Transcript Interregional Workshop on International Migration Geneva, 22 September 2011 South-South Migration between Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities Susanne Melde Research Officer.

Interregional Workshop on International Migration
Geneva, 22 September 2011
South-South Migration between
Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean:
Challenges and Opportunities
Susanne Melde
Research Officer
OUTLINE
1.
Future scenarios
2.
Challenges and opportunities
3.
Best practices
4.
Advances in integrating migration into
the development agendas
2
1. FUTURE SCENARIOS
Intra-regional migration
increase in the future
is likely to
- demographic developments
- recent events
 mostly intra-regional
 possibly more to BRICS countries
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2. CHALLENGES TO MAKE MIGRATION
WORK FOR DEVELOPMENT
Lack of general data and research on impact of SouthSouth (im)migration on development
Immigration and intra-regional migration in countries in
the South need to be strengthened on the political
agendas
Limited legal migration opportunities for lower skilled
migrant workers, especially young migrants
High degree of informality in labour markets and lack of
creation of formal employment
External shocks (food, energy, financial and economic crises,
political conflicts)
Lack of information
 South-South migration often takes place
outside of existing frameworks
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2. OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE MIGRATION
WORK FOR DEVELOPMENT
Possible poverty reduction potential
Intra-regional migration entails less distance and costs,
less cultural and linguistic differences
Potential of circulation of human and social capital, skills
Well-developed informal remittance channels
 Different context requiring innovative measures
Including migration in existing development cooperation
frameworks (e.g. ASACOF, IBSA)
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3. GOOD PRACTICES
Regional:
•
ECOWAS and CARICOM: Free movement of persons
•
Latin America: regional human rights commitments on
migration and development
•
Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific States:
linking Africa and Caribbean, sharing of good practices
• CARICOM: social integration
ECCAS – ECOWAS: joint bi‐regional Cooperation Agreement and
Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Especially
Women and Children
 yet proliferation of sub-regional integration
processes posing harmonization challenges
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3. GOOD PRACTICES (cont.)
Bilateral:
•
Argentina and Bolivia:
reciprocal regularization
•
Mexico and Guatemala:
information campaigns on legal migration options for
Guatemalan agricultural workers in Mexico
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4. ADVANCES IN INTEGRATING MIGRATION
INTO DEVEOPMENT AGENDAS
Prominent topics:
- remittances
- trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants
- ‘brain drain’
- increasingly diasporas
Challenge reality and evidence-base vs. perception
Lack of comprehensive knowledge on informal remittances
Not enough knowledge on impact of (South-South) migration
on development
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Thank you
Contact: [email protected]
Please visit our website:
www.acpmigration-obs.org