Special policies for migration and development must be created — IOM chief
MANILA,
Nov. 3 (PNA) -- Realizing that migration and development is closely
linked with one another, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
director general William Lacy Swing said that special policies must be
made to further boost the positive potential of migration and
development.
Lacy
Swing, in his speech to the recently concluded 2nd Global Forum on
Migration and Development (GFMD) in Manila, said all countries in the
world “should work towards policies that are carefully shaped to boost
the positive potential of migration for development, while reducing
negative repercussions.”
He
made this comment after noting that “migration is neither categorically
an obstacle to development, nor it is the magic wand for its
achievement.”
”While
awareness of the connection between migration and development is
growing, most strategic development frameworks, including the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and most government development
policies, such as national poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs),
still do not systematically integrate migration considerations,” Lacy
Swing added.
He also stated that successfully addressing the positive potential of migration requires a comprehensive approach.
”This
means taking into account linkages not only between migration and
development but also with other critical areas. Positive steps must be
taken into this direction. For example, the complex relationship
between migration, development and trade is increasingly making its way
towards the debate,” the IOM director general further stated.
”Yet
there are other domains with important links to migration and
development meriting greater attention: Health, for example, is often
overlooked in the global migration and development debate, even though
addressing the health needs and rights of migrants is crucial in making
the experience more humane and productive, for individuals and
societies alike,” he said further. (PNA)
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