By Tamara Johnson
30 August 2012
On 22 August 2012, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the MacArthur Foundation hosted a seminar to review issues surrounding migration policy in a human rights-based framework, as outlined in the Rio+20 outcome document, "The Future We Want.”
Ms. Ann Pawliczko, Senior Project Advisor for United Nations Population Fun (UNFPA) introduced the session, stating the Rio+20 conference was a call for a new social contract that embraces the discourse and inclusiveness of a sustainable development framework. Pursuant to language in the Rio+20 outcome document, this framework now explicitly includes migrants.
H.E. Mr. Eduardo Jose Atienza De Vega, the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the UN, continued the panel discussions. He stated that the developing world does not consider the Rio+20 conference to have been a failure. “You cannot underestimate the success of a process that actually led to a document when you consider, for example, Copenhagen 2009. People who consider it a failure may be under the misconception that the outcome document was supposed to be the end of it all. At the 67th UNGA, governments will work to sort out the commitments set forth in the outcome document,” he said.
Principle among the issues to be considered is migration. This subject was also treated in the report of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) regarding development strategy post-2015, discussed here. Paragraph 157 of the Rio+20 outcome document states,
“We call upon States to promote and protect effectively the human rights and fundamental freedom of all migrants regardless of migration status, especially those of women and children, and to address international migration through international, regional or bilateral cooperation and dialogue and a comprehensive and balanced approach, recognizing the roles and responsibilities of countries of origin, transit and destination in promoting and protecting the human rights of all migrants, and avoiding approaches that might aggravate their vulnerability.”
Such an explicit call for the protection and inclusion of migrants, said Mr. Vega, is seen as a crucial step forward, as is international commitment to developing green economies pledged in the Rio+20 Outcome document. Mr. Vega also noted that migration does not follow a South to North vector. About a third of migration occurs from Southern countries of origin to Southern countries of destination. Offering migrants opportunities for decent employment in a green economy, guaranteeing them access to services such as health care and education, and recognizing their actual and potential contributions to destination countries are important tasks moving forward.
Cecilia MartÍnez, Director of the UN Habitat New York Office, then spoke about the challenges of urban sustainability and migration. The prosperity of countries is intimately linked to the prosperity of their cities, which provide the economies of scale and proximity to generate enhanced production and economic growth. This growth, she said, can be an effective poverty fighter if benefits and opportunities are equitably distributed through adequate policies. More than half the population of the world now lives in cities. However, when migration to cities is accompanied by poor economic strategy, it results in the urbanization of poverty.
By 2050, it is predicted that some 200 million people will be forced to leave their homes due to environmental degradation and water shortages caused by climate change, Ms. MartÍnez continued. To avoid being overwhelmed by influx and to facilitate the opportunities migration can afford, cities must be prepared to sustain and provide adequate education and training, health services, employment, social inclusion, and energy efficiency for existing and incoming populations. Ms. Martinez said that this is achievable through the following:
• Better national, regional, and city-level policies (Ms. MartÍnez emphasized the importance of local governance in this regard.)
• Better governance structures and frameworks
• Improved infrastructure and city structures (Ms. MartÍnez especially noted the necessity of access to roads and public transportation from shanty towns.)
• Service provision (health, education, etc.)
• Job creation
• Improved housing conditions for urban poor
Ms. MartÍnez closed by stressing the critical nature of two areas in particular. She said it is crucial to address issues of diversification and conservation of freshwater supplies. Drought preparedness must be enhanced through such mechanisms as expanded rainwater harvesting, water storage and conservation techniques,
water reuse, desalination, and improved water use and irrigation efficiency. She also said it is essential for every city to monitor population dynamics in order to identify and respond to developing problems. Continuous evaluation of urban demographics is essential for effective risk/vulnerability assessment for crafting development strategies.
The next speaker was Mr. Daniel Schensul, from the Population and Development Branch of the UN Population Fund. Mr. Schensul stated that ill-informed fears that climate change will lead to overwhelming waves of international and rural-to-urban migration have led to attempts to limit access to cities, resulting in poor planning for urban growth. 72% of developing countries (and 81% of sub-Saharan Africa) have implemented policies aimed at lowering rural to urban migration.
