United Nations Headquarters
3 October 2008
HDRO presents initial phases of research for the 2009 Report on migration.
Convening for the second time since the General Assembly’s High Level Dialogue (HLD) on International Migration and Development in 2006, the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), to be held in Manila from 29-30 October 2008, will focus its attention on the interlinkages between migration, development and the human rights and protection of migrants.
These discussions seem to rest on three key assumptions and arguments. Firstly, migrants who are better protected will contribute more to development in both their host and home countries. Second, evidence suggests that different groups of migrants face different degrees of vulnerability, linked to gender differences, as well as their legal and occupational status, which must be addressed. Thirdly, there is widespread consensus that the best way to afford protection to migrants is to ensure that migration can happen in a legal and orderly manner.
The seminar will examine these arguments, looking at various legal and regulatory frameworks for labour migration and mobility at the international, regional, bilateral and national levels. It will focus on the regard given to concerns of protection, gender and development under these arrangements, and examine how existing frameworks deal with these sometimes conflicting concerns. Throughout, the question of how regulatory policies strike the balance between the interest of various stakeholders, and how they distribute rights and responsibilities among them will be discussed.
Return to the list <<<<<
