|
The effect of development gap on domestic and international migration has attracted increasing interest since the end of World War II. The International Labour Organization (ILO) asserts that "migration of labour is a key feature of globalization, and it makes a significant impact on the world economy"[1].
The process of globalization and the body of international organizations dedicated to the respect of human rights, as well as individual states, should devise a set of socially and economically productive policies in order to deal with such flow of migrants. The United Nations states that "the number of migrants crossing borders in search of employment and human security is expected to increase rapidly in the coming decades due to the failure of globalization to provide jobs and economic opportunities"[2]. To help prevent this from happening there are ways to help close development gap. These are through mainly Aid programs and Investment programs for developing countries. An additional cause is the fact that during the colonial era, leading up to the early 20th century,forced migration occurred when native populations were relocated by colonial powers as they saw fit. The slave trade allowed for mass relocation according to needs and only a very few natives had the means of migrating to more favorable locations on their own.
More recently, humanitarian development gaps allowed for mass migrations between Less Developed Countries (LDC's) such as it happened during the Sierra Leone civil war (1991-2002), and the Rwandan Civil War (1990-1993). When faced with such situations, it becomes evident that "conflict and human rights abuse associated with poor governance have become among the key factors impelling much current migration"[3] The latter created one of the most notorious refugees crisis of our time know as the "Great Lakes Refugee Crisis. Such eventualities do not only call for a structured and efficient set of migration policies by the countries directly involved, but also call for an international equivalent. However, since the causes for large migrations such as the example cited above are usually volatile and unpredictable conflicts, the countries directly involved rarely have the time to be adequately prepared. This further requires the involvement of an international body, thus the creation of international migration policies.
The case of economic development gap is the most well studied and documented. The difference in cost of living in two countries will significantly determine the amount of people willing to relocate there. What economists have a difficult time asserting, is what factors that determine whether an economy is healthy and inviting to potential migrants. A clear migrational trend exists in between the North-South divide as people from less industrialized and economically developed countries are much more prone to migrate to an industrialized country than the opposite.This than leads to unemployment for locals since they would prefer to hire someone that they will be able to pay a lower wage to. Different countries have different ways of dealing with legal migrants according to their historical background. Seeking for new ways to deal with migrants and the impact they have on both their host and home country is an ongoing challenge in the field of public management.
Facts & Figures
In 2005 there were 191 million migrants (persons living outside their country of origin or citizenship which includes those migrating for employment, their dependents and refugees and asylum seekers).
ILO estimated that 86 million of the 175 international migrants in the year 2000 were economically active – migrant workers, distributed as follows:
Africa: 7.1 million
Asia, including Middle East: 25 million
Europe, including Russia: 28.5 million
Latin America and the Caribbean: 2.5 million
North America: 20.5 million
Oceania: 2.9 million
In 2005, the remittances sent by international migrants back to their homelands amounted to an estimated US$ 250 billion. This sum exceeds that of all official development assistance and foreign direct investment.
All the statistics were taken from the ILO "Facts on Labour Migration" factsheet[4]
|
|
Earthquake hits Haiti
"January 13, 2010"
A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti.The extent of the devastation is still unclear but there are fears thousands of people may have died.Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, wrecking the presidential palace, UN HQ and other buildings.A "large number" of UN personnel were reported missing by the organisation. Many people have spent the night outside amid fears of more aftershocks.Describing the earthquake as a "catastrophe", Haiti's envoy to the US said the cost of the damage could run into billions.
A number of nations, including the US, UK and Venezuela, are gearing up to send aid.
BBC World
Chile becomes the first South-American Country to Jion OECD
"January 11, 2010"
Chile will become the OECD’s 31st member and its first in South America under an accession agreement signed today at a ceremony at the presidential palace of La Moneda in Santiago by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría and Chilean Finance Minister Andrés Velasco, in the presence of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
OECD
The Surrealism of the Afghan Surge
"December 7, 2009"
Anti-poverty campaign group Oxfam accused European politicians on Sunday of planning to "cannibalize" existing development aid budgets and repackage them as part of a deal to fight climate change.
