Migration and the Post-2015 Development Goals

In a blog post for the Center for Global Development, Michael Clemens examines the current debate on the SDGs and the Outcome Document of the UN Open Working Group and the place of the “migration” issue within this debate.
Mr. Clemens is optimistic about the references to migration as a way to “reduce inequality within and among countries”, but he also admits the “this progress is vulnerable. Over the next few months, UN negotiations all over the globe will take a knife to the Open Working Group’s 17 goals and 169 targets. Much will be cut, much will be compromised. But negotiators must not compromise on migration. Policymakers in the last few years have reached a broad consensus that migration, if properly regulated, can be a massive force for global development poverty reduction. If policymakers allow migration to slip out of the final set of goals, they’ll miss a big and rare opportunity for constructive influence.” This is where civil society around the Globe can play a crucial role, to make sure momentum is not lost and that policymakers are pressured to keep migration on the agenda.
Finally, Mr. Clemens also suggests amending the text of the draft SDGs, which currently overlooks “the immense power of cross-border migration to reduce global inequality among people.”

Complete article available here.

Source: Center for Global Development