GDN:Remittances by migrants ‘more than global aid’

Remittances by migrants ‘more than global aid’
By AMIRA AL HUSSAINI in New York
Published: 15 September 2006

Remittances sent by migrants from developing countries to their families back home exceeds the total of all international aid combined, a key UN conference heard last night.

The first-ever plenary session of the UN General Assembly on migration issues brought to the forefront ways to maximise the development benefits of migration and reduce its difficulties globally.

The two-day High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development was addressed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and General Assembly president Shaikha Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa.

Remittances by migrants ‘more than global aid’
By AMIRA AL HUSSAINI in New York
Published: 15 September 2006

Remittances sent by migrants from developing countries to their families back home exceeds the total of all international aid combined, a key UN conference heard last night.

The first-ever plenary session of the UN General Assembly on migration issues brought to the forefront ways to maximise the development benefits of migration and reduce its difficulties globally.

The two-day High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development was addressed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and General Assembly president Shaikha Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa.

Conceived and scheduled more than two years ago by the General Assembly, the meeting follows a period of intense public attention on the cross-border movement of people, and a quickening pace of multilateral talks on migration.

According to the UN, three per cent of the world’s population (191 million) lived in a country other than the one in which they were born in 2005.

In addition to the plenary debate, the event brings ministers and delegates together in informal round-table discussions on themes such as remittances sent home by workers abroad; smuggling of migrants and trafficking in people; and partnerships at bilateral and regional levels.

From the Gulf, only Qatar and the UAE will have speakers at the conference.

In his address at the opening session, Annan attributed globalisation to the increase in the number of people with the desire and capacity to move to other countries. “Migration is a courageous expression of an individual’s will to overcome adversity and live a better life,” he said.

Annan said there were three reasons why discussing a sensitive issue as migration is imperative now.

“First, we are all in this together. More countries are now significantly involved in, and affected by, international migration that at any other time in history,” he said.

“Second, the evidence on migration’s potential benefits is mounting. With their remittances reaching an estimated $167 billion (BD62.9bn) last year, the amount of money migrants from the developing world send back to their families exceeds the total of all international aid combined.

“Third, governments are now beginning to see international migration through the prism of opportunity, rather than fear.”

On her part, Shaikha Haya emphasised the suffering of migrants, who are sometimes denied their human and labour rights in their quest to provide a better life for their families.

“This High-level Dialogue not only confirms the clear linkage between migration and development and the various opportunities and challenges concerning this issue, but will serve as a platform to move forward; and essentially mobilise the political will and build effective partnerships to realise the potential migrants can have in developing both countries of origin and destination whilst safeguarding their rights,” she said.

“Last month, I read a disturbing article about the ordeals that migrants experience on their journey. Most come in open wooden boats with no shelter except a plastic tarpaulin stretched over one part of the boat.

Hardships

“The migrants are packed in, they have no room to stretch and lack all basic needs.

“You can all just imagine what they have suffered, from salt sources, infected wounds, and diseases; risking their lives for a new beginning.

“Yet thousands of migrants continue to take routes like these, despite the dangers knowingly or unknowingly determined to have a new beginning.”

Migration, said Shaikha Haya, was inherent to human nature. “It has become a major aspect of modern societies in the face of globalisation. The revolutions in communication, transportation and rights of individuals to stay abroad have facilitated the movement of people across borders – movement to seek better lives and overcome hardships,” she noted. If harnessed constructively, Shaikha Haya said migration can have a profound effect on development.

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