Rueters Africa
Donors Pledge $8.063 Billion Development Aid For Vietnam Next Year
"December 3, 2009"
Foreign donors Friday pledged official development assistance totaling $8.063 billion for Vietnam next year, compared with $5.014 billion for this year.
Nasdaq
Korea to Join Foreign Aid Donor Club
"November 30, 2009"
Korea is likely to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's club of donor countries known as the Development Assistance Committee.
The Chosun Ilbo
Development Aid Victim of Economic Situation
"Sunday, 18 January, 2009"
The Kenian Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, fears the economic crisis in the dominating countries will cause them to cut down the financial assistance towards Africa.
The wealthy countries have promised before that they will help the financial situation in Africa by donating money and they say they will keep this promise. However,
a non-governmental French organization, warned that the french officials were thinking of cutting aid by more than half.
allafrica.com
President Bush Saved Ten Million Lives
"Friday, 16 January, 2009"
The former American President George W. Bush is the least popular president ever, however he has succeeded when it comes to Africa. His policy on development aid and his
commitment to fight the disease Aids have saved ten million lives. Furthermore his anti malaria plan saved the lives of many people.
allhiphop.com
for our outdated news items, please click on the heading 'In The News'
|
|
|
|
Development aid in historical context:
- 27th of December 1945 the | IMF (International Monetary Fund , a special agency within the United Nations) and the World Bank (split into two main branches: IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and IDO International Development Organization are founded at the conference of Bretton Woods. The aim was to give first credits to developing countrys.
- April 1948 16 States from the OEEC (Organisation for European Economic Cooperation)aimed economical reconstruction for Europe after World War II in cooperation with the Marshall Plan.
- 30th of September 1961 The OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) was founded with 29 member states it is seen as a replacement for OEEC. The OECD aimed to better the level and the effectiveness of development aid 1967 Food Aid Convention decides that the member states have to give a minimum of the homegrown cereals or a money replacement to developing countrys.
- 1973/1974 and 1979/1980 through the outbreak of the fuel crisis, developing countries found themselves in a dilemma. Import prices were raised and export prices had decreased. The dependency on banks, therefore increased immensely. The developing countries asked the World Bank for help. They offered their help under the condition of their SAP (Structural Adjustment Program) This meant the decreasing of import but the advancement of their home economies.
- 1979 The Federal Chancellor of Germany founded the ‘North-South Commission’. The commission dealt with questions how to solve the conflict between the northern and the southern part of the world, in terms of development.
|
|
Policy practice of the World Bank
The World Bank was originally established to support reconstruction in Europe after World War II, but has since reframed its mission and expanded its operations both geographically and substantively.
Today,the mission of the World Bank is to reduce poverty.World Bank
•Policy practice in Latin America
Since 1992, the Bank Information Cente(BIC) has worked with communities affected by the policies and projects of multilateral development banks in Latin America. Along with the World Bank and several other institutions, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has long been a focus of the Bank Information Center’s monitoring activities.Latin America
•The U.N. provides assistance to most countries in Africa, and USAID operates 23 bilateral missions on the continent. Three regional missions support activities in countries with a limited USAID presence and manage programs that strengthen institutional capacity to contribute to stable and secure development in Africa.[1] The Un has been active in humanitarian activities in most Africa countries, for example they have been granting support and subsidies to NGO'S like mission agency which is dedicated to the establishment of Christ-centered churches among all of Africa’s peoples, AIM has the opportunity - and the responsibility - to respond to humanitarian needs that arise in the countries where they serve.[2]
Policy practice of the IMF
Changes in Lending Funds
To make its financial support more flexible and modified to the multiplicity of low-income countries. The IMF has began a new Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) which has three new methods of lending funds. These new methods of lending funds are expected to become effective in 2009 when the final consent of donor countries are given. The three new methods will be as follows:
- The Extended Credit Facility (ECF) which:
- Provide sustained engagement in case of medium term balance of payments needs
- Offers more flexible timing requirements then the PRGF for countries to produce a formal poverty reduction strategy document
- The Stand by Credit Facility (SCF)which:
-Provide flexible support to low-income countries with short financing and adjustment needs caused by domestic or external shocks op policy slippages
-Can also be used on a precautionary basis to provide insurance
- The Rapid Credit Facility (SCF) which:
-Provides limited financial support in a single, up front payout for low income countries facing urgent needs
-Offers highly flexible financing that provides single-use loan that replace the Exogenous Shock's Facility's rapid access component and the subsidized Emergency Natural Disaster Assistance; and offers successive drawings for countries in post conflict of other fragile situations, replacing and expanding subsidized Emergency Post Conflict Assistance
For further reading see IMF changes in lending funds
Policy practice of the European Union
More than half the funds spent to aid low-come countries is made available by the European Union and its member states, making them the worlds largest aid donor. The European Union not only provides clean water and surfaced roads which are necessary but also provides the important of trade among the developing countries. They assist by helping developing countries export their goods to the union and also help them to trade more among themselves to become more independent.
