Migrating Populations

WHAT IS AT STAKE

International migration has become a vital part of a globalized world where regular and irregular migrants traverse countries and continents in an effort to improve their lives. This is largely due to the sociopolitical climate in developing countries, where the trend has been higher population growth compared to actual economic development. Both regular and irregular migrants present implications for the conflict prevention-human security nexus.

Regular migrants generally move voluntarily, for economic reasons, and to offer their families a better life. These economic migrants’ destinations of choice tend to be in the developed world, mainly North America and Europe. Other migrant receiving countries include Saudi Arabia (South-East Asians), South Africa (other Africans), Indonesia and Malaysia (Chinese), and Costa Rica (Nicaraguans)¹.

Many debates on economic migrants tend to focus on the harmful effects they have on social cohesion. Most of these issues remain complex and sensitive ranging from the, perceived or real, disruptive economic effects of immigrants taking away jobs, driving down wages, draining welfare resources, and failing to integrate into recipient country cultures, etc. On the other hand the social, cultural, economic, political and spatial marginalization – ghettoization – increasingly being witnessed in migrant communities across the developed world only exacerbates intercultural misunderstandings and hampers integration². The flip side of this of course is the increasing rejection, refusal, or inability – for reasons too numerous to list here – of certain segments of the immigrant community to adapt to their host country’s culture.

In many cases however, people are forced to leave their homes due to other factors such as armed conflict, crime, or environmental pressures. The world is increasingly witnessing ever-rising waves of illegal and irregular immigration including a marked intensification in refugee flows and human trafficking. According to most reliable estimates, human trafficking constitutes the third largest criminal activity in the world next to the illegal arms and drugs trades, generating between US$7-US$10 billion annually. This phenomenon often leads to greater instability in recipient countries threatening human health, border integrity, and national and international security as proceeds are channeled to finance other criminal activities.

Refugee flows also have particular implications for weak or fragile states and neighboring countries in the region. Violent conflict generates large flows of refugees who continue to have a stake in the outcome of hostilities in their home countries. While most countries with large influxes of refugees remain relatively stable, there is a heightened risk of the outbreak of violent conflict in surrounding regions as youth, especially young men, become embroiled in criminal and extremist activities³. This phenomenon has been witnessed in the tribal areas of Pakistan where there are large populations of Afghan refugees, and in the Great Lakes region where the spillover effects of the Rwandan conflict have provoked increasing violence in neighboring DRC and Burundi.

On the environmental side, the effects of climate change are provoking a migration crisis in the developing south which is affecting the world’s most vulnerable and marginalized populations. Recent studies on the effects of climate change on forced migration estimate that some one billion people could be forced to migrate between now and 2050 due to the effects of climate change⁴. Most experts predict that the growing interdependence between countries, coupled with widening inequalities, will probably lead to the further intensification of international movements⁵ – be it economic, environmental, or forced.

AREAS AT RISK

Regions particularly vulnerable to forced migration and especially human trafficking include: Northwest and Central Africa, Central and Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Central and South East Asia. Countries include Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, India, China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, among others⁶.

Regions particularly vulnerable to environment-induced migration include: Central Asia, the Asia Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Latin America and the Caribbean. Countries include, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, China, Tuvalu, Vietnam, Ghana, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, Western Sahara, Argentina, Dominican Republic/Haiti, Ecuador, Mexico, among others⁷.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

Addressing migration issues requires actions at the national, regional, and global levels. Members of the Parliamentarians Network are particularly well positioned to address the potential for violent conflict by driving legislative change and enforcing early action by their governments towards improving preventive diplomatic efforts.

