This study focuses on the particular vulnerability of migrants to human rights abuses, and the need to strengthen the recognition and protection of their human rights in international law and state practice. It argues that states have an ethical duty and would also be acting in their own interest in defending migrants' rights through both individual and collective action. The protection of migrants' human rights is presented as an essential interlocking element in a sustainable global system of orderly migration.

Building on the nexus between human rights protection and migration management, the study makes a strong plea for coalition building between human rights groups and migrant-serving associations. It also explains how developments in the wake of the September 11 attack have emphasized the importance of such coalitions.

2002-softcover - 62 pages

ISBN 92-9068-172-1

US$ 26.00

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The close relationship between economic development and migration has been recognized for some time. In recent years, however, there has been a shift in thinking about the relationship between migration and development. Traditionally, migration was seen as a problem with negative implications for development. Today, there is a growing

recognition that migration and migrants can enhance a country's development. One of the factors which contributed to this change in thinking is the growing recognition of the importance of remittances.

In 2003, gross flows to developing countries amounted to US$ 142 billion, compared to US$ 18.4 billion in 1980. The annual average figure increased from US$ 7.8 million in 1975-79 to a recorded total of US$ 98 billion in 1998-2003. According to the World Bank, international remittances received by developing countries are expected to reach US$ 167 billion in 2005 – a more than ninefold increase over the past 25 years.

Given the importance of this topic, IOM is pleased to be able to co-sponsor the publication of this new study by Bimal Ghosh with The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration.

2006 – Soft Cover – 118 Pages

ISBN 978-92-9068-294-3

This new report in the IOM Migration Research Series looks at the links between international migration and development and shows how several Asian countries have successfully mobilized their diaspora to promote development at home.

According to official data, worldwide remittances last year amounted to US$80 billion - more than Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Development Assistance (FDA).  The report notes that in some Asian countries, such as Sri Lanka, overseas remittances have now become 'the backbone of the country's economy.'

The report states that more than 50% of remittances are not sent through official channels.  In Bangladesh, 40% of all remittances are sent through informal channels, 4.6% are remitted through friends and relatives, and 8% are taken by migrants when they return home.

In Pakistan, senior bankers estimate the real flow of remittances at between US$8 to $10 billion, of which only US$1 billion is sent through official channels.

In 2002, the Bank of Vietnam put the total official remittances at US$2.4 billion, double the US$1.2 billion recorded in 1998, but only half of the total US$0.4 billion sent home annually.  This money is sent by some 100,000 Vietnamese employed overseas as construction and domestic workers in South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and Russia, and by the 2.5 million Vietnamese who have settled permanently overseas.

In the Philippines, the Central Bank reports that the amount of remittances has grown from US$1 billion in 1989 to US$8 billion in 2002. 

In China, economists believe that expatriates account for about half of the country's inward foreign direct investment.

The report states that there is now unprecedented competition among industrialized nations to attract highly skilled workers as permanent or temporary settlers.  In this process, many less developed nations are experiencing a significant net migration loss of young, well-educated and skilled nationals.

To counter this brain drain, countries like India are developing programmes to encourage qualified expatriates not just to invest in India, but also to return home and to use their skills acquired abroad to benefit India's economic and social development.

2003 - 42 Pages
ISBN/ISSN: 1607-338X
Price: US $16.00

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There is growing consensus that international migration can have important impacts on development, and that it is important to develop appropriate and effective policy interventions that will help realize the full potential of international migration. This will require devising measures to harness the developmental potential that emigration from developing countries can bring while, at the same time, ensuring that the depletion of highly skilled workers does not damage development outcomes in the countries of origin. This calls for measures conducive to making remittances more effective as a means to reduce poverty and advance economic development, and to develop new and better ways with which to facilitate the involvement of diaspora communities in the development of their home countries. These are tasks facing migration and development policymakers at all levels and in every country of the world.

This paper is intended to guide policymakers through some of these challenges. It is intended to be an accessible guide to the policy implications drawn from the burgeoning literature on migration and development. Its primary aim is to further the important and timely process of mapping out the policy options in this area, especially across the spectrum of channels that form the migration-development nexus.

This collection of articles offers a many-faceted state-of-the-art overview of the linkages between migration and development. Such issues as remittances, the role of development assistance and conflict prevention are analyzed and a number of country-specific studies presented to illustrate the nexus between migration and development, often referred to as 'unsettled relationships'.

2003-softcover - 317 pages

ISBN 92-9068-157-8

US$ 38.00

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Based on the comprehensive collection and interpretation of available data, IOM's second World Migration Report presents the most complete record of reference data and background analysis on population movements.

Published in June 2003, this Report is organized around the core theme of migration management. Policy responses to specific migration issues are discussed in a series of essays with varying geographical and thematic focus.

Preceding the thematic section, a general section introduces the reader to the basics of international migration issues and provides regional updates on trends that have occurred since the publication of the previous report. Maps and graphs and a separate statistics section support the updates on migration trends and policies.

With contributions from the internationally renowned practitioners and scholars in the area of migration, the report provides a critical analysis of the current state and policy implications of international migration.

2003-softcover - 400 pages

ISBN 92-9068-144-6

ISSN 1561-5502

US$ 60.00

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