The Challenge of Climate Change
January 12, 2015
January 1, 2015
Responding To: Georgetown Faculty on the Greatest Development Challenge of the Next Decade
Migration in the Post-2015 Development Agenda
One of the greatest challenges of the post 2015 development agenda is how to integrate cross cutting issues into the goals and objectives being sought. One such issue is the movement of people. When the original Millennium Development Goals, Disaster Risk Reduction and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change frameworks were adopted, little attention was paid to the needs or contributions of migrants to development or the impact of development (or lack thereof) on migration. Today, however, as the number of international migrants exceeds 232 million and more and more people are on the move within their own countries, there is growing recognition that migration plays an important role in fostering development but also presents challenges for countries and communities of origin and destination.
The most obvious way in which migration positively affects development is through the remittances that migrants send to their families and communities. The World Bank estimates that in 2014 alone international migrants sent $435 billion to their families and communities in developing countries. These resources are more than four times that of official development aid and, in many cases, exceed trade and foreign direct investment. In some countries, they represent more than 30 percent of Gross Domestic Product. But migrants also help their families through their investments in health, education, and livelihoods as well as putting skills obtained working abroad to the betterment of their home communities.
Migration is not without its challenges, however. Far too many people leave home because they have no other choices. Conflict, natural disasters, gang violence and, increasingly, the slow onset effects of climate change displace people. 2014 saw the number of refugees and displaced persons rise to levels unseen since World War II and 2015 is not likely to see much if any decrease. But here too development can play an important role in providing more stable societies and provide the resilience needed to withstand shocks. It can also help the many poor but generous countries hosting refugees and displaced persons to avoid undue burdens on their own populations. Involving development actors in post-conflict and post-disaster return of refugees and displaced persons would also help ensure that they are more effectively reintegrated into their home communities or other parts of the country.
Tapping the potential of migration as a resource for development to build better and safer lives for migrants, communities of origin and communities of destination is one of the primary challenges of the 21st century. Let us hope as world leaders meet this year to define the post-2015 development agenda they will recognize this potential and bring migrants into their discussions as full partners.
Susan Martin holds the Donald G. Herzberg Chair in International Migration and is director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration in the School of Foreign Service.
Other Responses
The Task Ahead: Shared Human Values
John Kline | January 11, 2015
Strategic Collaboration as a Development Challenge
Jessica Kritz | January 10, 2015
Competing Development Challenges?
January 9, 2015
The Challenge: Harnessing FDI to Upgrade and Diversity Exports
Theodore Moran | January 7, 2015
The Growing Wealth Divide and Its Implications for National Development
Fathali Moghaddam | January 5, 2015
Broke(n) States
Irfan Nooruddin | January 1, 2015