In order to improve and encourage national and regional cooperation, to ensure the improvement of existing systems to effectively tackle these migration issues, parliamentarians can raise awareness with their constituencies about the mounting national, regional, and global challenge of migration issues as they relate to immigration, and forced migration including human trafficking and organized crime. They can also call on their governments to do the same and additionally:

Increase capacity building and share lessons learnt, including facilitating the transfer of knowledge, experiences, and best practices of successful national and regional initiatives in dealing with voluntary and forced migration issues. This can be done by:
- encouraging multi-agency and multi-regional joint efforts that identify and address the challenges in developing efficient countermeasures and effective benchmarks; and
- promoting greater interaction and cooperation between political and economic decision makers, researchers, and representatives of international organizations and civil society on issues of forced migration and integration.
Increase opportunities for the economic mobility of immigrants by promoting language acquisition and supporting workforce and business development schemes for migrant communities; and
Enhance opportunities for civic participation by immigrants by encouraging increased political participation in local planning processes; and supporting multi-ethnic, multi-sector, and multi-agency convening processes that can help immigrants and non-immigrants build a firm basis for cooperation through the identification of mutual interests.

Parliamentarians can also appeal to and encourage their constituencies, especially those who come from less integrated migrant communities to take the initiative and, when and where appropriate, participate more widely in community life. This can be done, for example, by becoming involved in mentoring and volunteering opportunities that encourage greater involvement in society, and participating in initiatives that build understanding and acceptance of diversity and the rights and responsibilities shared by all members of society.

WHO IS DOING WHAT ALREADY?

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research: CGIAR works to achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through scientific research and research-related activities in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, policy, and environment.
Environmental Change and Forced Migration Scenarios: EACH-FOR is a two year long research project funded by the European Commission. Its goal is to support European policies, research and the civil society with 'forced migration' scenarios, and cooperate with other migration and environment degradation related projects and institutions
Food and Agriculture Organization: The FAO leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a forum where nations meet to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO also helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all.
Human Security Network: The HSN is a group of like-minded countries that maintains dialogue on questions pertaining to human security. The HSN identifies concrete areas for collective action and pursues security policies that focus on the protection and security requirement of the individual and society.
International Organization for Migration: IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems, and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.
Population Action International: PAI works to ensure that every person has the right and access to sexual and reproductive health, so that humanity and the natural environment can exist in balance and fewer people live in poverty. PAI fosters the development of U.S. and international policy on urgent population and reproductive health issues through an integrated program of research, advocacy and communications.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network: FEWS NET collaborates with international, regional and national partners to provide timely and rigorous early warning and vulnerability information on emerging and evolving food security issues.
The Future Group: a Canadian-based non-governmental organization dedicated to combating human trafficking and the child sex trade.
The Global Commission on International Migration: GCIM was launched by the United Nations Secretary-General and a number of governments in 2003. It is comprised of 19 Commissioners, is independent and was given the mandate to provide the framework for the formulation of a coherent, comprehensive and global response to the issue of international migration.
The International Food Policy Research Institute: IFPRI seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI's vision (a world free of hunger and malnutrition) is based on the human right to adequate food and freedom from hunger, and the recognition of the dignity inherent in all human beings.
The Migration Policy Institute: MPI is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. It provides analysis, development, and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at the local, national, and international levels. It aims to meet the rising demand for pragmatic and thoughtful responses to the challenges and opportunities that large-scale migration, whether voluntary or forced, presents to communities and institutions in an increasingly integrated world.
United Nations Development Program: the UNDP advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP works in 166 countries to build local to global and national development challenges.
United Nations Population Fund: UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programs to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

Others players and initiatives include: UNEP, UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP, OECD, the World Bank, Human Rights Watch, etc.