The main objective of the European Union's development policy is to eliminate poverty in a justifiable way. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)are significant to the policy. The eight MDGs were adopted by world leaders in 2000 with a 2015 deadline and range from halving extreme poverty and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, to providing universal primary education.
For further reading on different policies see: Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, Development policies of the EU, Development and relations with African, Caribbean, and Pacific States
|
|
|
|
- Europe also received Development aid? Marshall Plan
- While official development aid has quadrupled between 1980 and 2004, it has fallen as a proportion of total developing country inflows? OECD
- Sub-Saharan Africa alone receives nearly USD 26,3 billion of all development assistance. Nevertheless the region has become poorer over the past twenty years despite USD 500 billion in aid. BBC
- The overall amount of development aid provided by rich countries to the poor stabilised in the l990s after sharp increases in the l980s. This has meant that in real terms poor countries have not received any more aid despite worldwide economic growth. BBC
- In Africa, one-third of people live in hunger and about one-sixth of children die before the age of five?
- Only five donor countries - Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden - have met 0.7% of gross national income to donate for development assistance. BBC
- When donor countries write off a portion of a recipient country's debt, it is counted as official development assistance from the donor country. OECD
- In absolute terms the US is the largest donor providing around USD 19 billion per year.BBC
- Mozambique is most dependant from international aid.60,2% of development aid counts into its economy. BBC
- Saudi Arabia in 2007 donated USD 2 Billion to Developing countries. OECD
2003 UN Human Development Report
- The EU gives more in development aid and humanitarian assistance than other rich countries do? The EU also works for trade rules that are fair for poorer countries. EU
- That based on some measures of corruption, the more corrupt the government is, the more aid it actually receives? American Economic Review
|
|
IGO's
- The World Food Programme, UN Population Fund, The UN Environment Programme and the UN Human Settlements Programme are all part of the UN development programme, dedicated solely to development aid. The UN Conference on Trade and Development collaborates closely with the World Trade Organization in aiding developing countries through international trade.U.N. Millennium project
- UN
- The international bank of reconstruction and developement was established in 1944 to help europe recover from the devastation of the second world war.but later reframed its mission to expand both geographically and substantively.World Bank
- The World Bank group is composed of five institutions: The International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), The international Development Association (IDA), The International Finance Corporation (IFC), The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and The International Centre for settlement of Investment Disputes (ICIDS).
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization with participation from 185 countries, working to encourage worldwide monetary cooperation, establish financial stability, ease international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty worldwide poverty levels.IMF.
|
|
|
Greenpeace Organisation: Sir Patrick Moore
Founder and Ceator of The Greenpeace Organisation
biography
U.N secretary General: Ban Ki-Moon
Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea
biography
World Bank president: Robert B. Zoellick
Robert B. Zoellick of the U.S.A
biography
IMF director: Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Strauss-Kahn of France
biography
President of the Red Cross: Jakob Kellenberger
Jakob Kellenberger of Switzerland
biography
Acting Administrator: Alonzo L. Fulgham
Chief Operating Officer and Executive Secretary
biography
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
