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Why the development agenda must embrace migration
1. Migration is an exception rather than the rule. Only 200 million or 3% of world population are international migrants; 97% are not. Most people like to be rooted where they are born, unless they are uprooted by economic factors.
2. Over 90% of international migrants are economic migrants who have left home to work for someone abroad. The implication is that migration generates economic gains for the migrants, their employers in destination countries, and their families back home. Yet, considering that most people stay at home, migration is not a substitute for development and job creation at home.
3. Contrary to popular perception, migrants from developing countries do not always move to rich countries. About half of them reside in other poor developing countries. In other words, migration is not always "south-north". Many developing countries have to deal with the complexities associated with not only emigration of their people, but immigration of people from other countries.
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The African diaspora as agents of development
The African Diaspora Policy Centre (ADPC) is an independent platform of knowledge and expertise in the area of migration and development. The Centre generates knowledge, information and policy insights on the subject from the diaspora perspective – a point of view which has been largely overlooked.
Tied to this mission, the ADPC produces factsheets that disseminate in a concise and easy manner the results of research, findings or new developments on the contribution of the diaspora to development cooperation. Below is an overview of this year’s factsheets.
ADPC Factsheet March 2008: African Diaspora as Agents of Peace.
Diasporas are critical agents of peace and can – and do – make significant contributions to peace-building, conflict transformation and post-conflict reconstruction efforts in their respective homelands. The incorporation of the diasporas into the peace making actors in the homelands in a more structured and formal manner would widen and greatly strengthen the capacity of peace forces active in their respective countries of origin. More importantly, diasporas can play a role as capacity builders as well as advisors and peace brokers. Furthermore, it should be understood that in the same way that the diasporas contribute to development, they can also contribute to peacebuilding in the home countries. More importantly, peace is a pre-condition for development.
http://www.diaspora-centre.org/DOCS/ADPC_Factsheet_Mar.pdf
ADPC Factsheet June 2008: Tapping the diaspora perspective in policy dialogue.
Inclusion of the African diaspora in policy dialogue can constructively contribute to the social, economic and political development of Africa. Although a constructive framework for the inclusion of the diaspora in policy dialogue does not yet exist, important steps are being made towards formalizing this process. Moreover, the topic is beginning to gain a top priority on the national and international agenda, though the views and perspectives of the diaspora themselves have not been sufficiently heard. This factsheet looks at how the diaspora contribute to development, beyond the financial sense, what their added value is in policy development, and discusses the need for structured dialogue with the diaspora.
http://www.diaspora-centre.org/DOCS/ADPC_Factsheet_Jun.pdf
ADPC Factsheet October 2008: Strengthening the Joint Africa-EU Strategic Partnership.
This factsheet looks at how the diaspora can contribute to the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategic Partnership. This new perspective on the relations between the two continents offers a significant space for the African diaspora to contribute to the realization of the Action Plan 2008-2010 as civil society actors. The factsheet maps out a set of entry points for the diaspora in order to push forward the objectives of the agreed upon actions. The diaspora can be active in the promotion of stronger relations between the AU and the EU, in supporting the ‘three pillars’ of the Strategy and playing a key role as civil society actors. The factsheet also offers a list of recommendations for the mobilisation of diaspora organisations to contribute to the successful implementation of the Strategy.
http://www.diaspora-centre.org/DOCS/ADPC_Factsheet_Oct.pdf
Please feel free to send your comments and feedback to sarah@diaspora-centre.org.
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