KEY DOCUMENTS FOR REFERENCE

African Population & Health Research Center (APHRC). “The effects of population growth on the achievement of the MDG on child mortality in urban Sub-Saharan Africa.” 15 March 2006: 1-9
All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health. “Return of the population growth factor: its impact upon the MDG.” Report of Hearings Jan. 2007:1-74
“Armed Conflict and Hunger – Underlying Causes of Hunger and Conflict.” Hunger Notes <http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/fall2000/messer5.htm>
Beehner, Lionel. “The effects of ‘Youth Bulge’ on civil conflicts.” Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) 27 Apr. 2007 <http://www.cfr.org/publication/13093>
“Brussels declaration on preventing and combating trafficking in Human Beings.” Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute <http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/brussels.cfm>
Callovi, Giuseppe, and the staff of the Migration Policy Institute. “Securing External Frontiers in a Union of 25.” Dutch Presidency Conference on Asylum, Migration and Frontiers, Policy Brief 5, Sept. 2004 <http://www.migrationpolicy.org/events/callovi_083104.pdf>
EACH-FOR. “Preliminary Findings from the EACH-FOR project on Environmentally induced Migration.” Environmental Change and Forced Migration Scenarios Project, 1 Sept. 2008: 1-32<http://www.each-for.eu/documents/EACH-FOR_Preliminary_Findings_-_Final_Version.pdf>.
Fix, Michael, Demetrios G. Papademetriou, and Betsy Cooper. “Leaving too much to chance: a roundtable on Immigration Integration Policy.” Migration Policy Institute 2005: 1-39 <http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/LeavingTooMuch_Report.pdf>
Geinitz, Dedo, and Ines Reinhard. “Conflict Migration through food security?” Integrated Food Security Programme (IFSP) Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, Working Paper 36 (Nov. 2002)
Gleditsch, Nils Petter, Ragnhild Nordǻs, and Idean Salehyan. “Climate change and conflict: the migration link” Coping with Crisis Working Paper Series, International Peace Academy May 2007: 1-19 <http://www.ipacademy.org/asset/file/169/CWC_Working_Paper_Climate_Change.pdf>
Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM). “Migration in an interconnected world: new directions for action.” Oct. 2005: 1-98
“Human Security Crisis of Global Proportions.” The Future Group, Human Trafficking – Overview 2007 <http://tfgwebmaster.web.aplus.net/wwwthefuturegrouporg/id20.html>
International Organization for Migration (IOM) & Permanent Mission of Greece, Geneva. “Climate change, environmental degradation and migration: addressing vulnerabilities and harnessing opportunities.” Report of the conference Geneva 19 Feb. 2008:1-20
“Impact of the crisis on developing countries.” CONCORD Briefing Paper Feb. 2009
“Impact of the global financial crisis on migration.” IOM, Policy Paper Geneva Jan. 2009.
International Labour Organization (ILO). “Global employment trends for youth.” Geneva 2006: 1-58
Messer, Ellen, and Marc J. Cohen. “Conflict, Food Insecurity, and Globalization.” International Food Policy Research Institute (FCND), Food Consumption and Nutrition Division, Discussion Paper 206, May 2006:1-60
Pastor, Manuel, and Rhonda Ortiz. “Immigration Integration in Los Angeles – Strategic Directions for Funders.” Program for Environmental and Regional Equity & Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, University of Southern California, Commissioned by the California Community Foundation, Jan. 2009 <http://college.usc.edu/geography/ESPE/documents/immigrant_integration.pdf>
Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo. Statement. “Agenda item 50: Implementation of the outcome of the United Nations conference on human settlements (HABITAT II) and strengthening of the United nations human settlements programme (UN-HABITAT) at the second committee of the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.” 28 Oct. 2008
“The good, The Bad, The Promising: Migration in the 21st century.” UNFPA State of World Population 2006, A passage to hope, Women and International Migration 27 Feb. 2009 <http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2006/english/chapter_1/print/chapter_1.html>
UNDP/UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP. “Agenda Item 2: Unstable Food Prices and Linkage to Food and Nutrition Security.” Joint Meeting of the Executive Boards, Background document, final draft New York 23 and 26 Jan. 2009:1-5
UNDP/UNFPA. “First regular session 2009, Daily Brief.” Executive Board. New York 20 Jan. 2009, UNFPA segment
Youth Roundtable of the Expert Group Meeting. “Creating strategies for youth employment in African cities.” Summary of preliminary outcome Nairobi, Kenya, 21-25 June 2004
Waldinger, Roger, and Thomas Bailey. “The youth employment problem in the world city.” Social Policy Summer 1985:55-58
Ware, Helen. “Population and society: issues, research, policy - Pacific instability and youth bulges: the devil in the demography and the economy.” Australian Population Association, 12th Biennial Conference Canberra, Australia 15-17 Sept. 2004: 1-20
Wooldridge, Mike. “Charity warns of migration crisis.” BBC News 14 May 2007<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6652573.stm>