On 18 June 2012, representatives of the EMN National Contact Point (NCP) in the Slovak Republic attended a Norweigan EMN NCP conference entitled Migration and Development which took place in Oslo.
Pal K. Lonseth, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, gave the conference’s opening speech. He highlighted that for many developing countries, migrants are significant contributors to the economy, and that circular migration can ensure the need for extra workers is satisfied in developed countries. Further, Lonseth said it is essential to create arenas for cooperation between developing and developed countries. He referred to the report of the Global Commission on International Migration published in 2005, and said one of its outcomes was the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).
The next speakers were Juris Doctor Vigdis Vevstad, representing EMN Norway, who introduced the conference topic, and Dr. Nicola Piper from Freiburg University, who lectured on the topic A Comprehensive Approach: Global, Regional and National Challenges and Solutions. Subsequently, Imelda Nicolas, Cabinet-level Secretary and Chairperson of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), presented the topic From a Major Source Country: Updates on the Philippines' Migration Management Structure and Programs. She pointed to the fact that the Philippines is the world’s third largest source of migrants, after China and India (2010 numbers show that approximately 9,45 million Filipinos live overseas).
Jorgen Carling, Research Director and Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), spoke on the topic of Remittances between Integration, Transnationalism and Development. His lecture focussed on why remittances are interesting, and on what results research from PRIO has arrived at. Carling himself is leading a research project on remittances from migrants in Norway, which is aimed at two groups of migrants – Somalis and Pakistanis.
The pursuant speech was given by Malin Frankenhaeuser from the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, who presented the topic Current Trends in view of the UN High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. The next lecturer was Geza Strammer from the EU Commission, DG Development and Cooperation (DEVCO) - EuropeAid, whose presentation was entitled An EU Perspective on Migration and Development. Strammer stressed that a key priority for the EU is to maximize the positive impact of migration on the social and economic development of partner countries. This can be seen for example in the October 2011 Communication from the Commission: Global Approach to Migration and Mobility.
The following speaker was Jean-Pierre Cassarino from the European University Institute. His lecture was entitled Linking Cooperation on Readmission with Development Aid: Lessons Learnt. Cassarino commenced by asking the question: How to link something that is positive – development – with readmission? Further, he asked whether migrants could be actors of change once they are removed.
The conference's final lecturer was Trygve G. Nordby from Scanteam, sharing his reflections on the topic Migration and Development – The Road Ahead? As examples of relevant questions in the discourse on migration and development, he mentioned those of whether less or more development leads to less or more migration, and whether migration creates development in the home country.
On the day following the conference, an EMN Cluster Meeting on the Practical Side of the Migration-Development Nexus was convened. Jorgen Carling identified the following issues as having emerged from the conference:
- the need and mechanisms for consultation, cooperation and coordination of policies between those responsible for regulating migration and those responsible for promoting development
- how to make different forms of international migration effective and positive elements in promoting a country’s development
- how to design and implement policies for regulating migration to ensure that the may support development goals or at least not undermine them
- whether and how to equip those who have to return to their country of origin, voluntarily or by force, with capacities or funds that may help their re-integration and life in their community and promote development there
Further information about the conference including programme and presentations can be found on the Norwegian EMN NCP website.