Statement of H. E. Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh on “HLPF Side Event Migration and human mobility in the context of the post -2015 Development Agenda -Perspectives from the Global Forum on Migration and Development” Wednesday, 1 July 2015, 1.15-2.30pm, CR11 (Jointly hosted by GFMD and IOM)
[Topic: The GFMD and the Post-‐2015 Development agenda: Potential opportunities]
Good afternoon Excellencies and distinguished participants,
I am humbled to speak at this side event.
Our discussions and reflections could have useful bearing on the discussions leading to FfD Conference next week as the global community considers means and ways for development financing including innovative financing. This would have particular impact and linkages eventually for the Sustainable Development Goals that the world would adopt a few months following the FfD.
Needless to say that Migration has been historically integral component of development. Lately, the international community has demonstrated interest in factoring migration in a number of global development processes, particularly in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. In this regard, I would like to thank the Member States and all relevant stakeholders who voiced strongly for incorporating and mainstreaming migration and migrants in the global development matrix.
GFMD is a more than a decade old initiative of the United Nations Member States to address the migration and development interconnections in practical and action-oriented ways, and it has made an impressive progress. This non-binding, voluntary and government-led process played significant role in culminating of international dialogue on the growing importance of the linkages between migration and development.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank particularly the current Chair of GFMD, His Excellency Ambassador Mehmet Samsar, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, for successfully leading GFMD in this critical juncture of development paradigm. I also acknowledge with appreciation the constructive role played by Sweden, as the former GFMD Chair for furthering migration in the international arena. Needless to mention that IOM has been a solid partner in our all efforts.
Following the adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda (September 2015), the Ninth GFMD (2016) would be the first key global Conference on migration and development which would see rolling out of the Post-2015 Development Agenda vis-à-vis the migration-relevant elements/targets. Bangladesh, as the upcoming Chair of the Ninth GFMD, therefore, plans to approach its Chairmanship to further advance and realize the potential benefits of migration in the context of sustainable development. During the GFMD Chairmanship, Bangladesh proposes to initiate conversation, especially across the origin, destination and transit countries, on implementation mechanisms for effective realization of the migration-relevant SDGs and targets. Such conversation is becoming more urgent in the context of recent plight of unorderly mobility of people across nations. If we are looking for a pro-people, pro-planet, more inclusive, more equitable, peaceful and sustainable world for all where no one is left behind, then this issue also needs to be looked into seriously.
Bangladesh is one of the key countries where migration lends much impact on development of the society and the economy; and thus is a key enabler of our development. Much of what the UN unanimously adopted in October 2013 at the Second HLD on Migration and Development should also be of relevance to our consideration.
In the global discourse, Bangladesh remains actively engaged to robustly secure migration its rightful place within the global development agenda. It is from that perspective that Bangladesh has been closely involved to advance migration across the Post-2015 development agenda. We have worked with our friends, to make the SDG targets ‘migration-relevant’ as much as possible. Within the listing of ‘marginalized segments’ as well, we underlined the importance of migrants and their families. We are thus particularly pleased to see specific targets in SDGs namely 8.8, 10.c, 10.7 and 17.18 besides 2 places in chapeau that capture and advance some of the crucial elements of contemporary migration and development discourse. Indeed reduction or rationalization of cost of migration, including that of remittance, is a critical benchmark for the global community to accomplish as part of SDGs.
I would like to flag that migration yields considerable benefits when measures have been put in place to ensure and strengthen governance of migration. Migration must be supported by a balanced, cooperative and equitable system that is safe, fair and more beneficial for all. This system must promote participation of all migrants in decision-making processes. Governance of migration would lead to promote matching of skills and jobs as well as labour supply and demand between countries, including through creating regular channels for migration. Economic policies should be framed in such manner that helps utilize migration remittance.
Mainstreaming migration into the national development policies holds a key to give migration as well as remittances institutional support to work more effectively as an enabler of development. There is an urgent need to ensure financial inclusion of migrants and provide incentives to trade with, and to save and invest in origin and destination countries and promote a strategy to enable, engage and empower migrant Diaspora and their entrepreneurship. Reducing overall costs in migration process, effective regulation of labour recruitment agencies and incentivize cost-effective channels of remittance may help economic growth.
Finally, I should underline that in run up to Addis Ababa next week, and Post 2015 summit in September, we cannot afford to relax and should put all our efforts together to encapsulate potential opportunities of migration in the development paradigm.
Thank you.