Club of Madrid and the Leir Institute for Migration and Human Security have produced a new policy report focusing on the strong links between migration and development. Drawing on an understanding of the complexity of contemporary human mobility and the many layers involved in its management, this evidence-based, four-chapter document shows how governments can adopt a range of pragmatic strategies that unlock the potential of migration to achieve shared prosperity.
This policy report will be launched at a side event of the Summit of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, 2-4 September, that will take place in Riohacha (Colombia), an specialized meeting that brings together delegations from Member States, international organizations, experts from the Academia and civil society organizations.
The issues addressed in this document, entitled ‘Overcoming Misinformation about Migration and Migrants: a Data-driven Report on the Positive Impact of Migration on the Economy and Social Development’, have been prepared by an ad hoc research team under the supervision of former Costa Rican President and Club de Madrid Member Carlos Alvarado.
Their analysis concludes that:
- Demographic decline makes migration an essential tool for fiscal and economic policies.
- Migrants can easily drive innovation and prosperity.
- Safe pathways for migrants and refugees are dramatically underdeveloped, yet remain a governance imperative.
- Exclusionary rhetoric erodes democratic resilience, while inclusive policies foster tolerance and sustain stronger, more robust democracies.
Migration is not a panacea nor for sending nor for receiving countries, but neither is it the threat so often depicted in political discourse, argues the policy report produced by Club de Madrid and the Leir Institute for Migration and Human Security. If managed on the basis of empirical data, cooperation and inclusion, migration can help address demographic decline, drive innovation, strengthen democracy and protect vulnerable people. If managed with fear and neglect, it can exacerbate inequality, destabilise integration and erode trust in institutions.
This report aims to reframe the debate on migration: moving it away from fear and securitisation, and towards empirical data, cooperation and inclusion.