Chapitre III - UNITAR

1. Migration Realities
I. Introduction
The movement of people across borders is an important feature of today’s
global political, social and economic life. Since 1965, the number of international
migrants has doubled. In 2000, the Population Division of the United
Nations estimated the total number of international migrants to be 175 million.
1 Thus, approximately 2.9 per cent of the world’s population, or one in
every 35 persons, are international migrants. 2 There are multiple reasons for
this, including the collapse of long-standing political barriers to movement,
the development of worldwide communication systems, the relative affordability
of modern means of transport, wage and opportunity disparities
between countries, and the changing need for labour and provision of services
in many countries. While migration is rooted in human history, migrant
flows today are more diverse and complex than in previous eras, with more
temporary and circular migration. The demands of an increasingly globalized
and integrated world economy and demographic forecasts for the century to
come indicate that migration will remain an unavoidable reality.
Migrants have contributed significantly to world cultural exchange, economic
development and social progress. They have made and will continue to make
dynamic and valuable contributions to societies at home and abroad.
Migration, if properly managed, is great positive potential of migration for
countries of origin and destination, as well as for migrants and their families.
The challenge for States is to maximize the positive effects while minimizing
the negative implications of migration for States, societies and the migrants
themselves. In addition, migration management structures need to take into
account the human dimension of migration, through measures such as the
protection of human rights and provision of special assistance to those in
need.
1 This number includes refugees, some of whom may not be foreign-born. Source: The
Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations
Secretariat, International Migration Report 2002, available at www.unpopulation.org.
2 See International Organization for Migration: World Migration 2003, Chapter 1.
Migration Realities
Chapter I
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