How do the Sustainable Development Goals Relate to Migration?

The 2030 Agenda recognizes migration as a core development consideration, which marks the first-time migration is integrated explicitly into the global development agenda. The agenda is relevant to all mobile populations regardless of whether internal or cross border, displaced or not: “goals and targets will be met for all nations and peoples and all segments of society.” It recognizes migrant women, men and children as a vulnerable group to be protected, and as agents of development. All types of migration should also be considered, including displacement. The central reference to migration is made in target 10.7 under the goal “Reduce inequality in and among countries”, calling to “facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.” Many other targets also directly reference migration, and for others migration is a cross-cutting issue that should be considered. Implementation of the SDGs provides an opportunity to protect and empower mobile populations to fulfil their development potential and benefit individuals, communities and countries around the world.

MIGRANTS, INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES How do the Sustainable Development Goals Relate to Migration? The International Organization for Migration (IOM) defines a migrant as “any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of

1. the person’s legal status;
2. whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary;
3. what the causes for the movement are; or
4. what the length of the stay is.

IOM concerns itself with migrants and migration-related issues and, in agreement with relevant States, with migrants who are in need of international migration services.” Although there is no universally accepted definition of the term, an international migrant has been defined for statistical purposes as a person who changes his or her country of usual residence. A long-term migrant is a person who establishes residence in a different country for a period of at least a year, while a short-term migrant moves to a country for a period of at least three months but less than a year. 2 While most refugees are migrants according to these definitions, it should be noted that refugees are governed by a distinct legal farm.

Promoting a Collaborative Approach

The inclusion of migration in the Sustainable Development Goals sets an important precedent for how migration governance can progress in years to come. The principle of universality that underpins the Goals is especially significant for migration, as it can promote international collaboration on the issue. The applicability of all SDG targets to all countries underlines how each has a role to play in migration, and provides a framework for progress towards more effective international governance of migration that is based on global partnerships.

This moves beyond the notion of classifying countries as origin, transit or destination and assigning migration roles and responsibilities to them accordingly, and instead proposes that all countries must engage in migration governance together. This can also help move the migration and development agenda away from focusing solely on how migrant women and men can contribute to countries of origin, and towards a more holistic view that acknowledges migration as a multi-faceted reality that can make a positive contribution to development outcomes.
The inclusion of migration in the SDGs also paves the way towards greater collaboration between the migration and development sectors and, through this, towards greater policy coherence.

The 2030 Agenda has been named a “declaration of interdependence” (United Nations, 2016). It encourages going beyond governance as usual and under target 17.14 calls to “pursue policy coherence and an enabling environment for sustainable development at all levels and by all actors”. The agenda requires stakeholders to move to a whole-of-government approach to achieve policy coherence on migration governance. The migration-SDG connections reach far beyond implementing migration policies, and entail integrating migration across governance sectors. By strengthening coherence between migration and development agendas, migration policies can improve development outcomes, and development policies can improve migration outcomes.

Overview of Migration in the 2030 Agenda

The relevance of migration in the context of development is firmly rooted in the introduction of the 2030 Agenda:

“We recognize the positive contribution of migrants for inclusive growth and sustainable development. We also recognize that international migration is a multi-dimensional reality of major relevance for the development of countries of origin, transit and destination, which requires coherent and comprehensive responses. We will cooperate internationally to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration involving full respect for human rights and the humane treatment of migrants regardless of migration status, of refugees and of displaced persons. Such cooperation should also strengthen the resilience of communities hosting refugees, particularly in developing countries. We underline the right of migrants to return to their country of citizenship, and recall that States must ensure that their returning nationals are duly received.” (United Nations, 2015) This shows how “migration is not a development ‘problem’ to be solved, but a mechanism that can contribute to the achievement of many of the Goals” (Foresti and Hagen-Zanker, 2017). Similarly, the International Organization for Migration Director General has stated: “The vast share of…migration is safe, legal, orderly – and is not only inevitable but beneficial; the lives of countless migrants, their families and home and host communities are the better for it. IOM strongly believes that we should embrace this reality, and together seek ways to positively leverage the benefits of migration. That is, we should not focus efforts on trying to stop migration, but rather on creating conditions in which migration is a choice and not a necessity, takes place along legal channels and acts a catalyst for development.” 1 With this understanding, facilitating, not restricting, migration is the priority, as is expanding the possibilities for people to realize their human development aspirations and potential through mobility. The 2030 Agenda supports this view of migration and, if effectively implemented, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could help move migration governance and cooperation at local, national, regional and global levels towards a holistic approach.

Future Plan

Bangladesi Diaspora Resource Centre Dhaka

Diaspora Resource Centers are an extension of Bangladeshi Global Diaspora Council nonprofit organization, in which members have access to exclusive discounts, special free benefits, and can participate on a deeper level in Diaspora Gives fundraising projects in Bangladesh.

Services offered:

• Relocation support
• Settling in services
• Account set ups
• Business establishment
• Immigrations services and more!