanmobility for the greater good. And still, the global compact willneed actionable commitments to have a meaningful impacton the lives of migrants and their new and old communities.their life choices improve, including the choice of whetherWhile it is too soon to say what the global compacteconomic opportunities abroad. Their departure then opensgovernmental negotiations in 2018, to be formally adoptedto migrate, either to improve their skills or to seek greaterwork opportunities for others in their country of origin, therebyaccelerating their development potential. As long as theirmigration takes place in a well-regulated environment, itwill contain, as it will be the result of many months ofat an intergovernmental conference in December 2018, I dobelieve the global compact should be built upon three coreprinciples.Great Insights Winter 2018 5

First, it should be people-centred, with human well-beingGLOBAL COMPACT FORSAFE, ORDERLY ANDREGULAR MIGRATIONparamount. For the global compact to have meaning, it mustinclude the perspective of the migrants and of the communitiesin which they live. Migration is foremost about people’s lives.It can bring renewed vitality to host communities only if wefoster a two-way exchange that allows both migrants and hostcommunities to thrive and benefit collectively. At the sameWHATIn the New York Declaration for Refugees andMigrants, the members of the UN GeneralAssembly committed themselves to develop aglobal compact for safe, orderly and regularmigration. In parallel, the UN General Assemblyalso set in motion a global compact on refugeestime, we must take seriously concerns of host communitiesabout the impact of migration and migrants particularly whenthese concerns are ill-founded and misguided. They are bestaddressed by a responsible, accurate narrative about migrantsand migration.Second, the compact should emphasise the role of internationalWHOHeads of State and Government of UNMember States. The US withdrew itsparticipation in the process in December 2017cooperation, recognising well-managed migration as a matter ofboth state sovereignty and interdependence among states. Statesmust recognise that international cooperation in facilitating safeand regular migration channels strengthens state sovereigntythrough trust and collaboration, as national migration policiesWHYcannot be enforced in a vacuum.“The global compact for migration will be thefirst, intergovernmentally negotiatedagreement, prepared under the auspices ofthe United Nations, to cover all dimensions ofinternational migration in a holistic andcomprehensive manner”Source: ird, the compact should be forward-looking, able to respondto today’s challenges, as well as those of tomorrow. Addressingcurrent challenges necessitates a longer-term and holisticperspective on migration, so that decisions today will not havenegative repercussions – intentional or otherwise – in the future.For example, for states to address irregular migration and limitnumbers of returns, they must provide legal pathways that areWHENAt the UN Summit for Refugees andMigrants, on September 19, 2016 in New Yorkpractical and accessible. At the same time, we must recognisethat while all human beings have a right to leave their country,the choice to enter another country is not unilateral, but ratherone that should match available legal channels.HOWThe process to develop this global compact started in April 2017.The preparatory process is structured around three phases:April to November 2017Phase I: consultationsThe global compact for safe, orderly, and regular migrationis a unique opportunity to remove barriers hindering thedevelopment contribution of migrants. State cooperation shouldbe a triple win: for the state of origin, for the state of destination,and for all people involved the process.November 2017 to January 2018Phase II: stocktakingAbout the authorLouise Arbour is UN Special Representative for InternationalFebruary to July 2018Phase Ill: intergovernmental negotiationsMigration. She leads the follow-up to the migration-relatedaspects of the 19 September 2016 High-level Summit onAddressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants.Ms. Arbour works with Member States, in partnership withOn September 23-24, 2018An Intergovernmental Conference is set totake place to adopt a global compact forsafe, orderly and regular migrationother stakeholders, as they develop a firstever Global Compact for Safe, Orderly andRegular Migration.For her full bio, see the article on ourGraphic Design: Yaseena Chiu- van’t Hoff, ECDPM6 Great Insights Winter 2018website.

Important reintegration project support by EU in Banjul. The young former migrants are learning to set up satellitereceivers to get a formal job and make a living. Photo: supplied by author.THE AU-EU SUMMIT,MIGRATION, MOBILITY AND YOUTHThe way migration and mobility will be managed politically and accommodated economically willbe a defining factor for the future of Africa and of Europe. This article looks at the AU-EU Summitheld in November 2017.By Birgitte Markussen" migration can only be managed effectively throughbalance between long and short term policies and instruments.world pushing for a totally different approach: an approachdefining the future migration and mobility policies of Europe andcooperation and partnership. There are forces all around thebased on confrontation instead of cooperation; on buildingwalls instead of building partnerships. On closures and bansAnd it is, obviously, also about the importance of youth whenAfrica.rather than dialogue. This is not the European way and I believeEuropean and African leaders are very conscious thatRepresentative/Vice President of the European Commission,unemployment may well define their legacy and the future ofthis is not the African way." (Federica Mogherini, EU HighValletta Senior Officials Meeting, 2017)When approaching migration and mobility the challenge isbroad and calls for comprehensive responses that will enabletheir response to the challenges of migration and youththeir own country. They, therefore, engaged closely in the AU-EUSummit in Abidjan and worked hard to iron out the differences ofapproach that inevitably exist.saving lives, fighting criminal networks as well as creating#AUEU #AUEUyouth #BeTheFutureTodayentrants in Africa. It is about contin

Moving backward, moving forward? Forced displacement and mixed migration in the IGAD region . economic, and cultural benefits for all involved. The global compact for safe, orderly, and regular .