UNITED NATIONS POPULATION INFORMATION NETWORK (POPIN) UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)

Experts advise on Migration

Experts Advise on Migration



 The final in the series of six expert group meetings took place in Santa 

Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia from 18~22 January 1993. The topic of the 

meeting, "Population Distribution and Migration", drew a group of eminent 

experts from around the world, as well as prominent Bolivian authorities.



Dr. Luis Ossio Sanjines, vice-president of Bolivia, along with the Ministers 

of Planning and Coordination, the Interior and Information, addressed the 

opening session. Dr. Nafis Sadik, UNFPA Executive Director and Conference 

Secretary-General, also spoke to the more than 100 persons gathered for the 

inaugural session.



The meeting was hosted by CORDECRUZ, the regional development corporation of 

Santa Cruz, with the collaboration of the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, which provided 

a handsome and well-equipped study centre, the "Centro Internacional de 

Formacion para el Desarrollo" for the meeting.



During five days of intensive discussion, experts, representatives of many 

international organizations and NGOs, and local Bolivian authorities debated 

the significance of internal migratory movements, patterns of urbanization 

and international flows of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers. 

The experts agreed on a set of 37 recommendations which will be forwarded to 

the second session of the Conference Preparatory Committee due to meet in 

May 1993.



The expert group meeting emphasized the positive aspects of migration as 

well as the negative ones. Above all, the human rights dimension of 

migration was stressed, as was the improvement in individual or household 

welfare that migratory decisions generally imply. Remittances of migrants, 

whether internal or international, were underlined as contributing to the 

development or at least sustenance of out-migration areas. The need to 

devolve authority to local levels and to augment rural infrastructure were 

seen as important strategies to lessen migratory pressures.



Mr. Aristide Zolberg (USA) was elected Chairman. Vice-Chairmen were Ms. Lin 

Lean Lim (Malaysia), Mr. Robert Obudho (Kenya) and Ms. Nasra Shah 

(Pakistan). Mr. Alfredo Lattes (Argentina) served as Rapporteur. Ms. Lim 

also served as Chairman of the Recommendations Committee, which included Mr. 

Graeme Hugo (Australia), Mr. Lattes, Mr. Obudho, Mr. David Satterthwaite 

(U.K.) and Ms. Astri Suhrke (Norway). Ms. Hania Zlotnik, Acting Chief of the 

UN Population Division's Mortality and Migration Section, served as 

Technical Secretary.



The recommendations are available from the ICPD Secretariat and from the 

Mortality and Migration Section, UN Population Division.