UN Summit to address large movements of refugees and migrants

16/09/2016

19 September 2016, New York – Today FAO is taking part in the high-level UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, hosted by the UN General Assembly. The aim of the Summit is to address large movements of refugees and migrants, bringing countries together behind a more humane and coordinated approach.

Migration is a growing global phenomenon and most countries are simultaneously countries of origin, transit and destination for migrants. Swelling numbers of migrants and refugees are moving across national and international borders, fleeing conflicts, violence, natural disasters and other life-threatening situations, or responding to poverty, food insecurity, labour shortages and adverse impacts of environmental degradation and climate change.

In 2015, there were 244 million international migrants, representing an increase of 40% since 2000. One-third of them are aged 15-34 years. Around 40% of international remittances are sent to rural areas, reflecting the rural origins of a large share of migrants. Internal migration is an even larger phenomenon, with an estimated 740 million internal migrants in 2013. Moreover, in 2015, 65.3 million people around the world were forcibly displaced by conflict and persecution while, in 2014, more than 19 million people were internally displaced because of natural disasters.

Changes of the agricultural sector are part of the structural transformations that inevitably lead to movements of people within and across countries. Migration represents an important component of household livelihood strategies and, if properly managed, a safe, orderly and regular migration can contribute to sustainable development, economic growth and food security.

To make this happen, it is necessary to identify global solutions which address the root causes of large movements of people from a broad and comprehensive perspective. Hence, the General Assembly has called for the first time a summit at the Heads of State and Government level on large movements of refugees and migrants. The event represents a historic opportunity to agree on a blueprint for a better international response. It is a watershed moment to strengthen governance of international migration and create a more responsible and predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants.

The drivers and impacts of migration are intimately linked to FAO’s global goals of fighting hunger and achieving food security, reducing rural poverty and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. Agriculture and rural development can address the root causes of migration including rural poverty, food insecurity, inequality, unemployment, lack of social protection as well as natural resource depletion due to environmental degradation and climate change.

By 2050, over half of the population in the least developed countries will still live in rural areas. Three-quarters of the extreme poor base their livelihoods on agriculture or other rural activities. In Africa alone, 11 million youth will enter the labour market every year for the next decade. Investing in sustainable rural development, climate change adaptation and resilient rural livelihoods has to be an important part of the global response to the current migration challenges.

"In the next decades, demographic trends, globalization, inequality, and climate change are likely to further increase migration pressures both within and across countries. Distress economic migration is particularly high among the rural youth." said José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General.

Working with governments, UN agencies, the private sector, civil society and local communities, FAO play an important role in five interlinked thematic areas:

1. The root causes of internal and international migration and displacement in the rural areas of origin;
2. The resilience of displaced people and host communities in protracted crises;
3. Conflict prevention and stability;
4. Rural labour migration, and especially seasonal employment schemes in agriculture;
5. Development potential of migration for rural areas of origin.

For instance, in Tunisia and Ethiopia, FAO is working with governments and rural stakeholders to implement the project Youth mobility, food security and rural poverty reduction. The objective is to generate knowledge and develop capacity related to the causes and implications of distress migration on agricultural production, opportunities for seasonal migration and agro-entrepreneurship for youth.

In Burundi, through an innovative approach called Caisses de Résilience (CDR), FAO supports returnees to engage in income generating activities. CDR puts vulnerable communities at the centre of risk management by strengthening their capacities in the technical, financial and social dimensions to increase the resilience of their livelihoods and ecosystems.

Way forward

As further collaboration continues with Member States, the United Nations and other partners, FAO will strengthen its engagement on migration by continuously reassessing its role and contribution to the global efforts to respond effectively to the large movements of migrants and displaced persons.

Building on its strong technical expertise, longstanding country presence and extensive experience in developmental and humanitarian setting, FAO is committed to:

Generate evidence on human mobility, and especially its rural and agricultural dimensions, in terms of patterns, drivers and impacts for rural areas of origin;
Advise and support capacity development at country and regional level to address the root causes of migration and harness its development potential;
Disseminate and improve the uptake of knowledge and good practices in agriculture and rural development and adapt them to migration-prone contexts;
Facilitate and support policy dialogue across key sectors and stakeholders, to promote policy coherence and innovative mechanisms to generate viable options in rural areas;
Strengthen partnerships and advocate at national, regional and global levels to leverage expertise and maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the response.

> See the detailed programme of the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrations here.
> All proceedings will be broadcast live on http://webtv.un.org.

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