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Migiro stresses importance of migration
2008-01-21 09:12:53
By Guardian Reporter
The United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro has underscored the importance of migration saying it has become a truly global phenomenon, which requires deep cooperation to make it a safe, legal, and orderly process.
Dr Migirio made a remark when opening a two day conference on migration and development held at the UN Headquarters in New York.
``It would be an act of profound irresponsibility to ignore the enormous interplay between migration and development, noting the impact of remittances to building a robust educational infrastructure in the developing world, and the vast potential for international cooperation,`` she said.
Dr Migiro said: ``Only a short time ago, the international community had great difficulty discussing matters related to migration. Dividing lines were drawn between north and south, between what we called ``sending`` and ``receiving`` countries. Accusations and recriminations trumped reasoned dialogue.``
She said accusations and recriminations have been replaced by ``dispassionate discussion of how migration can contribute to development`` due to large global meetings on the issue.
The UN deputy SG said countries have come to realize that collaboration would bring greatest gains to not only migrants and their families, but also to both the communities they leave behind and move to.
She urged bolstered international cooperation to aid the world`s 200 million migrants, along with their families and communities in acknowledging that migration is an ``explosive and often divisive`` political issue in many nations.
``Let us build such an ethic of cooperation around issues of mutual benefit. Then, as we build trust and achieve results, we can move on to address some of the more contentious issues we face,`` Dr Migiro said.
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