JRS & Migration and Development What is global migration? Global migration is composed of mixed flows, that is, the reasons and rationales for an individual's or family's choice to migrate varies. The academic and political policy discourses on migration experience deep differences on how to address migratory flows. Yet, despite the diversity of global migration and how it is addressed by academic and policy circles, it is in general agreed that:   For any human being migration should be a choice, and not a necessity;   Given its current prominence on the world stage, policies must address the root causes of forced migrations;   General causes for migration are rooted in social conditions, be they economic distress or human rights violations;   All of these problems can be tacked by development policies. The EU's migration policy Within the present decade the EU has sought to manage migration into Europe by acknowledging these four areas of agreement in its policymaking. However, until now EU policies have neglected to sufficiently investigate the link between development, migration, and its root causes. A serious discrepancy within the current institutional debate is the exclusion of forced migrants from the EU's migration and development policy agenda. This discrepancy, in essence, negates the fundamental importance of human rights recognition and adherence. These two factors are not only ethical responsibilities and international legal obligations, but they are also unavoidable pre-conditions for any form of sustainable and durable economic and social development that are essential for managing migrations. The exclusion of forced migrants from the current institutional debate neglects an important potential resource of development both in the country of origin and in the host country. Forced migrants can be a substantial factor of development in both countries once they enjoy basic rights. JRS and Migration and Development Migrants, Dominican Republic Jesuit Refugee Service is a global Catholic organisation, founded in 1980 with the mission to accompany and to serve refugees and other forcibly displaced people regardless of their religious affiliations, and to defend their rights. On the basis of its experience in the field of forced migration, Jesuit Refugee Service decided to become engaged in the EU-level debate on migration and development. It participated in the preparatory meeting of the High Level Dialogue in the United Nations, held in New York in September 2006. Together with four other Catholic institutions it organised a reflection event in May 2007, in the European Parliament, on migration and development. Additionally, Jesuit Refugee Service was selected to participate at the Civil Society Day of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in July 2007 in Brussels.   The purpose of this website is to inform, to raise awareness, and to nourish critical as well as constructive debate on the current EU discourse on migration and development.