Let's change the narrative on migration

In a world where diaspora remittances dwarf foreign aid flows, the global development community cannot ignore the central role of migration in the post-2105 agenda. “A development agenda without migration would be out of step with our times,” William Lacy Swing, director general of the International Organization for Migration told Devex in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the recent Global Diaspora and Development Forum in Dublin, Ireland. Swing, an 80-year-old former U.S. ambassador appointed in 2008 and just re-elected to another term as IOM chief, shared his views on how countries must adapt to the decline of the nation-state in the face of migration, why migration is in the national interest of both home and host countries, and the main challenges for dealing with migration in development programs. Below are some highlights from our conversation. We saw lots of presentations and discussions at the forum, but what was your highlight? These two days were definitely productive. Good partnerships are crucial for promoting good migration governance, and no one organization — even one with a global presence like IOM — can or should try to do this on its own. Strengthening old partnerships and developing new ones allows us to strengthen existing governance methods and innovate. This forum focused on diaspora, so how does migration factor into this space? Diasporas are the result of migration and can bring the benefits of migration to destination countries and countries of origin. And so it's important that migration is included in the post-2015 development goals? A development agenda without migration would be out of step with our times. More than one billion of the planet’s seven billion people are migrants, and they benefit the lives of billions more. An equitable and sustainable development agenda must, therefore, integrate migration and more generally issues relevant to migrants. You said in your remarks that in the near future the nation-state will "change before our eyes" and that states will have to adjust or pay the price. What will be that price and what will they have to do to avoid paying it? Most industrialized countries are aging, and this means that they must act now to attract, welcome and integrate migrants. This means that we will see people arriving who may not look or talk like us, but who have similar dreams and can share our values. The price these countries will pay for not attracting migrants of all skill levels is a drop in living standards. If countries are unwilling to integrate migrant populations, they will pay the price of rising social inequality and division. Why and how is migration in the national interest, both in host and home countries? Let me emphasize that well-governed migration is in all countries’ national interests. Good migration governance means taking an approach that adheres to international standards and protects the human rights of all migrants. At policy level, this means reaching consensus — with all parties involved — on establishing comprehensive, evidence-based policies that address socio-economic needs and fuel migration’s development potential for all. On the practical level, good migration governance means mitigating risks linked to migration, particularly by reducing drivers of forced migration and ensuring access to regular migration. Let me give you an example: Trafficked and exploited migrant labor harms migrants and deprives host societies of the contributions that healthy, motivated and integrated migrants might otherwise make. This is why IOM has long been involved in counter-trafficking work, and why we have established a public-private partnership to eliminate exploitative recruitment — we call this the International Recruitment Integrity System. Could you expand on what you mean by a "High Road" policy? By “high road,” I mean practical policies that governments can put into place to advance good migration governance — to reinforce migration for the benefit of all. A few of these are: decriminalizing irregular migration; ensuring access to social services — health care, education, etc. — for all migrants, regardless of legal status; informing the public of the benefits that migrants bring; and increasing access to regular migration. Could you outline what are the greatest challenges facing those charged with dealing the issue of migration? Immediate, medium-term and long-term? The first is changing the migration narrative to get people to understand that migration is inevitable and a good thing given the demand for labor as workforces age in the developed world. The second is helping governments to manage the increase in social, cultural and religious diversity as migration increases. You cited your own family story as an example of migration in action. As an American and a former member of the U.S. diplomatic corps, has your past hindered or helped in your work? My past careers have helped, largely because I have transferred what worked and left behind what did not. While working in peacekeeping in the United Nations, I had to shift — albeit at a level of country concerns — from the perspective of bilateral diplomacy to an approach better-suited to multilateral peacekeeping. Changing from peacekeeping to my current role, from which I have the privilege to lead IOM, I made the transition to the requirements of multilateral diplomacy that are part of running a large global inter-governmental organization. I would say that three things have guided me throughout: service, the importance of creating consensus, and the understanding that staff well-being is a priority. Finally, the soft launch of a Diaspora Institute was announced at the forum. What would be your hopes for such an initiative? I am confident that the Diaspora Institute will promote better diaspora engagement, and that IOM will have another successful partnership. To advance discussion about research and policy in this field, the Global Diaspora and Development Forum was held in Dublin from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. The forum brought together international policymakers, scholars and a diverse range of diaspora actors and representatives to address global examples of diaspora engagement, explore fresh trends and share best practices, provide opportunities to develop strategic collaborations, and act as a pivotal forum for moving beyond phases of dialogue to action-oriented platforms for diaspora engagement in the post-2015 agenda. Join the Devex community and access more in-depth analysis, breaking news and business advice — and a host of other services — on international development, humanitarian aid and global health.