However, data indicates that most climate-related migration is internal, local, based on social and family networks, and short-term. Climate change will, however, disrupt pre-existing patterns of migration (e.g. seasonal agriculture-related movements).
Mr. Schensul suggested a shift in focus to voluntary migration versus forced displacement in response to emergencies. For governments, not restraining movement is a basic step toward promoting adaptability.
Next to speak was Ms. H. Elizabeth Thompson, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Coordinator for the UN Conference for Sustainable Development Rio+20. Ms. Thompson called for the problem of land degradation to be treated comprehensively as a social, economic, and environmental problem.
Ms. Thompson also spoke to the importance of the development of social safety nets for native populations of destination countries. Without the assurance of decent jobs, working standards, and livable wages, migrant populations are perceived more antagonistically. Austerity measures exacerbate the tensions between host and migrant populations, leading to surges in policies designed to curb migration. The fear that migrants are coming to steal jobs, she said, is unfounded, as migrants often work at the bottom of labor markets. Policy should focus on documentation and the provision of rights to migrants and their children rather than stemming movement.
The implementation of training programs for women living in new societies will be important. Development of green economies will create job growth in traditionally male-dominated sectors such as fishing, manufacturing, waste management, construction, and forestry. Therefore, it will be necessary to implement training programs for women living in new societies.
Ms. Thompson also called on the business sector to redefine corporate social responsibility in a way that specifically recognizes migrants’ rights, as well as the formulation of “GDP+” indicators of well being that go beyond factors of production to environmental and sustainable development.
Continuing the panel, Ms. Mary Jo Toll, UN representative for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, called for more coordinated strategies to cope with migration. 12.5% of the world’s population has migrated either internationally or domestically, partially due to failing ecosystems, vulnerability to environmental degradation, and gradual climate-driven environmental transformations. Ms. Toll warned that ad hoc responses and lack of preparation would result in competition for resources, population displacement, and increased likelihood of violence. Echoing earlier concerns that people in the direst poverty have the fewest options, Ms. Toll noted that women and girls are especially vulnerable. She also noted the increasing statelessness of migrants, emphasizing Ms. Thompson’s point regarding the exigency of improved documentation processes.
Kevin Cassidy, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Communication and External Relations Officer in New York, shared the ILO’s perspective on the power of green jobs to address some of the afore-raised issues. Green jobs—jobs that reduce the consumption of energy and raw materials, minimize greenhouse gas emissions, reduce waste and pollution, and/or protect or restore ecosystems—have the potential to create 15-60 million jobs globally, he said. Whereas the current development model is unsustainable, a shift to a green economy would see a multifactor productivity increase of 1.5% by 2020 and 5% by 2050. 50% of the global workforce is employed by the agricultural, forestry, fishing, energy, building, recycling, or transportation sectors. These sectors will be able to sustain or expand their employment capacity by adapting to sustainable development models.
However, Mr. Cassidy cautioned, there is currently a skills shortage, particularly in science, technology, and math as well as core competencies specific to particular industries. He recommended that education policies be revised to address this mismatch between labor market supply and demand, with attention to gender equality.
Further policy recommendations included incentives structures and environmental tax reforms to encourage investment in a green economy.
Mr. George B. Assaf, Director and Representative of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) described migration as a “manifestation of a systemic crisis central to development.” Lack of economic opportunity and low resilience to environmental threats are the key issues, and green industry can alleviate both problems.
Mr. Assaf claimed that industry is the only sector with the capacity to absorb the growing population of unemployed youths. Industry also enables economic development through enhanced productive capabilities and economic diversification, but this has to be accomplished sustainably, with less environmental degradation. The post-2015 development framework needs to focus on “greening” existing industry and developing new green industries. While there is not yet an agreed-upon definition of the green economy, its implementation will require innovative training, policies, and up scaling and replicating of existing industry. UNIDO outlines its model for a green industry economy here.
Closing the discussion, Ms. Amy Muedin, Programme Specialist for the International Organization for Migration, called for a stronger UN body to advise on the implementation of programs to address migration issues in all three pillars of development—economic, social, and environmental. The Rio+20 outcome document, she said, provides language to promote the rights of migrants and include them as stakeholders in the future development agenda. While upcoming UN debate and high-level dialogue will strengthen the nexus between migration and development, the success of Rio+20 will be judged by the implementation of effective programs and policies.