More people live outside their country of birth today than at any time in history. In 2010, the number of international migrants was estimated at 214 million, up from 195 million in 2005. Females account for 49 per cent of the total. Six out of every 10 international migrants (128 million) reside in a developed country, and the majority of those (74 million) come from a developing country.
Impact of the economic crisis
The recent economic and financial crisis reduced, but not halted, the growth in the number of international migrants. In developed countries, the number of international migrants increased by 10.5 million from 2005 to 2010, down from 12.8 million from 2000 to 2005. In developing countries, the number of international migrants almost doubled from 2000-2005 (4.0 million) to 2005-2010 (8.2 million) partially as a result of the increase in the number of refugees.
Migrant workers have been hard hit by rising levels of unemployment, partially because they are concentrated in economic sectors, such as construction, manufacturing and tourism, that have been seriously affected by the economic downturn. Despite rapidly rising levels of unemployment among migrants, the arrival of new migrants has continued. Large-scale returns of migrants have not taken place, because the majority of migrants are well integrated in their countries of residence.
In 2009, remittances to low- and middle-income countries fell for the fist time since 1980 reaching $316 billion dollars; $20 billion less than in 2008. Yet, remittances have been more resilient to the effects of the crisis than other types of financial flows.
An increasing number of Governments of both countries of origin and countries of destination of international migrants are committed to finding effective ways of leveraging the beneficial aspects of international migration for development. In 2010, multilateral projects on international migration and development totalled some 250 million US dollars. Policies to maximize the developmental impacts of international migration range from lowering the transfer costs of remittances and leveraging remittances for development to encouraging expatriate communities to invest in their home countries, lowering the costs of migration and promoting circular migration.
Protecting the rights of migrants
The recent financial and economic crises have contributed to a resurgence of xenophobia and thus underscored the importance of taking effective measures to protect the rights of all migrants. By June 2010, 82 Member States had ratified at least one of the three international instruments relative to migrant workers, namely, the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the 1949 International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention concerning Migration for Employment (Revised) (No. 97) or the 1975 ILO Convention concerning Migration in Abusive Conditions and the Promotion of Equality of Opportunity and Treatment of Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) (No. 143). Combined, those Member States hosted 32 per cent (69 million) of all international migrants worldwide.
International migration and development at the United Nations
The issue of international migration and development remains high on the agenda of the United Nations. In 2006, the General Assembly convened the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, the first high-level event at the United Nations exclusively devoted to international migration. Participants recognised that international migration, development and human rights were intrinsically interconnected and that international migration, supported by appropriate policies, could be a positive force for development in both countries of origin and destination.
Since the High-level Dialogue, activities of the United Nations system that seek to maximize the opportunities of international migration for development and to limit its negative impacts have multiplied. In 2006, the Secretary-General established the Global Migration Group (GMG), which aims to coordinate the work of 14 United Nations entities, the World Bank and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The GMG has been tasked to promote the wider application of all relevant international and regional instruments and norms relating to international migration, and to encourage the adoption of more coherent, comprehensive and better coordinated approaches to the issue of international migration.
As follow-up to the 2006 High-level Dialogue, the General Assembly decided in 2008 to organize an informal thematic debate on international migration and development in 2011 and to hold a second High-level Dialogue on international migration and development in 2013.
The 2006 High-level Dialogue also established the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), an informal, state-led, voluntary and non-binding process providing a platform for Governments to share good practices and lessons learnt. The Global Forum is linked to the United Nations through the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on International Migration and Development. The Global Forum, which has held four annual meetings since 2007, has attracted delegates from over 150 Member States and numerous observers from the United Nations and other international organizations.
Improving the evidence base: data on migrant stocks by age and sex
In response to the growing demand for policy-relevant data on international migration, the Population Division has produced, for the first time, estimates of the number of international migrants by age and sex, for every country in the world. The publication International Migrants by Age, Population Facts, No. 2010/6 provides some highlights of these estimates.
For more information: www.unmigration.org
