14/09/06

Migration and Development:
“Challenges for social and economic policies in sending and receiving countries”

"The Jesuit Refugee Service would like to emphasize that forcibly displaced people, when taken into account in development planning, can have a role to play in the reconstruction and peace-building efforts necessary for sustainable development.  When accompanied by a strong rights-based approach that includes granting forcibly displaced people their full economic and social rights, including the right to education, the right to work, the right to engage in self-employment, freedom of movement, and the right to participate in decisions affecting their lives, targeted development assistance can allow the forcibly displaced to become strong agents of development.

"The JRS would like to recommend that forcibly displaced populations (including both refugees and internally displaced people) be included in national development plans, and that development assistance target host areas. Development assistance for forcibly displaced populations should prepare people for one of the three durable solutions and should include access to education and vocational training that give people the necessary skills to rebuild their livelihoods and communities. And education and vocational training are not simply about giving people skills that they can use, but also about creating an environment where development can take hold and a means of ensuring protection.  To site an example of why it is necessary to include host areas in development planning, when conditions in camps are better than what the surrounding community has, this leads to a situation not only of increased tension between the forcibly displaced population and the host community, but pushes members of the host community to migrate in search of better social and economic conditions, as the forcibly displaced are repatriated.

"Equal attention must be given to creating an environment in the countries and regions of origin from whence the forcibly displaced come that will allow sustainable development to occur. The forcibly displaced are usually unwilling to return if it is not safe for them to do so, or if they are unsure that their human rights will be respected.  Neither are they willing to return if they feel that they will not be able to provide for themselves or their families, or if they will not have access to basic health care and education. (*Max)

"Returnees do have a role to play in the reconstruction of their countries of origin and peace-building efforts.  Targeted development assistance must ensure that returnees are returning with the necessary skills and resources to rebuild their livelihoods, and must be part of a wider scheme to develop economic capacities and basic infrastructure in return areas, especially in post-conflict situations."

JRS Position Paper

High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (external link)