This monthly Newsletter brings you news for international co-operation professionals on economic and social development. Edited by Karsten Weitzenegger, http://www.weitzenegger.de
May 2004
Special Issue on Migration and Development
- GTZ/ILO Conference Report: Working with the diaspora: A new direction for international development cooperation?
- Weblinks on Migration and Development
1. Development policy looks for co-operation with diaspora migrants
Meeting of experts at GTZ and ILO recognizes potential of the exile communities
Transnational migration means a loss of human resources for many developing countries. However, migrants in the diaspora contribute to the economic development of their country of origin. They set up new business relations, investments and know-how transfer. Sometimes thus the "brain drain" is followed by a "brain gain".
Can an active policy towards the diaspora strengthen the potentials of the exile communities for the development of their countries of origin? Experts affirmed this on 4 May at a conference in Berlin, invited by the German technical co-operation agency GTZ and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The conference focussed on dialogue between the representatives of diaspora communities in Germany, officials from the countries of origin, institutions, national and international organizations as well as NGOs and scientists. Representatives of the diaspora from Afghanistan, Egypt and Serbia presented practical experiences in co-operation with their countries of origin. These activities secure jobs and tax revenues also in Germany.
Diaspora communities can be important partners for the development policy in many cases. Their remittances reach predominantly poor families in rural areas. The diaspora represents an enormous potential for enterprises, trade and social projects. They get more effective, if integration of migrants is successful.
The amount of the world-wide remittances the diaspora sends home was twice as high as the entire official development assistance (ODA) in recent years. For some poor countries remittances became the most important foreign exchange income. Informal money transfers are estimated even higher. The common "Hawala" practice offers the advantage of small transaction costs, because it avoids banks and authorities. However, new laws against money laundering limit these informal forms.
Erich Stather, Undersecretary of State in the German Federal Ministry for Economic co-Operation and Development (BMZ), focussed on remittances. "Our goal should be to lower these transaction costs of money transfers. It is also necessary to achieve an even stronger contribution of the remittances for development purposes", Stather said. There are experiences how the transfer costs can be lowered by competition and consumer protection.
The development policy so far focusses on the promotion of voluntary returns to the countries of origin. This ignores the potentials of a diaspora, which has strong pillars on both sides.
Rita Suessmuth, German member of the recently created Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM), favoured possibilities of co-operation without permanent return. This can be done by making exemption from migration laws.
The double passport policy allows circular migration, which is very helpful. Suessmuth called to recognize and promote the work of the diaspora communities as a "double bridge builders".
The representatives of the diaspora expressed the desire that the development policy uses its instruments, information and networks to support and organize their efforts. This shall be independent from the governments. Above all, the diaspora needs the political and legal acknowledgment of its work. International money transfers shall be made safer and cheaper. The conference identified the need for a central information and consulting mechanism for migration and development.
2. Weblinks on Migration and Development
Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM)
http://www.gcim.org/
GTZ Project Migration and Development
http://www.gtz.de/migration-and-development/
ILO Project Sustainable Migration Solutions
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inst/research/migration.htm
International Organization for Migration (IOM - OIM)
http://www.iom.int/
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
http://www.unhcr.ch
Digital Diaspora Network - Africa
http://www.ddn-africa.org/
HWWA Portal Migration
http://www.hwwa.de/migration/
Migration Policy Group (MPG)
http://www.migpolgroup.com/
The International Metropolis Project
http://www.metropolis2004.ch/en/index.shtml
Universiteit van Amsterdam, Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies
http://www2.fmg.uva.nl/imes/contact.htm
European Reintegration Networking
http://www.reintegration.net/
Oxford University, COMPAS Centre on Migration, Policy and Society
http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/
Institut für Migrationsforschung und Interkulturelle Studien (IMIS), Universität Osnabrück
http://www.imis.uni-osnabrueck.de
The Global IDP Project of the Norwegian Refugee Council
http://www.idpproject.org/index.htm
Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN) Programme, UNDP
http://www.tokten.org/
UNESCO International Migration and Multicultural Policies
http://portal.unesco.org/
Danish Institute for International Studies, Migration-Development Links project: Final papers and reports
http://www.cdr.dk/ResTHEMES/conflict/migdevfinal.htm
Netzwerk Migration in Europa
http:/www.network-migration.org
CEMES Centre of European Migration and Ethnic Studies
http://www.cemes.org/
IMISCOE European Network of Excellence International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe
http://www.imiscoe.org/
Migration online, Arbeitsbereich im DGB Bildungswerk e.V.
http://www.migration-online.de
CMEC The International Center for Migration, Ethnicity and Citizenship (ICMEC),presso la New School University (USA)
http://www.newschool.edu/icmec/
Indian Diaspora Website
http://indiandiaspora.nic.in/
Irish Diaspora Website
http://migration.ucc.ie/
Jan Rath's Website
http://users.fmg.uva.nl/jrath/imment.htm
Journal of International Migration and Integration
http://jimi.metropolis.net
Latin American Migration Project (LAMP)
http://www.pop.upenn.edu/lamp/
Links des Europäischen Migrationszentrums
http://www.emz-berlin.de/emz/link.htm
LogoLink
http://www.ids.ac.uk/logolink/index.htm
Migrants Rights International: Links
http://www.migrantwatch.org/mri/links.html
Somaliland Forum
http://www.somalilandforum.com
SOUTHERN AFRICAN MIGRATION PROJECT Related Websites and Newsgroups
http://www.queensu.ca/samp/Links.html
International Migration Links
http://www.ssc.msu.edu/~intermig/links.htm
The Globalization Website by Lechner, Frank
http://www.emory.edu/SOC/globalization/
Migration Information Source
http://www.migrationinformation.org/
Migration News: Links
http://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/links_mn.php
Peter Stalkers Pages
http://pstalker.com/migration/index.htm
Yahoo! Directory Social Science > Migration and Ethnic Relations
http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Migration_and_Ethnic_Relations/
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