Migration for Inclusive Development
Published Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Stockholm, 15 May 2014
Migration has been one of the major concern aross the globe, especially in EU and USA. There has been challenges to engage migrants productively for more inclusive development. In a recent event organised by Global Forum on Migration and Development, Cecilia Malmström, EU Home Affairs Commissioner taled about the Migration and its potential for bringing inclusive development.
Malmström said that "to me, migration is the untapped engine for economic and social development. It is one of the most effective ways of alleviating poverty. It contributes to sustainable development and fits squarely into the scope of the next development agenda".
She added that "the post-2015 development agenda MUST create the conditions for sustained, meaningful global partnerships on migration and human mobility. Our Forum should send that message loud and clear!"
In her talk she emphasised that the human mobility has the economic and financial side. "migrants from all over the globe have played a role in developing our economies. Migration has kept our workforce vibrant and dynamic", she said.
Malmström further talked about the issue of cutting costs of mobility in particular on visa "today, too many potential students, researchers and visitors, from both the developed and the developing world, are discouraged from seizing opportunities abroad because of administrative hurdles and the costs of obtaining a visa". Such hurdles have no place in the 21st century's organisation of human mobility, she said.
She also shown concern about the costs related to remittances. "In New York, we agreed that more needs to be done to make transfers cheaper, faster and safer at both ends of each transaction. Thanks to international efforts, the cost of making remittances has gone down, but here too we must do better". Fees for transfers, especially to Africa, are still too high — averaging around 12 per cent. There are reports that companies make millions of EURO profits on remittance transfers.
Malmström call for cooperation among all the stake holders "so let's work together to bring down those charges. Let's promote significant changes — in banking regulations, in the practices of money transfer operators and in approaches to new technology".
She also emphasised upon the "migrant rights". "There were calls for the ratification of the Domestic Workers Convention. The Commission is urging EU Member States to ratify this instrument as soon as possible. Some have already done so, and let me use this occasion to encourage the others to follow suit. I do hope that all will have ratified this Convention by 2015".
She shown her satisfaction that the EU has made progress on protecting migrant rights and in particular of seasonal workers. Seasonal workers make an important contribution to the European economy. Yet, too often, they find themselves in vulnerable situations, exposed to exploitation.